Tribes in Tanzania.
Tanzania just like any other African country is blessed with multiple tribes, one thing about the tribes In Tanzania is that each of them subscribes and speak Kiswahili. Kiswahili is Tanzania’s most spoken language and national language. Tanzania is blessed with 120 tribes springing from different ethnic groups that distributed across the country, they originate from the bantu ethnic group, cushites, afro arab, Nilotics and Khoisan . The individual tribes that spring up from all this amount 120 tribes in number making Tanzania one of the most ethnically diverse country in the world.
In the specific write up, we shall give short notes on the commonest tribes in the Tanzania. Below are the some of the most common tribes in Tanzania.
Sukuma Tribe.
The Sukuma tribe of Tanzania are the largest tribe in Tanzania, The Sukuma are also known as the people of north. They are said from have originated from Niger, Congo and parts of Central African Republic the Sukuma in Tanzania have an estimated population of 5.5 million. They of Bantu Origin or belong to the bantu ethnicity and they occupy the areas around the shores lake Victoria present days Mwanza and they are pretty close to the Nyamwezi Tanzania’s second largest tribe. Sukuma are crop growers unlike the Masai people who are pastoralists, they grow food stuffs such as millet, sweet potatoes and do little cattle keeping or animal raring. The Sukuma people practice Christianity and are also practice polygamy. The Sukuma tribe in Tanzania speak sukuma as their language but as well as the Kiswahili which is the national language.
Masai tribe in Tanzania.
The Masai people are one of the most conservative tribes and sought after tribes in Tanzania. The Masai tribe of Tanzania occupy the parts northern Tanzania and parts of Kenya, they are apparently the most popular tribe in Tanzania because of their rich and diverse culture. The Masai people of Tanzania are part of the Nilotic ethnic group, in Tanzania their population is estimated to be over 800,000 people. In Tanzania the Masai tribe occupy areas around Serengeti national park an Ngorongoro crater, they are pastoralists and keep cows, goats and sheep as well as practice little agriculture to food. The Masai people live in Kraals where that have they construct their temporary huts since they are always on the move. The Masai people welcome tourists or guests to have a feel of their culture, they usually take you through the cultural dances, the food preparation and anything one is interested in knowing, as you visit them, you may be able to buy the handcrafts in form of bracelets, scarfs among others, this handcrafts could serve as the souvenirs of your trip. The hand crafts are made by the women who have come up with association where they sale crafts to earn a living therefore when you buy hand crafts its anyway a support to the locals.
Chagga tribe
Chaga tribe is one of the major tribes in Tanzania the constitute of up of over 1 million people making them the third largest tribe in Tanzania, the live in that areas around Mount Kilimanjaro and Moshi areas. The chagga people are crop growers and mainly known for cultivating coffee which is a cash crop and bananas which is a food crop. The chagga are also known for their aggression in work therefore they have made a name in Tanzania for having excellent work ethics that explains why they are being considered to be the major drivers of economic development in Tanzania. They are also responsible for having modern methods of agriculture such as irrigation to mention but a few. The Chagga are also known for having indulgence in the Tanzania tourism industry and always seen to be taking roles such as tour guides especially for those who go on adventure to hike mountain Kilimanjaro.
The Nyamwezi tribe of Tanzania.
The Nyamwezi are also referred to as the people of the moon, they are the second largest tribe in Tanzania consisting of over 1.5 million people in number. Their name the Nyamwezi means people of the moon in the Swahili language. The Nyamwezi are believed to have originated from central Africa.
The hadzabe Tribe
The hadzabe tribe is yet another unique tribe in Tanzania, they are of the khoisan ethnicity similar to the bush men of south Africa and part of Naimibia. They form upto 1300 individuals and they reside around lake Eyasi in the caves. The live in northern Tanzania at the yaeda valley in the around the rocky outcrops, they live nomadic life’s the majorly do hunting and food gatherings as their economic activity.
Zaramo tribe in Tanzania
Zaramo tribe is yet another tribe in Tanzania they live the coastal area of Tanzania present day Dar-es-salaam and Pwani region , the constitute of over 700,000 people and the biggest majority practice Islam as their religion while the minority practice other religions. The speak Kiswahili and their language what came to be as a result of the Afro arab culture. They practice crop growing , fishing and cattle keeping. Some of the most common food stuffs grown by the zaramo people include millet, sorghum and rice , with the cash crops gown include the coconuts and peanuts, some have also resorted to trade since they hail from present day Dar-es-salaam which as turned out to be Tanzania’s largest and busiest city.
Like a side earlier Tanzania consists of a big numner of tribes which cannot all be exhausted in this single article, but we shall list out those that have not been mentioned and the include: the hehe, haya,Ngoni ,mbulu , meri, iraqw, gogo , pogoro among others.
