The Language of the Land

A rare adventure with the last Stone Age hunting and gathering tribe in Africa: “This fascinating account is told with wit, warmth, and great respect.” —African Sun Times

In 1997 James Stephenson arranged to have almost a full year free, a year he wanted to spend among the Hadzabe in Tanzania. He had visited these people several times previously and with every trip his fascination with them deepened, for the Hadzabe are the last hunters and gatherers still living a traditional life in East Africa.

At the age of twenty-seven, Stephenson intended to spend the year living among the Hadzabe, and, more importantly, living their life, hunting what they hunted, eating what they ate, participating in their dances and ceremonies, consulting with their medicine men and learning their myths and dreams.

Armed only with his camera, his art supplies and the open-hearted courage of youth, he set out to visit with a people who have changed little since the Stone Age. He wanted to glimpse the world as they perceived it and learn the wisdom they had wrestled from the land. The Language of the Land, the account of his adventure and what he learned, is travel writing at its best.

“With alluring descriptions of nature and an inspiring depiction of this ancient tribe, [Stephenson] will likely provoke readers into a new respect for remote corners of the earth.” —The New York Times

“Extraordinary . . . a fine book marked by its deep respect for these people, who still hunt with bows and arrows, still speak to their ancestor spirits.” —National Geographic Adventure