The Ostrich People Along the Zambezi River

CHIRUWA HILLS, ZIMBABWE - Thursday, February 28, 2008 - Along the Zambezi river and beyond the southern valley in Zimbabwe live a small tribe of unusual people -- the Vadoma. In a land where buffalo roam free under bleached skies dwell this very unique tribe. It's a land where tsetse flies blacken the night air, hovering overhead, eagerly waiting to feed on human flesh. It's a place scattered with tiny bamboo huts where river beds wither and dry up in the brutal sun. It's a place ever the slightest sign of modern civilization is hundreds of miles away.

High up in the Chiruwa hills, where the musiga trees are stripped of bark by the natives, far-off rumblings of drums belonging to a tribe commonly known as the "ostrich people" can clearly be heard. These amazing people have the condition known as ectrodactyly. They provide an unmatched example of the genetic effects in a small population.

You may search vainly in reference books or online for details of their mysterious existence. But, only a small handful of civilized men have ever encountered the pure-bred members of the Vadoma. I first learned of the these people when I was in high school. Every week for Sociology class, we were required to report on current events. Since my father was doctor, he subscribed to the JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association). One evening I was frantically searching for an interesting event that I could report on. I liked to be different. I wanted my report to be unusual. While leafing through the JAMA, I was astounded by reports of this native tribe.

The Vadoma speak a colorful language known as Chikunda, which is primarily Portuguese, and KoreKore, the language of the Mkorekore tribe. They are different from other African tribes and their features are like no other. Most of their time is spent hunting and trapping wild animals, fishing, and gathering wild fruits, berries, roots and honey.

They are nomadic bushmen. They are said to be incredibly curious but they will generally flee at the sight of an intruder. As I mentioned earlier, the entire tribe is afflicted with an odd condition.

The condition in the Vadoma is caused by a mutation of chromosome number seven. Geneticists believe that a dominantly inherited genetic mutation survives when it has beneficial effects. The afflicted "ostrich people's" mutation may help Vadoma with tree climbing.

So, what exactly, is ectrodactyly? What is the condition of the Vadoma? Why are they known as the ostrich people? Ectrodactyly is a hereditary condition often called split-hand/split-foot malformation and sometimes referred to as lobster-claw. Medically speaking, it is the congenital absence of all or part of one or more fingers or toes.

Yes, the Vadoma people – nearly the entire tribe – have only two elongated toes on each foot!

Jim Albert