The Forest People

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Ethnography “The Forest People” The BaMbuti are the real people of the forest. They live in a world that is closed, yet they are friendly to outsiders and to the villagers. The BaMbuti have lived in the forest for many thousands years. They are considered among the oldest inhabitants on the continent of Africa. The earliest recorded writing of the Pygmy people was twenty-five hundred years before the Christian era. It is not by shear coincidence that BaMbuti people have lived this long. Even though some might call them primitive their way of life is far from. They have specialized ways to hunt, gather, and build relationships that has helped them live for so long. The BaMbuti population lives in the Ituri Forest. This is a tropical rainforest in the North Eastern portion of Zaire. This was called the Belgian Congo. This is a rainforest with filtered sunlight that gives birth to animals, plants, and insects of all kinds. The Pygmies use all of these sense they are still a hunting and gathering society. To them, though, the forest is their god. This is primarily because the forest gives them everything they need to live. Food, shelter, and clothing all come from the forest. The BaMbuti people have no other knowledge of life that exists beyond the forest. They live and die in it. The people of the forest are wise in their ways. They share a life with villagers. The villagers call the Pygmies savage for their lifestyle. Ironically the pygmies call the villagers savage because they do not live by the forest rules. Even so, the Pygmy people do chores for the villagers every so often. The villages consist of Negro’s and Europeans. If they are in a village or in the presence of a single Negro or European they are submissive and do whatever is asked of them. When all are gone they live a free life and all gather around. They know how to play a role. They also know that

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