Giant lions in Africa - The Hadzabe tribe and their dangerous decision for survival in the wild

[00:00:06]Across the vast savanna of Tanzania, the Hadza camp appears so simple that many visitors feel as though they have stepped back in time. Small shelters [music] made from branches, a few cooking pots, handmade bows and arrows, and almost nothing that could be considered material wealth. If you only look for the first few minutes, it would be easy to think this was a life of hardship and scarcity. But, the longer you stayed, the more that impression began to change.

[00:00:42]A day in the life of the Hadza begins very early. As the first rays of sunlight spread across the savanna, the men carefully inspect their bows and arrows before leaving camp. There are no work schedules, no packed calendars, and no long-term plans like those of the modern world.

[00:01:06]The only thing they prepare is the knowledge and skills they have carried with them since childhood. Meanwhile, the children pick up their small bows and practice shooting at targets set in the distance.

[00:01:23]The adults rarely give long explanations. The children simply watch, try again, adjust after each shot, and slowly improve on their own.

[00:01:41]Perhaps this is the oldest classroom the Hadza have ever known. There are no blackboards, no textbooks. Nature itself is their teacher.

[00:02:42]>> Not long after work, the group sets off on another journey. The hunting dogs quickly spread out ahead, sniffing every bush and narrow game trail. After walking for quite some time, a small antelope suddenly appears in an open clearing.

[00:03:14]The hunters immediately slow down. No one rushes forward. Instead, they carefully observe the animal's movements, use the terrain to their advantage, and only then draw their bows.

[00:03:51]The arrow leaves the string. The antelope runs a short distance before collapsing.

[00:04:03]The hunt ends quickly, but what stands out is not its speed. Throughout the entire hunt, there are almost no cheers or celebrations.

[00:04:22]The Hadzabe commonly prepare the animal and light a fire beneath the nearby trees. This is simply a natural part of Hadzabe life to eat when food is available, eat when it is needed, and eat when nature provides.

[00:04:41]Some of the meat is placed into a pot with water to cook. The rest is roasted [music] directly over the fire. The unused portions are carefully hung from tree branches to keep insects away while everyone takes a short rest. Before long, the meal begins in the middle of the wilderness. There is no dining table, only the people who have spent hours crossing the savanna together, now sitting in a small circle eating and talking.

[00:05:13]If you judge their lives only by the number of possessions they own, you might think they are poor. But if you looked at the atmosphere around that fire, your answer might be very different.

[00:05:31]After the meal, the journey is not yet over. In another part of the forest, a large tree catches the group's attention. Hidden inside its trunk is a natural beehive. Using slowly smoldering branches, they create smoke and They wait for the bees to calm before gently reaching into the hollow.

[00:05:59]One piece of honeycomb after another is carefully removed. Right there, everyone passes around the first pieces of fresh honey. No one tries to keep the best portion for themselves.

[00:06:26]After everyone has eaten enough, the remaining honey is carefully collected to take back to camp.

[00:06:45]On the way home, the group stops at a dry riverbed. There is no visible water flowing across the surface. Instead, they dig into the damp sand with their hands.

[00:07:09]>> [clears throat] >> Within minutes, water slowly begins seeping upward from below. Everyone drinks, washes their faces, and rests before continuing the journey. For the Hadza, this is simply another ordinary skill.

[00:07:23]For many people living in the modern world, however, finding drinking water in such an arid landscape would already be an enormous challenge.

[00:07:44]As the group prepares to leave the dry riverbed, the hunting dogs suddenly freeze. Their eyes lock onto a patch of tall grass. The atmosphere changes instantly.

[00:08:07]Not far away, a lion emerges onto the savanna.

[00:08:16]No one immediately raises a bow. The Hadza understand that when facing a predator like a lion, acting without control can make the situation even more dangerous. Instead, they observe, keep their distance, and quietly leave the area if they still have the opportunity.

[00:08:40]To them, avoiding confrontation is not a sign of fear. It is a survival skill. In the wild, not every dangerous animal needs to be challenged. Sometimes the wisest decision is simply not to provoke nature.

