Local Tribe: The Barabaig

Distribution of tribes in Tanzania from 1971

Our work area is particularly challenging due to the fact that we have several different tribes living in the landscape. The tribe I mainly work with is the Barabaig tribe. They are traditionally nomadic tribe numbering around 50,000 people and they have slowly migrated southwards. There is a fasincating anthropology book called The Barabaig: East African Cattle Herders that is a bit outdated but provides fascinating observations from their past. While they've traditionally been a highly secretive society our organization has worked closely with them to reduce the traditional activity of hunting wildlife. Whether it is for prestige or in retaliation for livestock being killed, hunting wildlife, especially carnivores, has been central to the Barabaig culture for many years. 

Although they aren't as "flashy" as the Maasai in regards to traditional dress and jewelry, the Barabaig still practice many of their traditions, including ceremonial "dancing" events and other gatherings celebrating birth, marriage, and death. As the population of Tanzania has grown the nomadic lifestyle has become harder to maintain. Many of the Barabaig realize these modern challenges and have found working with our organization to be an opportunity. I was initially skeptical to be working with the group, especially in regards to "changing their culture" but I truly believe that our project came at a perfect time where many Barabaig were looking for opportunities to integrate into society. As the society has become more open and their relationship with our organization has grown, I've continued to learn more and more about their culture and lifestyle.

A young Barabaig boy. 

Facial markings are becoming less common. 

Traditional necklace worn by most women. 

Traditional clothes from cow skin. 

A young Barabaig woman. 

A respected Barabaig elder. 

Camp friend: Common Genet

It can't balance!

We always try to have a stash of bananas at our tent. We typically hang them from a rope on our porch and they typically sit nicely there without a worry. But in the last few weeks we noticed that some of our bananas were nibbled and sometimes they had been thrown off the line entirely and completely destroyed on the ground. We suspected a genet but wanted to confirm so we even entertained the idea of putting camera traps on our porch.

We didn't have to use such technology as one night we were on our porch silently reading. Suddenly, and very quietly, a Common Genet popped up on our veranda. We watched it as it becaming increasingly frustrated trying to stand and reach the bananas and then trying to walk on the rope. It couldn't gain access to the bananas and carried on for about 15 minutes. It even glanced at us and acknowledged our presence though we didn't move. It appeared completely unbothered by our presence.

Eventually it gave up but not before providing us with some great entertainment. We've since moved our bananas into a box since as much as we love genet entertainment; we love our bananas more!

Trying to scope a good spot to grab. 

Iringa City

Although our primary residence is a few hours outside of Iringa city, we do also keep a place in Iringa town and I've found it quite a lovely city. It's located at nearly 1600m (5,280 ft) and hosts about 200,000 people which makes it busy enough to have nearly all the things you need but it doesn't feel overcrowded, in fact I was pretty shocked when I looked up the population as it is far more than I would have guessed. The downtown area is very compact with neighborhoods sprawling out on the plateau. There are small hills on each side of Iringa town which means urban sprawl is relatively constrained due to geography.

 

The elevation of the "southern highlands" is clearly demonstrated here

Iringa is located near the "TANZAM" (Tanzania/Zambia) highway which stretches from Zambia to Dar es Salaam. However, with the location of the town on a plateau the traffic does not actually pass through the city rather vehicles must make a short climb up the escarpment to reach the city proper. This helps to reduce congestion though vehicles passing onto Dodoma must pass through the city.

Iringa is a very safe city and apparently (I have heard) a great place to take Swahili classes. There are many expats with various professional backgrounds in the area from farmers and missionaries that have been living there for decades to young people learning Swahili before moving to a work or study post in another area of Tanzania. Compared to Moshi (where we lived for a few years) the expat population is far more professional and in my opinion, interesting. We have made more friends in Iringa in one year than we had in four years in Moshi!

There isn't much to do in Iringa but there is a popular hike and rock formation on one of the hills called Gangilonga. It's a nice hike and a fantastic view that faces west so you can catch the sunset. There's a nearby bar, Sunset, which also has excellent views.

There are a variety of nice western restaurants in Iringa. My personal highlights are the Greek Club, Sai Villa, and a hidden Indian restaurant. Neema Crafts is an amazing organization and the unofficial meeting point for foreigners and networking locals alike. They have a really affordable (though often booked) guesthouse, cute cafe, and well crafted handicrafts on their compound. It is the best place to go and get a coffee and run into all the Iringa-ites. 

