The Language of the Land: Living Among the Hadzabe in Africa

by James Stephenson

A rare adventure with the last Stone Age hunting and gathering tribe in Africa.

In l997 James Stephenson arranged to have almost a full year free, a year he wanted to spend among the Hadzabe in East Africa. He had visited these people several times previously and with every trip his fascination with them deepened, for the Hadzabe are the last hunters and gatherers still living a traditional life in Africa.

At the age of 27, Stephenson intended to spend the year living among the Hadzabe, and, more importantly, living their life, hunting what they hunted, eating what they ate, participating in their dances and ceremonies, consulting with their medicine men and learning their myths and dreams.

Armed only with his camera, his art supplies and the open-hearted courage of youth, he set out to visit with a people who have changed little since the Stone Age. He wanted to glimpse the world as they perceived it and learn the wisdom they had wrestled from the land. This account of his adventure and what he learned is travel writing at its best, reminiscent of the books of Peter Beard and Bruce Chatwin.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2000

Reviews

[stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book the first time more than two decades ago when it came out, and I spoke to the author, James Stephenson, who grew up a few miles from my childhood home in Michigan. Over a steaming cup at the Detroit Institute of Arts, he told me the thing that originally set him him on his quest was his desire to live a less mundane life. Less frivolous, more grounded and in balance. He found it.

If you're like me, this book will remind you there's more out there. It's a touchstone when the silliness of your own culture piles up. As for me, I'm overdue for a read...

[M.K. McClintock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, though I would have to agree with another reviewer on here that I'd recommend it more for those who are actually interested - it's not a 'light' read. I read this book for a cultural anthropology project and so for me, it was a remarkable story and brought light to a way of life most of us could never begin to imagine. I've not been to Africa yet, but I did feel as though I was there with the author and at the same time grateful I wasn't. He brings to the reader a vivid picture of the among these people. Again, it's a book for those truly interested in the study or for a student as I was when I read it.

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent some time working near and with these people and whish their lifestyle could be preserved. Unfortunately the Tanzanian Government seems incapable of looking out for them. They are encroached on and have lost their only possession, their land and wildlife.
I would only recommend this book for anybody that is interested in them.

[Stormcrow Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating travelogue / adventure / and journey into the unknown as the author finds himself living with one of the oldest tribes still in existence.