THE PUNISHMENT FOR ADULTERY AMONG THE HADZA COMMUNITY


By Our Correspodent, Ngorongoro.

The Hadza community, found along the shores of Lake Eyasi in Karatu District, Arusha Region, is among the Indigenous groups living within the Ngorongoro–Lengai UNESCO Global Geopark. They are also beneficiaries of the new geological heritage museum situated in Karatu town.

Across Tanzania, and Africa more broadly, many communities uphold longstanding customs and regulations designed to preserve their traditions, values and social order.

Among the Hadza (also known as the Watindiga), adultery is considered a severe offence. When a married man or woman engages in sexual relations outside the marriage, the act is viewed not only as a betrayal of trust but as a serious curse upon the family and the wider community. According to Hadza tradition, once such an offence is verified, the individuals involved may be killed by the person who caught them in the act. After carrying out the killing, the witness issues a loud call to alert the community, at which point elders convene to formally announce the incident, a process believed to prevent misfortune and bad luck from spreading within the clan.

Historically, adulterers were executed using poisoned arrows, the same type used in hunting. The poison is extremely powerful, spreading rapidly through the bloodstream and causing death within a short period.

Marriage and family life within the Hadza community are governed by strict norms. Men and women who enter marriage are expected to honour their commitment fully and avoid any form of intimacy outside their union. Once married, a couple is expected to build a home grounded in love, and the community keeps a close watch to ensure neither partner engages in extramarital relationships. This collective vigilance serves to uphold stability, dignity and harmony within families.

The decision to execute adulterers is never made impulsively. Instead, it follows a detailed process of monitoring, verification and direct witnessing by trusted members of the community. Only when credible witnesses confirm the act does the prescribed punishment proceed.

According to Hadza cultural leader Elder Shagembe Gambai, this longstanding practice aims to reinforce discipline within families, clans and the wider community. He explains that the rule is so deeply respected that cases of adultery among the Hadza are extremely rare.

To ensure that the lesson was clearly understood, executions traditionally took place in public, allowing the entire community to witness the consequences. This visibility, the Hadza believe, discourages others from committing the same offence.

Elder Shagembe also emphasises that marriage among the Hadza is not considered an unbreakable or lifelong bond. Divorce is permitted, and once a couple separates, either party is free to remarry, even to someone closely associated with their former spouse.

The Hadza do not practise polygamy. Marriage is strictly monogamous, involving one man and one woman. This rule is intended to nurture affection, unity and responsibility between partners who choose to build a life together.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
 ”THE PRESIDENTIAL TOUR” YA RAIS SAMIA YAVUTIA WANAWAKE ZAIDI YA 400 HIFADHI YA TAIFA ARUSHA"     Na. Edmund Salaho/ Arusha Zaidi ya wanawake 400 washerehekea siku ya wanawake duniani katika Hifadhi ya Taifa Arusha. Leo tarehe 09, Machi Jeshi hilo la wanawake limetua katika Hifadhi ya Taifa Arusha kumuunga mkono Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania Mhe.Samia Suluhu Hassan kwa juhudi zake za kuitangaza nchi yetu. Mhe.Rais, Dkt. Samia Suluhu Hassan, na Mhe. Dkt. Hussein Mwinyi, Rais wa Zanzibar, wameshiriki kuitangaza Tanzania mahsusi kwa soko la China walipomkaribisha nchini staa wa filamu za Kichina, Bw. Jin Dong na kurekodi filamu hiyo ambayo itatoka mapema mwaka huu  Akizungumza wakati wa kuwakaribisha wanawake hao katika Hifadhi ya Taifa Arusha, Mkuu wa Hifadhi ya Arusha, Kamishna Msaidizi wa Uhifadhi, Yustina Kiwango aliwapongeza wanawake kwa moyo na jitihada za kumuunga mkono Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania Mhe. Dkt. Samia Suluhu Hassan. Napenda kuwak...
Read more