[00:08:57]>> [sighs] >> But the savanna does not always offer people a peaceful escape. There are moments when a lion comes too close, directly threatening the lives of the group, or leaving them with no safe way out. In those moments, the Hadza have no choice but to stand their ground. Their bows and arrows are no longer hunting tools. They become the means to defend themselves and preserve their chance of survival.

[00:09:30]The courage of the Hadza does not come from charging into danger. It comes from knowing when to step back, when to stand firm, and when they must act to protect the lives of everyone in the group.

[00:09:48]Once the danger has passed, the group returns to camp. The small shelters remain just as peaceful as they were that morning. The only difference is the pot of meat simmering over the fire and the sound of laughter echoing through the camp after another long day on the savanna.

[00:10:14]The one thing I found especially interesting after spending several days with the Hadza was that they are not completely isolated from the modern world. From time to time, you can still spot mobile phones, old clothes, metal tools, or a few everyday items brought in by outsiders around the Hadza camp.

[00:10:30]It shows that they are not entirely cut off from modern society.

[00:10:36]>> [laughter] >> But the presence of those objects does not mean they have abandoned their hunter-gatherer way of life.

[00:10:59]For many Hadza groups who still follow their traditional lifestyle, the true foundations of life remain the forest, wild game, honey, edible roots, the campfire, and the spirit of sharing within the community.

[00:11:33]Amana, okay.

[00:11:37]>> They are aware of the modern world, yet they do not allow it to dictate the rhythm of their lives. New objects may come and go, but survival skills are what continue to sustain them on the savanna.

[00:12:05]The next morning, they prepared their bows and arrows just as they always did.

[00:12:16]The children continued practicing archery.

[00:12:39]The adults once again disappeared into the forest in search of food, because for the Hadza, these skills are what truly keep them alive.

[00:12:57]On another hunting trip, the hunters continued discovering small opportunities along the way. A bird hiding inside a tree hollow was quickly caught. Not long afterward, another Gung'uma bird appeared. Then another small animal emerged among the low bushes. Not every hunt ends with a large animal.

[00:13:27]Yet many small successes added together are enough to provide a meal for the entire community. Perhaps this is another way of looking at abundance.

[00:13:36]Happiness does not always require something extraordinary. Sometimes many small blessings gathered into a single day are already enough.

[00:13:57]Not every journey brings another successful catch. There are afternoons when after hours of following animal tracks, the hunters return with almost empty hands. But that does not mean the camp will go hungry. [music] While the men cross the savanna, the women and children have gathered wild tubers, >> [music] >> forest berries, honey, and edible plants along the way.

[00:14:25]Everything is placed together beside the campfire. No one asked who brought back the most. What matters [music] is that the entire community still has a meal to share. As the sun slowly sinks toward the horizon.

[00:14:51]The camp becomes lively once again.

[00:14:54]>> [music] >> One person tends the fire. Another washes the pan that was used the day before. Others cook meat together with roots and wild vegetables. The children gather around the fire, patiently waiting for dinner. A few horns from larger animals are kept as reminders of past hunts, while the meat is divided into small portions for everyone to enjoy together.

[00:15:31]>> No one eats alone. No one is left behind. Conversations blend with the gentle crackling of burning wood until the sky turns completely dark. What makes the camp feel truly rich has never been the number of possessions inside each shelter. It lives in meals that are always shared with someone beside you, in journeys where everyone knows they can rely on one another, >> [music] >> and in the quiet sense of peace that arrives as another day comes to an end.

[00:16:17]Perhaps that is why the biggest question I brought home from this journey was no longer, "What do the Hadza lack?"

[00:16:23]Instead, it became, "As modern people accumulate more and more, are we truly becoming happier?" The Hadza never offer an answer. They simply continue living in their own way across the vast savanna of Tanzania. And sometimes, it is precisely that simple way of life that invites us to reconsider what abundance really means. If there is one lesson worth carrying home from this journey, perhaps it is not how to hunt or how to gather [music] honey, but a question for each of us. Does true happiness come from everything we own or from learning to appreciate [music] everything we already have?