Observations of the BaMbuti Pygmies

Bambuti Pygmies are one of the oldest indigenous people of the Congo region of Africa. The Bambuti are composed of bands which are relatively small in size, ranging from 15 to 60 people. The Bambuti population totals about 30,000 to 40,000 people.The forest of Ituri iwhere they live is a tropical rainforest. In this area, there is a high amount of rainfall The rainforest is 70,000 square kilometers.The forest is a humid region strewn with rivers and lakes. The Bambuti live in villages that are categorized as bands. Each hut houses a family unit. At the start of the dry season, they leave the village to enter the forest and set up a series of camps. These villages are solitary and separated from other groups of people. Their houses are small, circular, and very temporary. They do not use blueprints, but instead trace the outline of the house into the ground. The walls of the structures are strong sticks that are placed in the ground and at the top of the sticks, a vine is tied around them to keep them together. The Bambuti are primarily hunter-gatherers, foraging for food in the forest. The Bambuti have a vast knowledge about the forest and the foods it yields. They collect an assortment of food, including crabs, shellfish, ants, larvae, snails, pigs, antelopes, monkeys, fishes, honey, wild yams, berries, fruits, roots, leaves, and cola nuts.There is a lore that can be tied to Bambuti mythology, where the giant forest hog is thought to be a physical manifestation of Negoogunogumbar. Other food sources yielded by the forest are non-kweri animals for meat consumption, root plants, palm trees, and bananas and in some seasons, wild honey. Yams, legumes, beans, peanuts, hibiscus, amaranth, and gourds are consumed.The Bambuti use large nets, traps, and bows and arrows to hunt game. Women and children sometimes help out by trying to drive the animals into the nets. Both sexes gather and forage. Each band has its own hunting ground, although boundaries are hard to maintain. Colin Turnbull was an anthropologist who studies the Bambuti Pygmies. He wrote several books about them and other tribes and also made some recording tapes that are sold commercialy about the pygmies.