Tanzania: Ecology & Human Origins

Dar es Salaam & Tarangire field site, Tanzania

Field practicum projects

The main field site for the program is Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania, and the surrounding area and community. It is named for the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water source for local wildlife. The park encompasses 1,600 square miles and is a magnet during the dry season for large concentrations of elephants, buffaloes, wildebeests and zebras. Tarangire is also a permanent residence for mongoose, giraffes, lions, hyenas and many other species. Bird enthusiasts will find populations of eagles and owls, and the park also has large areas of wetlands. The surrounding area in this portion of the Rift Valley is rich with geological and archaeological evidence, and home to a number of national and international projects. The nearby community is predominantly Maasai, with a village that has a market, local government and cultural life within walking distance of the field camp sites, as well as a larger town further beyond with a major health clinic for the region, and schools.

In the field, students engage in independent and collaborative field work activities, in areas such as human ecology, biology, paleo-anthropology, archaeology, zoology, and socio-cultural anthropology. Topics depend on student interest, the composition and needs of the group, the resources available, and faculty/site expertise. In some cases, students may work within the existing projects of Tanzanian or visiting experts. Students are encouraged to work collaboratively, on such topics as education, public health, water, tourism, wildlife, archaeological sites, and indigenous populations. Upon their return to Dar es Salaam, students continue to analyze their data, write final reports, give public presentations, and create museum displays or posters for local distribution.

Students are encouraged to be in touch with the Program Director after acceptance into the program to discuss their interests in field inquiry topics and to learn about past projects and the field inquiry interests of other accepted students. Below is a list of field research projects from recent years, arranged by academic area:

Archaeology

Middle Stone Age Denizens of Tarangire: An Archaeological Survey in Northern Tanzania (2011)
Preferential Right-Handedness in MSA Early Humans from Northern Tanzania: A Lithic Artifact Lateral-Orientation Analysis (2011)
The Olasiti Tool-makers: Archaeological Reconnaissance in Northern Tanzania (2009)
Footprint Analysis and Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction at Laetoli (2006)
A Ground Survey of Middle-Age Stone Lithics in Tarangire National Park (2005)
An archaeological survey of stone tools in northern Tarangire National Park (2005)
Lithic technology and temporal representation in high density artifact exposures near kopjes in Serengeti National Park (2003)
A Survey of Middle Stone Age Lithic Artifacts in the Upper Ngaloba Beds at Laetoli, Tanzania: Understanding Hominid Cognition through Culture (2002)
Defining the Middle Stone Age at Laetoli: A Comparative Study of the Middle Stone Age in Northern Tanzania

Cultural Anthropology

"Why do you think there is only one God?": A study of traditional Maasai believers and Christian Maasai living near Tarangire National Park (2011)
The Effects of the 2011 Drought on the Pastoral Practices of the Maasai: Implications for Sustainability (2011)
The "Unique Culture" and "The Helpful People": An ethnographic study of the influence of tourism on the Maasai of one village in Northern Tanzania (2011)
Pregnancy Practices of the Maasai (2011)
Forest Stories of the Maasai: Asserting Identity by Defining the Other (2011)
Diet of people in Babati District, Tanzania: What they eat, why they eat it, and how that's changing. (2010)
Effects of City Migration on Maasai Male Identities (2010)
The Dynamics and Implications of Language Use and Acquisition in Olasiti Village and Minjingu Village (2010)
Crafts Commoditization and Cooperatives: How women near Tarangire National Park, Tanzania have empowered themselves selling crafts (2009)
An Examination of the Events Following a Road Traffic Accident: Care Provided by Drivers and Community Members in Olasiti and Minjingu (2009)
Cell Phone Use in Olasiti Village: Gender and Generational Disparities (2009)
Singing Out: The role of traditional songs for Maasai Women in maintaining male-dominant gender roles (2009)
Global change and the maintenance of tribal traditions: Maasai feelings about their changing way of life (2003)
Cultivation and the non-Maasai in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (2003)
Female Circumcision: A Woman’s Place in the Maasai Community
Common Thematic Elements and Patterns in Maasai Oral Stories and the Judeo-Christian Bible
Management in Action: Conflict between Pastoralist Development and Cultural Heritage Conservation in Laetoli
A Mother’s Interpretation and Co-sleep Differences in Infantile Sleep: A Study of Maasai Culture
An Examination of Maasai Traditional Dress and Personal Adornment
Listen to Us: Maasai Perspective on Hip-hop as a Means of Sharing Language
Diseases of Maasai Livestock and How They Affect Conservation in the NCAA
Childbirth and Maternal Healthcare in Maasailand
Tourism Trends in Tarangire National Park
Effects of increased education and Kiswahili literacy among the Ngorongoro division Maasai on Maasai/NCAA relations: Increasing Maasai political power
The Maasai of Ngorongoro: Transition from Transhuman to Sedentary