KUNDI LINGINE LA WANANCHI 541 LAHAMA NGORONGORO

Image
KUNDI LINGINE LA WANANCHI 541 LAHAMA NGORONGORO Na Mwandishi wetu, NCAA. Hamasa ya  wananchi wanaojiandikisha kuhama kwa hiyari kutoka eneo la hifadhi ya Ngorongoro  imeongezeka ambapo leo tarehe 19 February , 2024 jumla ya kaya 82 zenye wananchi 541 na mifugo 3,379 zimehama kutoka Ngorongoro kweda Kijiji cha Msomera Handeni Tanga. Akizungumza wakati wa kuaga kundi hilo Kamishna wa Uhifadhi wa NCAA Richard Kiiza amesema kuwa baada ya kuhama kwa kundi hilo leo inafanya idadi ya wananchi waliokwishahama ndani ya hifadhi tangu zoezi lilipoanza hadi leo kufikia kaya 1,032 zenye watu 6,395 na mifugo 28,982. Kamishna Kiiza amebainisha kuwa kadri siku zinavyoenda wananchi wengi wanahamasika na kujiandikisha kuhama kwa hiari yao wenyewe hasa baada ya ushuhuda wa maisha mazuri kwa wananchi wenzao waliokwishatangulia ambao Maisha yao yamebadilika kwa kiasi kikubwa. “Wananchi waliotangulia mwaka jana wengi wao wamejenga nyumba za kisasa, wamelima mazao ya kutosha kwa ajili ya chakula na ...
Read more

𝐔𝐉𝐄𝐍𝐙𝐈 𝐖𝐀 “𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐈 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐅 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄” 𝐖𝐀𝐅𝐈𝐊𝐈𝐀 𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐀 𝟒𝟐

Image
* 𝒢𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁’𝓈 𝒯𝑒𝒶𝓂 𝓎𝒶 𝐿𝓊𝑔𝒶𝓁𝑜 𝓎𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓅𝒾𝑔𝒶 𝓀𝓌𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝓎𝒶 𝓀𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓏𝒶 𝒮𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒾. Na. Catherine Mbena, SERENGETI. Ujenzi wa mradi wa kimkakati wa uwanja wa gofu Hifadhi ya Taifa Serengeti “Serengeti National Park Golf Course” uliobuniwa na Bodi ya Wadhamini ya Shirika la Hifadhi za Taifa Tanzania chini ya Mwenyekiti wake Jenerali (Mstaafu) George Waitara unaojengwa katika eneo la Fort Ikoma, nje kidogo ya Hifadhi ya Taifa Serengeti umefikia asilimia 42. Utekelezaji huo unajumuisha ujenzi wa “Tee and Green” kwa mashimo kumi na nane; mashimo tisa ya kwanza (front- nine/inbound holes),  mashimo tisa ya nyuma (back - nine/outbound holes), uchimbaji wa visima virefu viwili vyenye uwezo wa kutoa maji kiasi cha lita elfu kumi kwa saa kwa kila moja, uchimbaji na ujenzi wa mabwawa ya maji mawili yenye ujazo wa takribani lita millioni 22 kila moja, ujenzi wa barabara yenye urefu wa kilomita 5.2 kuzunguka uwanja mzima, ujenzi wa “power house” na ufungaji wa...
Read more

UTALII WA MALIKALE WASHIKA KASI NCHINI, WAFARANSA WAFURIKA KILWA KISIWANI

Image
UTALII WA MALIKALE WASHIKA KASI NCHINI,  WAFARANSA WAFURIKA KILWA KISIWANI   Na Beatus Maganja Kwa miongo kadhaa kumekuwa na dhana ya kwamba wageni wengi wa nje hupendelea zaidi utalii wa kuona wanyamapori, lakini hivi karibuni dhana hiyo imeanza kubadilika kwa kasi ambapo Tanzania imeanza kupokea wageni makundi kwa makundi wakitembelea katika maeneo yetu ya Malikale hususan Hifadhi ya Urithi wa Dunia ya Magofu ya Kilwa kisiwani na Songo Mnara. Ni takrikani siku 9 sasa katika kipindi cha Mwezi Februari kuanzia tarehe 03 - 11, 2024, Tanzania kupitia Mamlaka ya Usimamizi wa Wanyamapori Tanzania - TAWA imeweza kushuhudia   Meli zilizosheheni makundi ya Watalii kutoka Mataifa mbalimbali zikipishana kutia nanga katika Hifadhi ya Urithi wa Dunia ya Magofu ya Kilwa kisiwani na Songo Mnara na kufikisha idadi ya watalii wapatao 445 kwa safari nne (4) za kitalii zilizofanyika. Kwa mara nyingine Februari 11, 2024 TAWA ilipokea kundi la nne (4) la watalii wapatao 114  kutoka Ufa...
Read more