Mbuti

Mbuti

The Mbuti people, or Bambuti as they are collectively called, are one of several indigenous hunter-gatherer groups in the Congo region of Africa. They belong to the Central Sudanic subgroup of the Nilo-Saharan phylum.

ethnic group
group=Mbuti
poptime=30,000-40,000
popplace=Democratic Republic of the Congo
rels= Bambuti mythology
langs=Balese, Bira, Mangbetu
related=Pygmies, Batwa, BushmenFact|date=August 2007

Overview

The Bambuti are Pygmy hunter-gatherers, and are one of the oldest indigenous people of the Great Lakes 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. There are four distinct cultures, within the Bambuti. These are the Efé, which speak the language of their neighboring Bantu tribe (the Balese or Mamvu), the Sua, who speak the language of their neighboring Budu (BaBudu), the Mbuti, who speak the language of the neighboring Bila (BaBila), and a small subgroup of the Aka who speak the language of the neighboring Mangbetu triberef|term3. (The majority of the Aka likely migrated to the western Congo basin thousands of years ago).

The term BaMbuti therefore is confusing, as it has been used to refer to all the pygmy peoples in the Ituri region in general, as well as to a single subgroup in the center of the Ituri forest.

Around 2,500 BC, the Ancient Egyptians made reference to a "people of the trees". That could be the Mbuti's. ref|term4.

Location

The Bambuti live in the forested region in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Specifically, they sustain themselves by hunting and gathering in the Ituri forest ref|term3. The Bambuti escape many influences and pressures from the national government by living a traditional way of life in the forest. Civil war and violation of human rights has affected the lives of many of the Bambuti. Some of the hunter-gatherers choose to move into modern-day villages instead of retaining the customary Bambuti life, due to pressure from the government. If there are disputes or wrongdoing from an individual, the Bambuti usually take matters into their own hands by either banishing, beating, or in smaller incidences, ridiculing ref|term3. They were first seen by Europeans in 1456.

Environment

The forest of Ituri is a tropical rainforest. In this area, there is a high amount of rainfall annually, ranging from 50 to 70 inches ref|term1 (127 cm to 178 cm). The rainforest is 70,000 square kilometers. The dry season is relatively short, ranging from one to two months in duration ref|term1. The forest is a moist, humid region strewn with rivers and lakes. Several ecological problems exist that affect the Bambuti. Disease is prevalent in the forests and can spread quickly, not only killing humans, but plants, and animals, the major source of food, as well. One disease, carried by tsetse flies, is sleeping sickness, which limits the use of large mammals ref|term2. Too much rainfall as well as droughts can greatly diminish the food supply.

Zaire's Ituri rainforest is also the home of the okapi.

Settlement architecture and organization

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 ref|term2. This way the Bambuti are able to utilize more land area for maximum foraging. These villages are solitary and separated from other groups of people. Their houses are small, circular, and very temporary. Unlike many modern architects, they do not use blueprints, but instead trace the outline of the house into the ground ref|term3. The walls of the structures are poles that are placed in the ground and at the top of the poles, a vine is tied around them to keep them together ref|term3. Large leaves are also used in the construction of the huts.

Food and resources

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. Crabs, shellfish, ants, larvae, snails, pigs, antelopes (such as the blue duiker), monkeys, fishes, honey, wild yams, berries, fruits, roots, leaves, and cola nuts are some of the assortment of food that the Bambuti collect ref|term2. They have been specifically hunting the Giant Forest Hog for food, as there have recently been an increase in the amount of confrontations between the two groups, as the hogs are driven into the Mbuti territory for food, and, in a few rare events, have ended up eating children from their cribs in the night. Other food sources yielded by the forest are animals for meat consumption, root plants, palm trees, and bananas ref|term2; and in some seasons, wild honey ref|term4. Yams, legumes, beans, peanuts, hibiscus, amaranth, and gourds are consumed ref|term2. 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 ref|term3.

