We step back in time with the Hadza

"There are many more pastoralists [people who graze goats and cattle] today," O'Connell says. "They compete with the Hadza for water and land." Where goats and cattle graze, there are fewer wild animals to hunt and fewer plants to supply food. When farmers and goat-herders move into Hadza areas, the Hadza may be pushed onto drier land with fewer animals and plants.

Tourist visits such as ours give the Hadza extra income, but the money isn't always helpful. "The cash leads to alcohol abuse," O'Connell says. Hadza men sometimes spend their money in bars, and neglect their families.

Compared with the rules of the modern world, the rules of the bush are simple: You have to survive, and in order to survive, you must face dangerous animals.

"We would look for lion kills on the basis of where vultures are landing," O'Connell recalls of one stay with the Hadza, "and then walk up and try to take the kill from the lions.... That can be very scary, walking up with a Hadza man when there are several lions and hyena on the kill, and it's just you and your camera and him and his one bow. And he is fully confident he is going to take that meat away. He has no doubt. We watched Hadza hunters get meat this way 20 times, and each time they drove off the lions."

What if the lion doesn't back off? "That happened one time," O'Connell says. "The lion got killed and eaten." A wise lion knows the Hadza are masters of the bush.

• For more information on visiting the Hadza, see: www.thompsonsafaris.com

Dad roams garage sales, Mom's a bargain shopper. Your sister cruises eBay, and your brother is always after the perfect rock for his collection. At heart, we're still hunter-gatherers.

If you'd like to try collecting wild food instead of Pokémon cards, start in your own backyard. Parts of cactuses, cattails, chicory, dandelions, day lilies, and violets – just to name a few – are edible. Be sure you know exactly which plants are safe to eat, and make sure that no herbicides have been applied and no dogs have been walked there. If you're in doubt, ask someone who knows – a parent, teacher, or naturalist. Don't ever eat wild mushrooms, as some of them are poisonous.

Here's a tasty dandelion recipe from California chef John Townsend. You can weed your lawn – and feed your family!

4 cups dandelion leaves, rinsed well (or mix dandelion greens into other salad greens)
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 peach, peeled and diced, or 1 cup wild berries
grated peel of 1/2 orange
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine "dandelion salad" ingredients in a large bowl. Then mix all the "vinaigrette dressing" ingredients in a blender. Pour the desired amount of dressing over the salad, and serve.

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