Honey Hunting with the Hadzabe

The Hadzabe tribe lives in a small part of central Tanzania, near to Lake Eyasi. One of the last hunter gatherer tribes on the planet, the tribe lives off of the land, gathering fruits and roots, plus hunting for meat…and honey!

For the Hadzabe, honey is a valuable food source and trading commodity. While some members of the tribe may keep bees in modern beehives, traditionally the Hadzabe will find bee colonies in the wild, smoking the colony and harvesting the desired parts of the comb. They will eat the brood, pollen, and honey - just about any part of the comb thats edible!

Please note, this video does not reflect the beekeeping practices of Maasai Honey, but rather is a candid view of harvesting in the forest with the Hadzabe.

This video footage was taken in Kipamba Village, Tanzania by Francis Kirando Letema and Aziz Zombe. The Hadzabe honey hunters shown in the video are Issa and Shanny. Video production by Molly Hagan.