Cheeks told Li Du a lot about the traditions of the Hadza people.
He said that there were no written records of the history of their people. It was all passed down by word of mouth.
However, they were not alone in the vast grasslands. Iraku, Datuga, Isanzu, Sukuma, Iranba, Maasai, and so on. Since ancient times, they had communicated with many tribes and lived together.
Each of the indigenous tribes had their own language. They had a common second language, Swahili, which made communication possible.
Each tribe had its own territory. The Hadza exchanged their prey for metal arrowheads made by the Datuga, tents made of animal skins by the Isanzu, and girls from the Sukuma tribe.
In many parts of Africa, polygamy was common. At least ten cows could be exchanged for one wife.
In this respect, the Hadza people were closer to modern society. Almost all of their tribes were monogamous.
Li Du said, "That's amazing. Obviously, you people respect women more."
Cheeks laughed and said, "No, it's because my people are not good at accumulating wealth. Without wealth, we can't get more than one wife."
The highly educated Cheeks was very honest. He told Li Du that the Hadza people did not maintain a high degree of loyalty to marriage. Although they did not have more than one wife at the same time, they would constantly change partners.
However, the Hadza women were very tough. They verbally accepted polygamy, but if their husbands dared to have an affair, they would be furious. They would fight with their husbands, bring their children into other families, and use all kinds of means to punish them.
When Sophie arrived, the Hadza people were even happier. A teenager gave Sophie a straw headband with some bright bird feathers on it. It was very beautiful.
Sophie accepted it with a smile. Cheeks told Li Du, "This boy likes your wife."
Li Du said, "That means he has a good eye for beauty."
Cheeks was stunned, and then laughed.
He liked Li Du's open-mindedness and kindness. So after breakfast, when the hunters of the tribe were about to go hunting, Cheeks enthusiastically invited Li Du to join them.
Li Du thought about it and went to talk to the lion hunter. He said he was ready to experience the Hadza people's hunting life and asked if the lion hunter was interested.
The lion hunter said, "They only know how to hunt mice and birds. What's the point? I'm going to hunt lions today. Are you sure you don't want to come with me? "
Li Du was not interested in hunting ferocious beasts. Ah Ow and Ah Meow were ferocious beasts, and the act of hunting ferocious beasts would make them feel uneasy.
Thus, the two sides temporarily separated, and he and Sophie joined the Hadza hunting party.
The Hadza people generally did not accept women into the tribe, but because Sophie gave the children a lot of chocolate, milk candy, and other small snacks, plus she was very elegant, she was welcomed by the tribe.
Because different tribes had different appreciation for beauty, Sophie, who had a delicate face, was not considered a beauty in the eyes of the Hadza tribesmen. In their eyes, tall and fat women were more attractive. A fat body indicated a higher fertility potential, and it also meant that they were healthier.
Perhaps the Hadza people did not think that Sophie was beautiful, but her temperament was the same. This kind of beauty could touch people's souls, so people still liked her.
Big Ivan brought liquor to the Hadza. He thought the natives would like the strong drink, but he was met with resistance.
The Hadza people were not good at drinking. They would get drunk even if they drank their own fruit wine, and these people had no self-control. Once they got drunk, they would cause trouble.
Therefore, most of the Hadza tribes had a rule that they were not allowed to accept liquor from outside.
But the people were very interested in the iron jug that Big Ivan brought. They poured out the liquor and used it for fresh water.
Big Ivan was heartbroken. "For God's sake, don't throw it away. That was vodka that I brought with me from Ukraine!"
When the sun rose, the hunters were ready to go.
They had domesticated dogs, but they did not take them with them to hunt. They were used to guard the camp.
More than twenty hunters formed a team. They walked briskly on the grass, gathered in twos and threes, chatting, smiling, and living a relaxed and happy life.
After walking for a while, the hunter in front suddenly stopped and shouted excitedly, "Xiza!"
The hunters rushed over, bent down, and used their javelins to push aside the weeds, carefully searching the ground for something.
Cheeks turned around and explained, "They found prairie rats."
Li Du asked, "Is this also food?"
Cheeks smiled and said, "Of course, it's good food. Prairie rats live on grass seeds and fruit, so it's not dirty. And it has no attack power. How can we not like it? "
The people found a few holes in the weeds. They found some hay, lifted their leather skirts, and urinated on it.
Sophie turned around, embarrassed. Cheeks apologized to her, saying that the Hadza hunters lacked etiquette in this regard.
The hay became wet, and they stuffed it into the holes and lit it with a lighter.
Soon, some smoke began to spread.
The hunters blew the smoke into the holes, and some of the holes were burned by the smoke. The hunters waited for the rats and caught them as they came out.
Li Du saw the lighter they were using and asked, "You don't mind accepting the culture of the outside world and changing some traditions, do you?"
Cheeks nodded and said, "Yes, small changes are no problem."
Li Du felt that they were contradictory. On the one hand, they kept the tribal traditions, and on the other, they accepted change.
Cheeks saw his confusion and explained to him.
In fact, the Hadza people had numerous opportunities to say goodbye to the nomadic life.
In Tanzania, the government tried many times to help or force the Hadza people to move away from their homeland and live a settled life, but these efforts failed.
For example, in 1965, the newly independent Tanzanian government used armed police to force the Hadza people to move to settlements and provide them with schools and hospitals.
Tragically, only a few weeks later, many of the Hadza people began to get sick, and many died. The following year, most of the Hadza people left the settlements and returned to the nomadic life.
From the 1970s to the 1990s, the local government worked tirelessly to settle the Hadza people. However, all his efforts were in vain.
Today, there were still a few Hadza people living in the former settlements, waiting for free food from the government. Most of them returned to their traditional nomadic life.
As they chatted, the prairie rats were cleared out.
The hunters tied the rats together with ropes and hung them on their waists or shoulders. The smiles on their faces became wider, and they looked very happy.
Seeing this, Cheeks smiled and said, "Our people have a natural hobby for hunting. As long as they can get prey, they will be happy."
"In the 21st century, the two most difficult things for people are health and happiness. Look, my people are healthy and happy because of hunting. So, why should we change this life?"
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