Camping in community protected area

Campsite with the sunset. 

Even though we live in a tent, we still like to go camping on weekends! We are incredibly lucky to live right next to a variety of protected areas (some community managed, some government managed) as well as unprotected areas that are totally wild. Although we love to see wildlife, sometimes we like to just get out into an isolated or unknown place. This past weekend we went camping in the community protected area and enjoyed a quiet night far away from the villages. It was truly, “bush camping” and due to the dry season we could pretty much just set up camp anywhere. We were actually disappointed that we didn't get to hear any wildlife at night as we like the sounds of lions and hyenas, but it's always amazing to spend the night out deep in the bush.

Doing some hiking.  

Udzungwa National Park: Sanje Waterfall Hike

What a view from the top of the falls into the valley. 

We hiked in Udzungwa National Park before (5 day Lumemo Trail) but with some visitors from America we decided it may be better to be slightly less ambitious. We settled on the Sanje Waterfall hike, a day trip climb up to the top of a waterfall. It is only about 6km but climbs more than 700m resulting in frequent rest stops. The first nice place to rest is a viewpoint showcasing the falls (pictured below). Of course the joy and beauty is also mixed with the feeling of, "ugh, we have to hike up THERE?!".

The hike is steep but winds through beautiful patches of forest. We were there at the very tail-end of the rainy season but were lucky to not get rained on. A tree had fallen across the trail the night before so we got a bit of a bonus hike as we blazed a trail around the tree. It was muddy and slippery with fallen branches creating a hazardous obstacle course. We were happy to get to the other side unscathed and luckily it was only about 100m from the top.

The top of the falls was stunning with seemingly endless views of the plains below. We also walked up river a bit and saw two more waterfalls, both full of water this time of year. We passed a small rope bridge crossing the river and our guide informed us that it is possible to walk a loop back down to the road. Another time!

Another smaller waterfall

We climbed to the top of that waterfall. 

Ruaha National Park: Flowers

Nice flowers

We're nearing the end of wet season here in Ruaha and that means trip to the parks offer scant wildlife viewing. However, the landscape is still incredibly lush and this time of the year there are numerous flowers dotting the landscape. The river is also as full as it ever gets with constant rain pouring in the nearby mountains and surrounding watershed.

River view.

Comparison of last week and last August.

Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)

River pool entering into the lake

Lake Nyasa (also known as Lake Malawi) is Africa's third largest lake around 550km long and 75km wide. Bordered by Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique, the Tanzanian side is rimmed to the east by the Livingstone Mountains whose jagged green slopes form a stunning backdrop as they drop dramatically into the lake. The small village of Matema served as our base as we explored the area. A perfect spot to relax, Matema has a nice beach with a variety of lodging options for everyone from the backpacker to those who want something a little classier.

After the nice hike in Mt. Rungwe we were pretty tired and although several touts advertised their services for a waterfall hike, we all agreed we'd be better off hanging out at the beach and maybe going to explore a nearby river for a bird walk. After a lazy morning we headed down the beach and  trekked until the mouth of a river. There we were surprised to see a hippo about 10m off the shore in the lake. It bobbed up and down while emitting its guttural vocalizations. We had been warned to be careful at the mouths of the river as hippos and crocodiles hid among the reeds. At this point we chatted up a local fisherman that just happened to be pulling up to the shore. He showed us his catch and was in dismay at only catching three small fish. We decided he might be the perfect guy to show us around and he agreed to show us around the area for the equivalent of $1. He led us around the river into a mosaic of agriculture, grazing, and swampland. It was cloudy that day so the temperature was agreeable and we enjoyed a relaxed walk. We even passed through our “guide's” house and he showed us some of the different plants that he grew. The area was extremely lush and the farmers appeared to be growing a diverse set of crops such as banana, pineapple, cocoa, banana, maize, and cassava. It was a cool experience and the fisherman (named Mpoki) was very candid explaining different features of the area. He was perplexed why we wanted to stop and look at all the birds but didn't seem to mind as we plodded along.

In the evening we relaxed at the beach and went for a swim with a delicious fish dinner rounding out the day. In the evening we went down to the beach and watched incredible lightening storms pass across the lake until they finally reached our side of the lake, which sent us scurrying back to our rooms.

Matema was a great spot to relax and although it's just a huge lake, the people and the rhythm mirror the feel of a coastal town. We're looking forward to our next visit and maybe then we'll have the energy for the waterfall hike.

Livingstone Mountains in the background

Selfies on the beach