The four major language groups of the African continent (Bantu, Nilotic, Cushitic and Khoisan) meet in Haydom each bringing distinct tribes and customs and importantly for the Wahunzi, a demand for different metal products.
The Khoisan-speaking Hadzabe are primitive hunter-gatherers who go to the Wahunzi for arrow heads.
The Isanzu and Iramba ethnic groups, who speak Bantu languages, and the Iraqw of Cushitic origin need kitchen utensils and spears, while the Datoga, who belong to the Nilotic language group and include the Wahunzi themselves, are buy wrist and neck bracelets and spears.
"Our business is good," says Danieli. "The demand for our spear heads is increasing, because people always need weapons for self-defence."
The boom in the sale of spears may be purely anecdotal, but could reflect an increase in crime in the rapidly expanding Haydom as well as the growing number of conflicts between the different tribes over the allocation of local land.
For the time being, the Wahunzis have cornered the blacksmithing market and are making good money. An arrow tip sells for around $0.50, a bracelet $1 while a spear head can cost up to $3 - a considerable amount of money in a region of Tanzania where the average wage is less than $1 a day.
There are two blacksmith workshops in Haydom, both run by the Kangaga family.
The Khoisan-speaking Hadzabe are primitive hunter-gatherers who go to the Wahunzi for arrow heads.
The Isanzu and Iramba ethnic groups, who speak Bantu languages, and the Iraqw of Cushitic origin need kitchen utensils and spears, while the Datoga, who belong to the Nilotic language group and include the Wahunzi themselves, are buy wrist and neck bracelets and spears.
"Our business is good," says Danieli. "The demand for our spear heads is increasing, because people always need weapons for self-defence."
The boom in the sale of spears may be purely anecdotal, but could reflect an increase in crime in the rapidly expanding Haydom as well as the growing number of conflicts between the different tribes over the allocation of local land.
For the time being, the Wahunzis have cornered the blacksmithing market and are making good money. An arrow tip sells for around $0.50, a bracelet $1 while a spear head can cost up to $3 - a considerable amount of money in a region of Tanzania where the average wage is less than $1 a day.
There are two blacksmith workshops in Haydom, both run by the Kangaga family.
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