As part of her PhD dissertation, Laly tracked lion spore (footprints) in order to estimate lion population numbers inside and outside of the National Park.\u00a0\u00a0Now, years after her original estimates, it is Dennis\u2019s job to repeat her methods and obtain new estimates.\u00a0\u00a0One of the keys to Laly\u2019s research was the use of Hadzabe trackers.\u00a0\u00a0The Hadzabe are a tribe found in North Central Tanzania (Lake Eyasi and Rift Valley areas).\u00a0\u00a0They are some of the few true hunter-gatherer societies left and, unfortunately, they are essentially being pushed out as Tanzania\u2019s population continues to grow.\u00a0\u00a0They are incredible trackers and hunters, as well as have a unique language featuring clicks (similar to the !Kung in the Kalahari, but linguistically and genetically unrelated).\u00a0\u00a0Our goal for the weekend was to travel to Lake Eyasi and find the Hadzabe trackers Laly had worked with years ago and to bring them back to help Dennis with his research.<\/p>\n Fortunately, Laly and Buddy have friends who own a beautiful campsite on the shore of Lake Eyasi, which is where we stayed.\u00a0\u00a0It was a tropical paradise on the edge of the Lake\u2026which currently happens to be dry, making for a very interesting juxtaposition.\u00a0\u00a0Kaounda, a Hadzabe, works at the camp, and he was our link to the trackers in the bush.\u00a0\u00a0Our first morning, Kaounda took us to the home of Saitoti, one of the trackers that had helped Laly.\u00a0\u00a0As Laly and Buddy caught up with their old friends, Sam, Dennis, and I were taught how to make fire and shoot bows and arrows by the younger guys.\u00a0\u00a0I have never seen someone make fire so quickly \u2013 and only using two sticks! I could only do it with Kaounda\u2019s help. The Hadzabe do not like to be inside, and the ones we visited lived in a little grove of trees.<\/p>\n We returned to camp with assurances that the Hadzabe wanted to come with us to Noloholo and that they would track down another one of Laly\u2019s old trackers who was out hunting.\u00a0\u00a0We then spent the rest of the day relaxing (closest thing to a vacation we will get this summer).\u00a0\u00a0In the evening, we went fossil hunting in Lake Eyasi. Several years ago, hominid remains were found in the Lake, dating back to about 125,000 years ago.\u00a0\u00a0There were tons of pieces of fossilized bone, and some of the kids found fossilized teeth.\u00a0\u00a0Each year when the Lake fills again, the fossils and stones are tumbled around, so you never know what you will find! No hominids for us, but I did find a pretty cool fossilized tibia and tortoise scute!<\/p>\n The next day, we picked up three Hadzabe \u2013 two elders that Laly had previously worked with, and a younger one that they will train.\u00a0\u00a0First we had to stop and pick them up some warmer clothes (see picture), as it is far colder at Noloholo than at Lake Eyasi.\u00a0\u00a0As we got close to camp, we began seeing far more animals, which was very exciting for them.\u00a0\u00a0There are very few animals left where they live, but their ancestors grew up on lands that once looked much like Loibor Siret. It didn\u2019t take long for them to get used to seeing tracks again, as they pointed out lion and hyena tracks on the way home.\u00a0\u00a0They also have a deep desire to hunt EVERY animal that we have seen so far – Laly jokes that she will have to take away their bows to ensure that they don\u2019t start taking animals out.\u00a0\u00a0We now have them happily situated in a little grove in camp, and they have already been out to get in the habit of tracking again three times.<\/p>\n So now, in camp, we have people speaking English, Swahili, Maasai, and Hadzabe \u2013 it\u2019s starting to get tricky! We are really glad to have the Hadzabe here; it is not every day that you get to hang out with true hunter-gatherers, and I know that there is a lot we can learn from them before we leave. Already, yesterday Dennis and the Hadzabes (sounds like a band name!) tracked and found a female lion \u2013 odds are looking up for Sam and I to have another lion encounter here!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.nicholas.duke.edu\/internships\/files\/2012\/05\/IMG_7798_small.jpeg\" "\\"View")
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