Bows, arrows and the poison tree
By Innocent, Founder & Lead Guide19 January 20265 min readCulture
1. A Hadzabe bow is taller than most visitors expect and…
A Hadzabe bow is taller than most visitors expect and heavier to draw than any archery-club bow you may have tried. Guests are always invited to try, and rarely manage a full draw.
2. Arrows come in types: blunt wooden tips for birds, barbed…
Arrows come in types: blunt wooden tips for birds, barbed metal traded from the Datoga for medium game, and poisoned heads for large animals.
3. The poison comes from boiling the sap of the desert…
The poison comes from boiling the sap of the desert rose, Adenium, into a black tar smeared just behind the arrowhead and never on the shaft the archer grips.
4. Everything is repaired constantly, at the fire, between hunts
Everything is repaired constantly, at the fire, between hunts. Watching that maintenance is half of what you learn on a visit.
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Innocent, Founder & Lead Guide
Published 19 January 2026
