Afarensis is a 3.5-2.8 million year old hominin from the Kada Hadar member of the Hadar formation in the Middle Awash, Ethiopia. He is approximately 41 inches tall, weighs approximately 60 pounds and has a cranial capacity of a whopping 410 cc (approximately). Afarensis is currently considered to be transitional between apes and humans and displays some traits of both. Since he spends a lot of time on the couch watching monster movies, some observers question whether he is an obligate biped (although no one has observed him climbing a tree). He also has a blog called 
I find this story appalling. According to MSNBC the lifestyle and culture of the Hadza are being threatened once again. This time, though, the threat comes from the United Arab Emirates:
The transition has been long underway, but members of the dwindling Hadzabe tribe, who now number fewer than 1,500, say it is being unduly hastened by a United Arab Emirates royal family, which plans to use the tribal hunting land as a personal safari playground.The deal between the Tanzanian government and Tanzania UAE Safaris Ltd. leases nearly 2,500 square miles of this sprawling, yellow-green valley near the storied Serengeti Plain to members of the royal family, who chose it after a helicopter tour.
A Tanzanian official said that a nearby hunting area the family shared with relatives had become "too crowded" and that a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family "indicated that it was inconvenient" and requested his own parcel.
What makes it even more appalling is the attitude of the Tanzanian government. Here is a taste:
The official, Philip Marmo, called the Hadzabe "backwards" and said they would benefit from the school, roads and other projects the UAE company has offered as compensation.
*snip*
Even if the tribe came up with a solution, it remains unclear whether the Tanzanian government or the UAE company would be willing to compromise. Marmo said the Hadzabe -- who until recently had no use for money, organized religion or standard time -- are "the one backwards group in the country.""We want them to go to school," said Marmo, who is Tanzania's minister for good governance and represents the valley in parliament. "We want them to wear clothes. We want them to be decent."
Speaking of decency, one point in the article keeps jumping out:
Missions to spread Christianity have also failed. "We just go to church as if we are pictures," one man said. "Our hearts and minds are not there."
The article is candid about some of the other threats faced by the Hadza, for example:
Though some Hadzabe children attend primary and secondary boarding school in the valley, programs to build new schools and provide medical care and water have mostly benefited neighboring tribes and have lured more people to the overpopulated valley.
The attempts to "modernize" the Hadza by building schools and houses have actually had the affect of drawing other groups such as farmers and cattle herders into the area.
The article is also interesting for some of the glimpses of Hadza life that get included in the article. It is a shame the Hadza can't be left alone - much the same way Brazil is leaving the Metyktire alone. If you would like to know more about the Hadza you can download a number of PDF's here.
Comments
Thanks for the heads-up on this. Having worked with the Hadza for many years, I think this is a travesty. If there is a greater violation of human rights, I don't know what it could be. I'll be posting on it shortly...
Posted by: Christopher O'Brien | June 10, 2007 5:44 PM
I can't resist pointing out one of the last lines in the story:
He did impersonations in a high, shrill voice of various researchers he's met over the years.
Which raises the question, is there, somewhere in Tanzania, a Hadza doing a Chris O'Brien impersonation?
Posted by: afarensis, FCD | June 10, 2007 6:14 PM
Hah...yeah, I caught that line too and was thinking the same thing! I believe it is the same Gonga I knew when I was there - he was something of a character and I have no problem visualizing him doing anthropologist imitations (he was also an excellent hunter, to which the article also alludes)! I wonder what I sound like?
Posted by: Christopher O'Brien | June 10, 2007 11:01 PM
Is it really a good way to treat lo-tech tribes, to leave them alone so they can keep having a 35-year life expectancy and raiding each other to abduct nubile women?
Posted by: Martin R | June 11, 2007 9:42 AM
Who said they had a 35 year life expectancy? Probably if they are brought into the mainstream they will, IF they survive all the diseases they'll be exposed to. And what's wrong with chasing after nubile young women? I still think about chasing them and I'm 65.....heheh.
Posted by: Oldfart | June 12, 2007 1:30 PM