Zimbabwean Ostrich People
The vaDoma, also known as the Doma or Dema, are Zimbabwe's only known hunter-gatherer people. They make their homes in the Kanyemba area, which is situated close to the watersheds of a tributary of the Zambezi River Valley.
The Dema people speak their own language and believe their ancestors descended from a baobab tree, then stood up and began a life of hunting and gathering. The uncontacted people are the only people in Zimbabwe who do not cultivate the land.
Members of this group have a genetic disorder known as "lobster claw syndrome" or "Ectrodactyly," and it has brought them notoriety. This refers to the condition in which a person is born with missing extremities.
In vaDoma, the dominant genetic mutation is found only in the feet of one child in every four. None of the three middle toes are present, and the outer two are turned in.
The ostrich-footed or "two-toed" name for the people arose from the fact that they had such little toes. Members of different tribes are prohibited from marrying under tribal law. As a result, the incidence of the ailment affecting people with only two feet is contained within a single ethnic group.
Individuals with this disease are not considered incapacitated, and some even believe that their specialized toes give them an advantage while scaling vertical surfaces like trees.
According to legend, before the Europeans arrived in what was then the Korekore Shona kingdom of Mutapa, the vaDoma flatly refused to join. As a result, they have lost a lot of prime agricultural land.
These mountain people have made the Chewore Safari Region their nomadic home. These poachers are also being threatened by game rangers who are attempting to put an end to the practice