- Bapounou
The Bapounou (or Pounou) are one of the four major peoples of
Gabon , inhabiting interior mountain and grassland areas in the southwest of the country, around the upper N'Gounié andNyanga River s. Bapounou also live in theDivenie ,Kibangou , andMossendjo districts of theRepublic of the Congo . They are linguistically related to theEshira .Bapounou traditions record a migration from the south sometime before the 19th century, as a result of wars somewhere between the Congo and
Niari River . In the 19th century they gatheredrubber , and participated in the slave trade, sending both their own and acquisitions from further inland toLoango andFernan Vaz . In the present day, the Bapounou are noted for their cloth made of palm fiber, and foriron weaponry.The Bapounou were once called Bayaka by others, but they themselves consider this a pejorative.
References
*
David E. Gardinier , "Historical Dictionary of Gabon", 2nd ed. (The Scarecrow Press, 1994) p. 59External links
* [http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/oldworld/africa/bapounou.html Page on the Bapounou]
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