30 June - The Barbaig Tribe

I wake up early to a beautiful sunrise after a restful night rest – the bugs made me nervous. We have some tea and head off for Mr. Hiluku to show me how the local beer is made. It is made with water, honey and special herbs and brewed for 24 hours in the sun in an oversized pod. Once brewed, the men pass around cow horns filled with the beer toasting the occasion and do so until the beer is finished. As a woman, I am not allowed to taste it but it smells sweet, almost like a cider rather than a beer. While we do this, the women continue to prepare food, clean and care for the animals.

As one of the oldest tribes, they are great warriors and continue to hunt with bows and arrows. Historically, this is how the tribes would fight each other but now all the tribes in Tanzania respect one another, so the bows and arrows are used to hunt small animals, including wild pigs to eat. I give it a go and it is very hard, I actually can barely pull the arrow back so instead coming anywhere near the target, it falls to the ground. Following my lesson, we head off for Mr. Hiluku to show me his land and the school where his daughter will start to attend next year. The school is in great shape and Peter, who is the head teacher, welcomes us to say hello to a class that is preparing for their exam. It is amazing to see in the middle of the bush a classroom filled with students who are learning English.

Afterwards, we head back for lunch, which I help prepare in grinding the maize for the Ugali. Ugali is a type porridge made from ground maize, cooked and allowed to sit to become firm. You eat with your hands by taking a small piece in your right hand, rolling in a ball and dipping in to the vegetables. It is quite hard to eat and quite filling but the vegetables are good.

We head back in to town after lunch, where we will stay for the night. Katush is crowded with the center of town being the bus stop where locals walk around selling oranges, roasted peanuts , water, biscuits and juice. Everyone is very friendly yelling “jambo” and “caribou” (welcome). We visit the local maker of kanga’s and kanzu’s, which are the traditional garments worn by the women and men . Kanga’s are brightly covered with slogans or sayings on them that are worn by women as skirts. Kanzu’s, worn by the men are brightly colored kaftans. Afterwards, we head for dinner and off to an early night as we have a very early start tomorrow to head to Mr. Marceli’s house.