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Whenever we think about Africa what comes in mind is African Safari, Tribal music, Folks and Tradition. You have read about the popular Zulu and Yoruba tribes or seen some tribes documented in Hollywood movies. Popular Hollywood actors like Kerry Washington and Naomie Harries have some Jamaican roots in their ancestry. Before reading, we must be clear about:
What is a Tribe?
A tribe is a group of people or a community that follows same culture and dialect. Moreover, they are linked with each other due to social, economic, religious as well as blood ties.
Do you know that Africa is a large continent consisting of 54 countries and about 3000 African tribes spread across the continent? The continent has faced 300 years of colonization and there was a lack of focus on their tradition, as a result, there is no proof of the existence of some older tribes. Let’s discuss the culture of the tribes that are still existing.
Hadzabe, Tanzania
Hadzabe is a tribe found in north-central Tanzania, popular as hunters and gatherers. This tribe has a population of about 1300 and is perhaps the last true nomadic tribe in East Africa. Tanzanian administrations made several attempts to settle the tribe but they prefer to live the life their ancestors used to live. There is no governing hierarchy or status differences in these tribes, and children are reared cooperatively. Women collect fruits and berries in groups, while men hunt individually. They also hunt with a bow and poisoned arrow and bring home fruit or honey if they can, but sometimes the food they find is just to feed themselves at the time children feed by food collected by women.
Hamar, Ethiopia
Hamar tribes live in the fertile region of the Omo Valley in southwest Ethiopia. The tribe mainly depends on their cattle for food. Also, they move with their herds in grazing areas during dry seasons. This tribe has a population of about, 47000 and is recognized with their ornaments like wearing necklaces and bracelets with colorful beads. Their unique hairstyles which they make curls on their hair using ochre and butter also make them distinct from other tribes. Unlike modern societies, flogging of women is common in tribes. The boys perform bull jumping practice to get permission to marry.
Himba, Namibia
Himba tribe is found in north-west Namibia is the Kunene region having a population of about fifty thousand. Himba tribe is recognized with their unique red-tinged complexion and hair. The age and status of Himba women could be depicted with their hair like young children usually have shaved heads while they start making braids and plaits as they grow while women with children wear leather ornament known as Erembe on their heads. Each village of Himba culture has a permanent fire at the center, which is believed to be the holy fire and is a symbol of their connection with their ancestors. The tribes believe that their ancestors are in direct connection with the God, Mukuru and they do not let the fire off as a respect for the God and their ancestors. The tribe people apply a paste made from ochre, fat, and butter every day to protect themselves from sun and insect bites which makes them different from others and they look red.
Karo, Ethiopia
Karo is a small tribe located on the banks of the Omo River in Southern Ethiopia. They have a population of 2000 and depend on flood retreat cultivation, breeding cattle, and fishing to meet their food requirements. The tribe is recognized for their intricate face and body painting which is made with charcoal, iron ore, white chalk, and yellow rock. Their rituals include cutting themselves with a knife or razor, then rubbing ash on the cut. Men and Women both make patterns on their body parts like chests, backs, and stomach while women make scarring patterns to make them look attractive while men signify killing enemies or deadly animals. They also perform bull-jumping ceremonies to allow themselves to marry.
Masai, Kenya and Tanzania
Masai people live in Great Rift Valley in Kenya and Tanzania and are in close contact with foreign tourists, which makes them the most popular tribes in Africa. The tribe is semi-nomadic and measures cattle as wealth and a source of sustenance. Their diet includes cow milk and blood. They worship sky god Ngai. The tribe is recognized for their jumping dance and colorful robes, as well as ceremonial spitting. The jumping dance is also a measure to find the best bride for the most competent male, for an instance a young man whose jump is the highest is provided the opportunity to go first to select a bride for him. Their colorful clothes which they call shuka have different symbolic meanings for different colors like red to protect from wild animals, orange is for friendship and hospitality while blue is for the sky and yellow symbolizes fertility. Their ceremonial spitting called Saliva also makes them unique. They spit on the palm of elders while shaking hands or on newborn baby’s heads in this ceremony.
San Bushmen, Kenya
It is the world’s oldest tribes and is also popular as the first people in South Africa. The tribe has a population of about 100k people living in the areas of Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola, and South Africa. The San people make a clicking sound while speaking. These tribe people are descendants of cave men who made different cave and rock arts thousands of years ago. A pigment made of ochre, eggs, blood, and minerals was used to make these images which shows hunters and their animal prey. Now the tribe is found only in small area due to increase in farming and mining lands as well as construction of national parks.
Samburu, Kenya
Samburu tribe belongs to north and central Kenya. They rear livestock including sheep, goats, cows, and camels. This tribe is quite similar to Maasai tribes, even their language is same. These tribes are semi-nomadic and wander in remote and arid areas for pasture land. They also drink cow milk and blood like other like Maasai, and Hamar tribes.
They wore colorful attire and are known as Samburu which means butterfly due to their colorful clothing. Men of this tribe wear black or pink robes which looks like Scottish kilt alongside ornaments including bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and headdresses while women keep their head shaven and wear two blue or purple clothes one around the chest and other around the waist. They also apply ochre paste on their bodies like Himba tribe of Namibia. The tribe follows gerontocracy, which means the eldest members of the society is the supreme head and their decision is final in all matters.
Southern Ndebele, South Africa
The Southern Ndebele tribe dwell in north-eastern provinces of Limpopo, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga in South Africa. Their language is very similar to Zulu tribe. However, tribe's culture and belief are different from other African ethnic groups. Their method of treating illness is also unique. The tribe have a sangoma who heals the illness by battling with the external force which causes an illness with its spells or curses using traditional herbal medicines and bone throwing. The tribe is popular for its artistic style, they decorate their homes with striking geometric patterns filled with vibrant colors.
Xhosa, South Africa
Xhosa tribe has a population of about eight million that lives in the forest area of Eastern Cape Province in the southeast of South Africa. It is one of the largest ethnic groups in the country. They own the second most spoken language of South Africa. The tribe shares several oral stories of a number of ancestral heroes.
Zulu, South Africa
Zulu tribe is the most popular and the largest tribe in South Africa, having a population of over 11 million. Their ancestors used to live in East Africa who migrated to south centuries before. They usually found in KwaZulu-Natal on South Africa’s Indian Ocean Coast. The tribe gives sacrifices for the ancestral spirits so that they help them in their day-to-day lives. The tribe wear their traditional clothes in special events like wedding and funerals as the people of tribe are modern and progressive now a day.
This tribe also makes colorful patterns in their clothes which are not only decorative but also symbolizes their s*x and parenthood status. The colorn, number and shapes of triangle have different meanings.
This was small information about some popular African tribes and as you know the country has several other tribes who may have different traditions and customs but the main thing that we must respect their culture and keep smiling as there are some gestures which does not need any language to understand each other's feelings.
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