Barabaig
The Barabaig ( Barabayiiga ) are the largest subgroup of the Nilotic scoring ethnic group of Datooga (Tatoga) in Tanzania . They live mainly in the north of the country around Mount Hanang in the Manyara region . Their population is around 50,000.
Culture
The Barabaig language is a dialect of the South Nilotic Datooga language . They live from hunting, agriculture and cattle breeding; Prosperity is measured by the number of cattle a Barabaig owns.
history
The Datooga used to be a powerful people, but were decimated by the diseases introduced during European colonization and tribal feuds.
Traditionally, the Barabaig live mainly from keeping cattle. The pastureland is owned by the community, while houses and agricultural land belong to the individual families. Different pastures are used depending on the season.
In the 1970s, the Barabaig were also affected by the forced settlement in Ujamaa villages. In addition, increasingly non-Barabaig invaded their area.
From 1971 the Barabaig were displaced by the Basotu Plains and thus an important part of their pastureland. They had to give way to a Canadian project for large-scale mechanized wheat cultivation, which primarily served to create sales opportunities for Canadian manufacturers of pesticides and harvesters. The displacement resulted in human rights violations such as torture and rape against the Barabaig, who thus lost their livelihoods. Some Barabaig then moved to the cities, while others settled in the Hadza area.
More recently there have also been intermarriages between the Datooga and the Iraqw .
Web links
- Critical reports on George Monbiot's wheat-growing project : The Scattering of the Dead , Our Racist Demonology
- National Geographic report on the Barabaig (2004)