By: Tara Giandomenico

Global collaboration in the classroom is so important. If you visit the National Geographic website, there is an Out of Eden Walk that can be explored yourself, with your classroom, business purposes, etc. If you want to visit the website click HERE.

This section of the website is from a storyteller who set out to retrace our ancestors’ global migration. Paul Salopek set out on a 21,000-mile adventure to walk the pathways of the first humans who migrated out of Africa during the stone age. Within the website, there are different chapters that we can discover and examine at home. These chapters cover major historical stories, mass migration, cultural survival, etc. For this blog post, I am going to review and examine three different locations on this website, from the first chapter.

Chapter One: Out of Africa

Milestone 1: Herto Bouri:

The first thing I discovered was the panorama picture. This picture shows trees and some huts made out of land materials in the background. I noticed that the land seemed to be all dirt with no pavement or grass. However, there were green bushes seen in the background. I also noticed there were a group of adults, children and there was one car pictured. In this picture, there were two people seen holding up sticks, which could mean that they may have been hiking. There was a picture of the sky, and it was blue and clear with a few clouds. At this point in their adventure, they encountered a man by the name of Idoli Mohamed. Idoli was an Afar pastoralist which is one of the largest sheep and cattle farmer groups in Africa. He explained that he lived a horrible life doing his job. He does not want his sons to become pastoralists because of the lifestyle it brings. He stated that he wanted his sons to go to school and get an education to live a better life than he did. He revealed that the biggest problem they face is the wayane bush because the animals will not eat it and, it blocks their pastures. He explained that the second biggest problem they face is water supply. When asked where he came from, he stated that he did not know. He explained how people say that the Afar come from the north side of Tadjoura, in Djibouti. He stated that “if Adam and Eve were human, then I don’t believe any other story. All people, black or white, we all come from them.” When asked where he was going, he replied by stating that after they become educated, they can go anywhere. He specified he would either go to Semera or America. This story is interesting because it gives us an insight into who the people are from this area and how their lives differ from ours here in America. The video of this section showed many things that differ from our culture. The video showed that some people do not wear shoes and walk around barefoot. When they do wear shoes, they looked to be plastic sandals. Some of the people carry machetes on them and, they dress differently than we do. There was a woman shown who was wearing a long dress and a Hijab that covered her hair. The children were seen wearing collared shirts, shorts, and some wore skirts.

Milestone 2: Afar Badlands:

The land at this location differed a lot from the first. The land itself was full of dirt and boulders. There were mountains seen in the distance, but there was no grass or trees beside a few bushes. I also noticed that there were what seemed to be power lines in the background. There were three men in the panorama picture and, they were wearing short sleeve shirts and skirts. Next to them, two camels looked like they were carrying luggage of some sort. Off in the distance, it looked like there was a small stream that led to a lake. The picture of the ground looked rocky and unleveled and, the image of the sky was crystal clear and blue. At this milestone, Salopek encountered Ali Dille. He explained that he was the district administrator from Hadar wareda and that he runs that district. This encounter occurred because Dille pulled his car on the side of the road to ask Salopek if he needed a lift. He explained that he was from Hadar and that the American scientists Johansen and Bill work there. The man explained that everyone used to live in Hadar but, everyone migrated to different African countries. He stated that he is going to Dalifagi, where everyone else is going. The video showed that there was a road a few miles from where their location. The men who were with the camels were sitting and relaxing, and it seemed that they were taking a break from traveling because it looked hot outside. The camels were carrying a few bags of luggage and, this could indicate the men were traveling somewhere other than their home. They had water bottles and hats with them while traveling. The men were also carrying cell phones with them.

Milestone 3: Djibouti:

At this milestone, the land seemed to be more open and, there were many trees around. The camels and men were resting again. There were many mountains in the background and, the land was all dirt and rocks. The men here were wearing flip-flops and, one was wearing sneakers. The sky was cloudless in this area as well. During this milestone, Salopek encountered an eight-year-old boy by the name of Sultan Hassan. He explained that he is from Koussou and that he is going to Ogoydore. The men in the video were singing a song and wearing cloth on their heads. The men were singing and smoking cigarettes and, the camels were tied up. The men in the video clip were wearing jackets which shows that the weather here was probably colder than the previous milestones. The men were seen carving something one of the trees.

Overall Thoughts

I feel that this website can be beneficial in many ways. I am currently studying to become a teacher and, I believe that learning about other cultures is influential. This website can allow students to explore and click on their own. They can learn about how these people dress, transportation, eat, etc. The land and surroundings that I examined are different from America. This can show students how other people live differently around the world. Websites like this can also help students appreciate what they have and where they come from. In conclusion, I would use this website with my future elementary classroom for them to learn and understand how others live and how the people during the stone age migrated.

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