Fire
Hadza hand drill friction fire
Hadza hand drill friction fires are the standard fire-making method of the Hadzabe people in Tanzania, who live remotely. They do not have the omnipresent butane gas firelighters of the modern world or any other artificial methods. Even when lighting…
Batwa pygmies traditional fire lighting method
The Batwa people live around Bwindi Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. This park is significant because it houses half the world’s mountain gorilla population. The Batwa were the last tribe permitted to hunt in this national park before they were…
Camelthorn as firewood
Camelthorn is an excellent firewood in Southern Africa. Its outer layer is light-colored sapwood, and its dark, hard, and heavy heartwood is inside. This hardwood produces long-lasting coals and high heat. Its northernmost distribution area extends from the Northern Cape…
The Evolution of Fire
The history of fire is fundamentally the history of humanity itself. Long before our ancestors learned to create a flame, fire was a terrifying natural force—a byproduct of lightning strikes that brought both destruction and opportunity. However, the transition from…
Manketti wood for friction fire lighting
In the northeastern parts of Namibia, Ju//hoansi Khoi-san bushmen preferably use Manketti wood (Schinziophyton rautanenii) for friction fire lighting, at least in areas where Manketti trees are growing. Such areas have slightly higher elevations compared to savanna bushveld vegetation. Both…
Firewood from Red Bushwillows is excellent
In Southern Africa, fourteen species of Bushwillows belong to the Combretum family. Other trees of the same Combretum family are Clusterleaf species, Leadwood, and others. Interestingly, not all Combretum species are suitable for firewood, but some are excellent for that…
The Torchwood Tree: Ethnobotanical Uses and Properties of Balanites maughamii
The Greenthorn, or Balanites maughamii, is a medium to large deciduous tree indigenous to the low-lying, sandy areas of Southern Africa. Often referred to as the Torchwood, this species is characterized by a distinctly fluted, buttressed trunk and bifurcated (Y-shaped)…
Creating fire by hand drill in Namibia
The type of wood for fire hand drills changed over time Fire starting with friction hand drills was traditionally common among Khoi-san (Ju//hoansi) people in their distribution area, which was once over Southern Africa and became increasingly confined by invading…