Ecology

An Analysis of Loxodonta africana Browsing in Tarangire National Park (2011)
Intraspecific Interactions and Unicoloniality in Acacia ant Crematogaster nigriceps (2011)
Herbs and Health Facilities: A Study of Prevalence and Cures of Worm Infections in Areas Surrounding Tarangire National Park (2011)
The Effect of Proximity to Water on Vigilance of the Plains Zebra in Tarangire National Park (2011)
Shape and orientation of the mounds of Macrotermes michaelseni in and around Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania (2011)
Effects of Scarification on Germination of Acacia tortilis Seeds (2011)
A Survey of Dry Season Herbivory of Adansonia Digitata by Loxodonta Africana in Tarangire National Park. (2010)
Heterospecific Eavesdropping in Kirk's dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) (2010)
Distribution and Abundance Patterns of Insect Communities in the Elephant Boli of Tarangire National Park (2010)
On The Periphery of Conservation: Local opinions on the relationship between Tarangire national park, Tanzania, and the local community (2010)
An analysis of change around park border, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania (2010)
Duration of visits to a water puddle near Tarangire National Park for three bird species (2010)
Wary of the Water: An Epidemiological Survey of Drinking Water Quality North of Tarangire National Park (2010)
Water quality and its effects on biodiversity in the Tarangire River, Tanzania (2010)
Silent Plea for Help: Human-Wildlife Conflict along the Northwest Border of Tarangire National Park (2010)
The Effects of Interspecific Competition Between Termites (Macrotermes bellicosus) and other Insect Communities (2009)
Tarangire Carnivore Protection Project: How wire fences can help keep livestock and predators safe (2009)
Animal and Insect Associations with Young and Old Baobabs (Adansonia digitata) (2009)
Foragaing and Living Habits of Three Ground-dwelling Bird Species in the Tarangire National Park Area, Northern Tanzania (2009)
Effects of Vegetation Coverage on Territory Size of Kirk's Dik-diks in Tarangire National Park (2009)
Leaf Litter Decomposition in the Tarangire River
Patterns of Conflict in Female Olive Baboons at Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
The Effects of Metabolism on Habitat Partitioning between Equus Burchelli and Connochaetes taurinus of Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Factors Influencing the Location of Wildebeest in Tarangire National Park
Factors Influencing the Location of the Plains Zebra (Equus burchelli) Herds of Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Spatial Analysis of Adasonia digitata Utilization by Loxodonta africana in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Baobab Damage as an Indicator of Elephant Ecology
Density and Behavior of the Red-Headed Rock Agama at Sopa Lodge and Mawe Ninga
Implications of Foot Size as a Habitat Indicator
A Comparison of Foraging Behavior between Male and Female Giraffes
A Comparison of Grazing Pressure of either side of the Tarangire NP Boundary
The Effects of Human Disturbance on Bird Biodiversity in Tarangire National Park
The Effects of Roads on Wildlife Grazing Patterns
Sex differences in juvenile Olive Baboon behavior in Tarangire National Park
Potential sources of invasive plant species in Tarangire National Park
Seed dispersal by African Elephants in Tarangire National Park
Effects of Macrotermes termitaria on small mammal abundance and biodiversity in Tarangire National Park
Temperature and time constraints on the display behavior of Red-headed Rock Agamas
Vigilance and the association between zebra and wildebeest
Does traffic level affect numbers of galliforms and raptors in Tarangire National Park?
Maternal investment differences in Vervet monkey offspring
Investigating mammalian activity at waterholes in the Seronera region of Serengeti National Park
Small mammal composition on kopjes and the surrounding landscape in Serengeti National Park
Micro-habitat characteristics and their effects on biodiversity of vegetation at kopjes in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Economics

Cultural reasoning concerning education: A western interpretation of modernity within Tanzania’s Maasai community (2010)

Education

The Church of English: English in the Maasai Classroom (2011)
Factors Affecting Female Student Retention in Primary School (2006)
A Comparison of Agriculturist, Pastoralist, and Governmental Viewpoints Concerning the Purpose of Education, Babati District, Tanzania
Cultural reasoning concerning education: A western interpretation of modernity within Tanzania’s Maasai community

Environmental Studies

The Effect of Tourist Vehicle Traffic on the Water Quality of Tarangire River During the Dry Season (2011)
Future Implications of Water Scarcity: Is a “Water War” looming on the Border of Tarangire National Park? (2010)
Limited Water on the Border of Tarangire National Park: An examination of place among five Maasai villages (2009)
The Environmental Impacts of Varying Tourist Accommodations in Tarangire National Park
Are the roads in Serengeti affecting vegetation in grasslands?
Fire Management in Tarangire National Park

Geology

Lake Manyara Basin: Prehistory, Tool Use, and Cultural Heritage (2010)
Geological Reconnaissance North of the Tarangire Rive, Northern Tanzania (2009)
Preliminary Results from a Geologic Survey of Lemagrut Volcano
A comparative study of modern taphonomy in various micro-environments at Laetoli, Tanzania
Pliocene Paleoenvironmental analysis of the footprint tuff at Laetoli, Tanzania
Modern mammalian death assemblage, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Public Health

Patterns of Illness Treatment and Barriers to Care in Rural Northern Tanzania (2010)
An Assessment of Drinking Water Quality in Rural Villages North of Tarangire National Park and Health Risks Posed by the Local Water Supply (2010)
Needles and Natural Healers: An Analysis of Ethnomedicine and Modern Medicine Among Villagers
in Predominantly Maasai Communities Around Tarangire National Park (2010)
The Cultural and Economic Importance of Milk to Maasai Women (2009)
Mental Health Views in Olasiti Village (2009)
Bridging the Gap: Explanatory Models of Malaria and Treatment Decisions of the Maasai Tribe and Hospital Staff in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Trends in Inpatient Malaria Morbidity at Endulen Hospital in the Ngorongoro Division of Tanzania
Evaluating Risk Factors for Tuberculosis in Olbalal Village and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
“A New Disease”: Perceptions of HIV among the Maasai
Vitamin A Deficiencies in Children in Ngorongoro Division
Malaria Prevention in Ngorongo Division
Prevalence of Scoliosis in the Endulen Area
Investigating DOT (Directly Observed Therapy) as a tuberculosis treatment method in the Tarangire area
What are the best HIV/AIDS education programs for the Tarangire area?
The incidence of eye disease in Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Bovine Tuberculosis among pastoralists in the NCA: a look at prevalence, knowledge and practices
Prevalence of refractive error and awareness within the NGA