This tribe from northern Zimbabwe in Africa stands out from the rest because its members suffer from a rare genetic condition that earned them the name “ostrich feet.”
African tribes are known for their deep-rooted customs and for being tight-lipped from outsiders. An example of this is the tribe vadoma, also known as Doma or Dema. This is a tribe of hunters and gatherers in northern Zimbabwe, Africa. It lives in the Kanyemba region around the Zambezi River valley basins.
They speak a dialect of the predominant language in the area, Zimbabwean Shona, presenting a rich oral tradition. Within their mythology, they believe that their ancestors emerged from a tree called Baobab, where they walked to hunt and gather fruit. This tribe is the only non-agricultural tribe in the Zimbabwe region.
This tribe stands out from the rest for having a rare genetic condition known as ectrodactyly or lobster claw syndrome.
Ectrodactyly is a dominantly inherited genetic mutation that affects the feet, involving the absence of one or more toes at birth. This manifests itself in only one in four children of the Vadoma tribe and usually their three middle fingers are absent and the two outer ones are very long and bent.
This resulted in the Vadoma being known to foreigners as the “two-fingered” or “ostrich-footed” tribe. To prevent the Ectrodactyly gene from spreading abroad, it is against tribal law for members to marry someone outside their circle.
This genetic disorder was first documented in 1770 by Jan Jacob Hartsinck, director of the Dutch East India Company, after observing it in a tribe of central African slaves who had been brought to Dutch Guiana.
Over time, the story became a legend, until in the 1960s interviews with witnesses who knew about the phenomenon began to be published. This malformation is also relatively common among members of the Talaunda tribe, present in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
People with this condition are not considered disabled and it is believed that their toes allow them to climb trees better.
They currently live their nomadic lifestyle in the Chewore Safari Area, which has now become their mountain homeland. However, they face threats from rangers who are cracking down on poaching.