Northern Tanzania ( CNN ) -- One could classify the Hadza people as a throwback . Numbering a mere 1,300 , they represent one of the last communities of hunter-gatherers in the world . Their language -- which includes click consonants -- is unrelated to any other on Earth , and is possibly one of the oldest spoken languages in existence . Their DNA , too , suggests an ancient heritage , easily 100,000 years old ( and possibly a primary root for mankind 's family tree ) . Their home , near Northern Tanzania 's Olduvai Gorge , has been dubbed the `` Cradle of Mankind , '' partly because it has unearthed some of the oldest known human remains . An ancient way of life . Many of the Hadza live in a remote stretch of Tanzania , where much of their day is given over to foraging and hunting . The techniques they use for finding sustenance are passed down generation to generation . The men favor handmade bows and arrows , while the women dig up roots and gather berries . The Hadza do n't store food , plant trees or build houses . Rather , they make temporary huts from dried grass and intertwined branches , and move in accordance with the local animals . `` We are rich in tradition , '' explains Shani Msafin-Sigwaze , the first Hadza to attend university , and an informal spokesperson for his community . `` Culture is very important , because when people forget their culture , they forget where they are from , '' he adds . Mounting challenges . Unfortunately , the Hadza way of life is under threat . In the last 50 years , they have lost 90 % of their land to farmers and cattle herders , according to Survival International , an NGO in defense of tribal people around the world . `` Without the land , the Hadza will disappear , '' warns Msafin-Sigwaze . Furthermore , a lot of the big game animals and local plants that traditionally have made up the bulk of the Hadza diet are disappearing . `` There is a big problem with cows , '' admits Msafin-Sigwaze . `` The animals are scared of them and they run away . That 's why the hunters have to [ travel ] far to even find little birds . '' Meanwhile , much of the local forest and bush has been burned to make way for crops , or has been razed to produce water holes for irrigation . `` The Hadza are suffering much because the natural food is disappearing , '' explains Msafin-Sigwaze . Positive signs ? Though the threat the Hadza face is real -- and extinction is far from a remote possibility -- there have been some successful efforts to restore some of what they 've lost . In 2011 , for instance , the Tanzanian government issued land titles to a community of Hadza living in Yaeda Chini . Now Msafin-Sigwaze , who belongs to a separate tribe of Hadza , is hoping he can achieve the same for his community . `` I belong to the Hadza . I study in the name of the Hadza . The name of the Hadza has made me go to university , '' he says . `` Now , I 'm going to fight until I see the Hadza get their land . ''
The people are one of the last communities of hunter - gatherers in the world . Hadza people hunt for animals with homemade bows and arrows . In the last 50 years , the people have lost 90 % of their land .