Who are the Hadza? A Linguistic Perspective

This talk provides an initial account of our ongoing language documentation project, specifically in terms of where Hadza is spoken, who Hadza is spoken by, how Hadza is used. Due to the type of questions we are seeking to answer, which focuses on who speaks Hadza, rather than who has traditionally been characterised as Hadza, the picture of the Hadza people which emerges from our research methodology is strikingly different from many of those previously given.  Sketches situating the Hadza language in its social context, and contrasts with past accounts will be drawn throughout. One goal of this talk is linguistic: discussing new findings on a language and speaker community for which there has been little documentation. Another goal is to address past assertions which have systemically erased large portions of the Hadza people.