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The Sandawe people
The Sandawe people are an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting the Chemba District of Dodoma Region in central Tanzania. With a population estimated around 40,000, they have a unique cultural and linguistic heritage that sets them apart in the region. Central to their identity is the Sandawe language, characterized by its tonality and use of click consonants, a linguistic feature shared with some southern African Khoe languages. Historically, the origins of the Sandawe have been a subject of scholarly debate. While early theories suggested a possible link to the Khoisan peoples of southern Africa due to linguistic similarities, recent genetic and linguistic studies indicate that they are distinct and have their…