Award Date

12-1-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Anthropology

First Committee Member

Alyssa Crittenden

Second Committee Member

Daniel Benyshek

Third Committee Member

Peter Gray

Fourth Committee Member

Gabriel Judkins

Abstract

The current study utilizes a mixed-methods approach to investigate the processes that influence landcover change and nutrition transitions in the Lake Eyasi Basin area of Northern Tanzania. In doing so, it provides unique insights into the behavior and biology of Hadzabe foragers living in the Yaeda Valley during the early stages of nutrition transition and provides much needed context for scientific literature that has been derived from this region. The current study answers the following questions: 1) How can historical and ethnographic maps, combined with present-day landcover classifications, inform our understanding of the people(s), spaces, and places of Lake Eyasi? 2) Are the Hadzabe currently experiencing food insecurity? 3) Do bush and village-dwelling Hadzabe juveniles display differences in anthropometric measurements? To answer these questions, we used a combination of historical sources, landcover classifications derived from satellite imagery, anthropometrics measurements, a food insecurity scale, and open-ended interview questions. Results from this research make a unique contribution to scientific literature by critically examining certain representations of the Hadzabe people (and their neighbors) that live within the Lake Eyasi Basin area. Furthermore, results from this research challenge theoretical models within the fields of human biology and anthropology.

Keywords

Cartography; Hadza; Hunter-Gatherers; Nutrition Transition; Political Ecology; Tanzania

Disciplines

Biology | Geography | Nutrition

File Format

pdf

File Size

1432 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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