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 a self-rolled cigarette on a hunt, they use their firestick to produce an ember. Lightning a fire with the hand drill is just one of their daily routines.
Our interpreter was very particular about not giving them a gas lighter when visiting them, as this would trigger a demand to purchase these lighters from Datogas in the future. Which in turn would further increase their dependence on them.
Which wood is used for the Hadza hand drill friction firel?
Base- or Hearth wood
When walking with the Hadzabe, it was difficult to determine which exact species of wood they used for the base. They just went to various shrubs and broke off a piece of dead wood. After that, they threw away some of these pieces and finally used one of them. We always walked in Acacia-Commiphora Woodlands, and they only collected various Commiphora wood species and never Acacias (respective Vachelias of Senegalias).
One species they collected was Commiphora campestris or C. edulis—I do not know which one it was exactly. The bark and leaves can be seen in the pictures above. If a reader can identify the correct species based on these two pictures, I would be grateful for his/her comments at the end of this article.
On one occasion, when we took the following photos, we used another species of Commiphora wood. The Hadzabe people are not particular about which exact species of Commiphora they use for the base of the fire drill. It just must be dry, solid, and of a suitable dimension.
Fire spindle
The Hadza friction fire spindle is nearly sacred to the Hadzabe people. It is often carried in the hand together with a bunch of arrows. The fire spindle is similar in length to the arrows but slightly thicker in diameter.
Fire spindles are always crafted from hardwood species. These can be either Markhamia obtusifolia, Grewia bicolor, Sacleuxia newii, or Dombeya kirkii.
Grewia bicolor is readily available and suitable due to its straightness and hardness. However, drilling with it is uncomfortable as the cross-section of the stick is not round but fluted. Therefore, it is only used by Hadzabe people if no other fire spindle material is available.
The preferred spindle wood is the ‘River Wild Pear’ (Domeya kirkii), the same species used for their bows. However, it has to be traded in from outside their area, often from the Datoga people.
Hadza friction fire drilling procedure
Hand drilling, as done by the Hadzabe people, is nothing unusual. The procedure is similar to that described for Batwa Pygmies or Khoi-San people in Namibia, described on this website. It just takes some getting used to the long spindle. The advantage of this long spindle is that it can be used to drill for quite a long time without changing the hand position. On the other hand, when in the lowest position, the spindle has to be held into the friction hole, and changing with the other hand to the top of the spindle quickly moves the spindle out of the friction hole. I, therefore, prefer a shorter spindle length.
Hadzabe people often use a knife blade to catch the ember. Only occasionally do they use parts of Baobab fruit outer shells. A Morakniv is ideal for traveling, as locals often ask for a knife as a gift. This knife will do many jobs and is easy and cheap to replace. (Disclaimer: I have no commercial interests at all, but I only state what I think is a good hint.)
For the fire nest to accommodate the drilled ember, Hadzabe people use a handful of dry grass, which can be found everywhere around. They do not crush it somehow but only fold the unbroken culms into the well-known fire nest.
Blowing the embers to live is always a magic moment.
…And a few sticks will ensure that roots and meat are cooked.
…Or the smoking pipe gets lit.
Lessons learned from Hadza hand drill friction fire:
- Hadzabe people use a combination of soft- and hardwood for hand drill friction fire lighting.
- Woods for the base are primarily various Commiphora species.
- Spindle wood is mainly traded in by the Datoga people.
- The fire spindle is exceptionally long and challenging to handle.
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