Africa’s Bravest Tribe El Molo Fights Against Crocodiles Using Tiny Canoes, And They Used To Have Hippo For Dinner!
This tribe live on the shores of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya has only 300 population, and they only eat fish and the odd crocodile. There is more, they used to eat hippo! The fiercest kind of hippos which have taken so many people’s lives, but now the El Molo people were banned from eating hippo.
Because of their tough lifestyles, they usually live to a maximum of 45 years old, while 40 is considered ancient.
Their short life expectancy may due to the lack of fruit, vegetables and carbohydrates in their diet, they also suffer from bone problems.
The situation is made worse because until recently, the tribe always married among themselves, which contributed to inbreeding.
And it’s not just the El Molo themselves who are under threat, but their unique culture too. Younger members of the tribe are starting to swap traditional clothes for western ones, while their language is now extinct and has been replaced with Swahili.
Some of them were converting to Christianity, and recently, oil has been discovered close to Lake Turkana, the once bravest tribe in Africa may be ready to embracing the world.
1. With hippo eating banned, the tribe lives mostly on the 2ft catfish that lurk beneath the lake which they turn into a salty broth using lake water
2. Despite having made a living from hunting hippos for centuries, the animals are now protected by law and the El Molo are not allowed to hunt them
3. The El Molo live on the shores of Lake Turkana in an area dotted with volcanic rocks and where the land is too poor for agriculture or cows
4. Hunting and fishing is always done by the men while women are in charge of cooking
5. The El Molo used to be famous for their hippo hunts but are no longer allowed
6. Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa and kill many humans
7. Although salty, the El Molo continue to drink Lake Turkana’s water although they do now have fresh water tanks built for them by the government
8. Their fishing techniques are more than 3,000 years old and involve using canoes made from doum palm trunks and handmade harpoonsk
9. The El Molo are no longer allowed to hunt the hippo which live in Lake Turkana – a feat that earned them a reputation for bravery among other Kenyan tribes
10. The El Molo tribe is so small, there are now only two villages – Anderi and Illah – where homes are still made from dried reeds and doum palm leaves
11. The 300-strong El Molo tribe is Kenya’s smallest but also one of its toughest thanks to their penchant for fighting crocodiles and even hippos
12. Although many still embrace traditional dress, many more are starting to wear western clothing, while the El Molo language became extinct in 1974
13. Some have converted to Christianity
14. They live on the shores of Lake Turkana, a semi-salty body of water surrounded by volcanic rocks and where temperatures reach up to 45 degrees Celsius
15. El Molo people have a maximum life expectancy of 45 and consider 40 to be old
16. The El Molo are famous for their bravery within Kenya and many are still animists
17. They also suffer from bone problems thanks to their protein only diet
18. Although they aren’t really allowed, one or two of the 10,000 crocodiles living on Lake Turkana falls prey to El Molo fisherman each year
19. Because of the arid conditions, the El Molo spend a lot of time removing dust from each others eyes – as demonstrated here by two friends
Source: Dailymail.co.uk
