Abstracts Anthropology

Hunter-Gatherers in Context: Hadzabe People and Early Nutrition Transition

by Trevor Pollom

The current study utilizes a mixed-methods approach to investigate the processes that influence landcover change and nutrition transitions in the Lake Eyasi Basin area of Northern Tanzania. In doing so, it provides unique insights into the behavior and biology of Hadzabe foragers living in the Yaeda Valley during the early stages of nutrition transition and provides much needed context for scientific literature that has been derived from this region. The current study answers the following questions: 1) How can historical and ethnographic maps, combined with present-day landcover classifications, inform our understanding of the people(s), spaces, and places of Lake Eyasi? 2) Are the Hadzabe currently experiencing food insecurity? 3) Do bush and village-dwelling Hadzabe juveniles display differences in anthropometric measurements? To answer these questions, we used a combination of historical sources, landcover classifications derived from satellite imagery, anthropometrics measurements, a food insecurity scale, and open-ended interview questions. Results from this research make a unique contribution to scientific literature by critically examining certain representations of the Hadzabe people (and their neighbors) that live within the Lake Eyasi Basin area. Furthermore, results from this research challenge theoretical models within the fields of human biology and anthropology.