Trade

Trading does exist between the Bantu villagers and the Bambuti. The Bantu villagers produce many items that the hunter gatherers trade some of their products for. The village goods include iron goods, pots, wooden goods, and basketry ref|term1. The hunter gatherers can trade meat, animal hides, and other forest foods in exchange ref|term1. Meat is a particularly frequently traded item. They can also trade to obtain agricultural products from the villagers. In market exchanges, prices are usually arbitrary, and people usually try to bargain for prices or trade one good for another ref|term3.

Labor

Hunting is usually done in groups, with men, women, and children all aiding in the process. Women and children are not involved if the hunting involves the use of a bow and arrow, but if nets are used, it is common for everyone to participate. In some instances women may hunt using a net more often than men. The women and the children try to herd the animals to the net, while the men guard the net. Everyone engages in foraging, and women and men both take care of the children. Women are in charge of cooking, cleaning and repairing the hut, and obtaining water. The kin-based units work together to provide food and care for the young. It is easier for men to lift the women up into the trees for honey.

Kinship and descent system

The Bambuti tend to follow a patrilineal descent system, and their residences after marriage are patrilocal. However, the system is rather loose. The only type of group seen amongst the Bambuti is the nuclear family ref|term3. Kinship also provides allies for each group of people.

Marriage customs

Sister exchange is the common form of marriage ref|term3. Based on reciprocal exchange, men from other bands exchange sisters or other females to which they have ties ref|term3. In Bambuti society, bride wealth is not customary. There is no formal marriage ceremony: a couple are considered officially married when the groom presents his bride's parents with an antelope he alone has hunted and killed. Polygamy does occur, but at different rates depending on the group, and it is not very common.

Political structure

There is no ruling group or lineage, and no overlying political organization. The Bambuti are an egalitarian society in which the band is the highest form of social organization ref|term3. An instance in which leadership may be displayed is on hunting treks ref|term3. Men and women basically have equal power. Fire camps are where issues in the community and decisions are made by consensus, in which men and women engage in the conversations equivalently ref|term3. There is not much political or social structure among the Bambuti. If there is a disagreement, misdemeanor, or offense, then the person may be banished, beaten, or scorned ref|term3.

Religion

"See Bambuti mythology."

Everything in the Bambuti life is centered on the forest. They consider the forest to be their great protector and provider and believe that it is a sacred place. They sometimes call the forest “mother” or “father.” An important ritual that impacts the Bambuti's life is referred to as "molimo". After events such as death of an important person in the tribe, the molimo ritual is noisily celebrated to wake the forest up in the belief that if bad things are happening to its children, it must be asleep. ref|term4. The time it takes to complete a molimo, as for many Bambuti rituals, is not rigidly set; instead, it is determined by the mood of the group. Food is collected from each hut to feed the molimo, and in the evening the ritual is accompanied by the men dancing and singing around the fire. Women and children must remain in their huts with the doors closed. These practices were studied thoroughly by British anthropologist Colin Turnbull, known primarily for his work with the tribe.

Molimo is also the name of a trumpet the men play during the ritual. Traditionally, it was made of wood or sometimes bamboo, but Turnbull also reported the use of metal drainpipes. When not in use, the trumpet is stored in the trees of the forest. During a celebration, the trumpet is retrieved by the youth of the village and carried back to the fire. ref|term4.

Major challenges today

Unfortunately, the land that the Bambuti live on is threatened for various reasons. It is not protected by the law, and the boundaries that each band claims are not distinctly marked out. They are no longer allowed to hunt large game, so they have to trade with nearby Bantu villages. Due to deforestation, gold mining, and modern influences, from plantations, agriculturalists, and efforts to conserve the forests, their food supply is threatened. There is also a significant amount of civil unrest in the country.

In 2003, Sinafasi Makelo, a representative of Mbuti Pygmies, told the UN's Indigenous People's Forum that during the Congo Civil War, his people were hunted down and eaten as though they were game animals. Both sides of the war regarded them as "subhuman" and some say their flesh can confer magical powers. Makelo asked the UN Security Council to recognise cannibalism as a crime against humanity and an act of genocide. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3869489.stm DR Congo pygmies 'exterminated'] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2933524.stm DR Congo Pygmies appeal to UN] ]

