06 février 2007
Mbuti
Epulu is also home to many pygmies. Let me talk here about the Mbuti - the pygmies of Ituri.
The Mbuti are the the smallest of pygmies - about 140 cms tall. Pygmies are smaller because in their early teens, they do not experience the growth spurt normal in most other humans. This is an environmental adaptation; smaller bodies have evolved independently in non-human species in response to isolation on small islands or forests environments. By natural selection, the environments in which the ancestror to pygmies lived favored decreased body size over many generations, and today they dominate the gene pool.
The Mbuti population totals about 30,000 to 40,000 people. They are one of the oldest inhabitants of the area. They are composed of bands which are relatively small in size, ranging from 15 to 60 people. They are three distinct cultures, each with their own dialect.
The Mbuti sustain themselves by hunting and gathering in the forest. They escape many influences and pressures from the national government by living a traditional way of life in the forest. But the civil war and violation of human rights has affected the lives of many of the Mbuti. Some of the hunter-gatherers have chosen to move into modren-day villages instead of retaining their customary Mbuti life.
The Mbuti live in villages that are categorised as bands. Each hut houses a family unit. At the start of the rainy season, they live the village to enter the forest and set up a series of camp. This way the Mbuti are able to utilize more land area for a maximum foraging. These villages are solitary and separated from other groups of people. Their houses are small, circular and very temporary. 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 to keep them together. Leaves are also used in the construction of the huts.
Hunting is usually done in groups. Women and children are not involved if the hunting involves the use of a bow and a arrow, but if nets are used , it is common for everyone to participate. The women and children try to herd the anmals to the net while the men guard the net.
The Mbuti descent tend to be patrilineal. Sister exchange is the common form of mariage. Based on reciprocal exchange, men from other bands exchange sisters or other women to which they have ties. In Mbuti society, bride wealth is not customary. There is no formal mariage ceremony: a couple are considered married when they begin sharing a household. Polygamy does occur but it is not very common.
If there are disputes or wrongdoing from an individual, the Mbuti usually take matters to their own hands by either banishing, or beating. There is no ruling group or lineage, and no overlying political organisation. The Mbuti are an egalitarian society in which the band is the highest form of social organisation.
Everything in the Mbuti life is centered on the forest because that is what sustain them and they believe it is a sacred place. They sometimes call the forest "mother" or "father". Death is noisily celebrated to wake the forest up, in the belief that if bad things are happening to its children, it must be asleep.
More infos on pygmies in Ituri and photos of pygmies.
