The Hadzabi people are the last of Tanzania's hunter-gather cultures. German colonialists had little to do with them, and the latter British colonialists tried but failed to force the Hadzabi people onto farms. Today the Hadzabi people are in the process of being assimilated into the larger societies. This group might not exist at the end of this century. Their homeland is being encroached by others, shrinking it more and more. The Hadzabi people live exclusively in Tanzania. Specifically, they live around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley. Others live in the nearby Serengeti Plateau.
The Hadzabi daily lives are dependent upon their search for food and water. They are hunters at heart, but today their way of life is being threatened by the decreasing wildlife and the increasing population of farmers and cattlemen. Therefore, when game is scarce, they survive off wild berries and the pods of the baobab trees. They consider the food of the land as God's gift to them. The Hadzabi family is headed by the husband, and marriages are often made based on physical attractiveness. The couple can live anywhere they want, but usually they chose to live with one set of parents.
These animists believe Christianity is for outsiders. Yet they believe in one creator god and know him by name. They know that this god has a son, and some have recently heard the son's name for the first time. A few individuals in the Hadzabi tribe are even being intentional in sharing Christ with others.
The Hadzabi people need the chance to find the only Savior, the one who offers life to the full.
Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers to the Hadzabi people. Pray that the Hadzabi people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings. Pray for workers who are driven by the love and boldness of the Holy Spirit to go to them. Pray for a movement to Christ among them to begin this decade.
Scripture Prayers for the Hadzabi in Tanzania.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