See also

*Twa (Batwa) people

Notes

1 cite book | author= Mukenge, Tshilemalea | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo | year=2002 | location=Westport, Connecticut | publisher=Greenwood Press
2 cite book| author =Turnbull, Colin M. | title = The Forest People | year =1968 | publisher = New York, Simon and Schuster, Inc
3 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
4 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
5 cite book | author= Ehret, Christopher | title=The Civilizations of Africa | year=1998 | location=Charlottesville | publisher=University Press of Virginia
6 cite book | author= Ehret | title=The Civilizations of Africa
7 cite book | author= King, Glenn | title=Traditional Cultures | year=2002 | location=Prospect Heights, Illinois | publisher=Waveland Press
8 cite book | author= King | title=Traditional Cultures
9 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
10 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
11 cite book | author= King | title=Traditional Cultures
12 cite book | author= King | title=Traditional Cultures
13 cite book| author= Turnbull | title=The Forest People
14 cite book | author= King | title=Traditional Cultures
15 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
16 cite book | author= Ehret | title=The Civilizations of Africa
17 cite book | author= Ehret | title=The Civilizations of Africa
18 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
19 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
20 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
21 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
22 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
23 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
24 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
25 cite book | author= Mukenge | title=Culture and Customs of the Congo
26 cite book| author= Turnbull | title=The Forest People
27 cite book| author= Turnbull | title=The Forest People
28 cite book| author= Day, Thomas | title=The Largest Expanse | year 2005 | location=Sydney,New South Wales (Australia) | Publisher: The Technics University Of Australia

References

External links

* [http://www.ucc.uconn.edu/~epsadm03/mbuti.html The Mbuti of Zaire] , uconn.edu
* Stephanie McCrummen, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/11/AR2006111100923.html "Lured Toward Modern Life, Pygmy Families Left in Limbo"] , "The Washington Post", 12 November 2006
* [http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=1046 'Erasing the Board'] Report of the international research mission into crimes under international law committed against the Bambuti Pygmies in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; Minority Rights Group International, July 2004


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mbuti — Población total 30 a 40.000 Idioma idioma bambuti, balese, bira, mangbetu Religión …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mbuti — Mbuti,   Bambuti, Gruppe der Ostpygmäen (Pygmäen) im Iturigebiet im Nordosten der Demokratischen Republik Kongo. Die etwa 50 000 Mbuti werden nach ihrer Sprachzugehörigkeit unterteilt in Aka, Efe und Sua; die Aka leben mit negriden Pflanzern… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Mbuti — Pygmées de l Ituri (N. E. de la rép. dém. du Congo); leur nombre est difficile à évaluer (entre 10 000 et 60 000 personnes). Ils parlent des langues bantoues et des langues nilo sahariennes du groupe soudanais central (sous groupes mangbetu et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • mbuti — emˈbüd.ē noun (plural mbuti or mbutis) Usage: usually capitalized 1. a. : a nomadic negroid Pygmy people of the western border of Uganda and adjacent areas to the south and west with reddish yellow skin compare twa b …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mbuti people — Mbuti or Bambuti are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the me awesome region of Africa. Their black people are pygmes.to the Central Sudanic (subgroup of the Nilo Saharan phylum) and also to Bantu languages. Mbuti Total population 30,000… …   Wikipedia

  • Mbuti mythology — Mbuti (Bambuti) mythology is the mythology of the African Mbuti (also known as Bambuti) Pygmies of Congo. The most important god of the Bambuti pantheon is Khonvoum (also Khonuum, Kmvoum, Chorum), a god of the hunt who wields a bow made from two… …   Wikipedia

  • Mbuti — [(ə)m bu:ti] noun (plural same or Mbutis) a member of a Pygmy people of western Uganda and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire). Origin the name in local languages …   English new terms dictionary

  • mbuti — mbu·ti …   English syllables

  • PYGMÉES — On ne connaît pas le nombre de Pygmées qui vivent dans la forêt équatoriale africaine, de l’océan Atlantique aux Grands Lacs; les estimations oscillent entre 150 000 et 200 000 (150 000 au Zaïre, les avait on évalués en 1971). À l’ouest, on les… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Pygmy peoples — This article is about modern ethnic groups. For other uses, see Pygmy (disambiguation). African pygmies and a European explorer …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”