MBUTI

Mbuti of Central Africa

Abstract

In this study, we try to explore the concept of Mbuti of Central Africa in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on Mbuti of Central Africa and its relation with primary modes of subsistence. These nomads of Africa hold a long nomadic history, and they have subsisted along as foragers, horticulturalists and pastoralists. These subsistence modes are reflected in the Mbuti's culture, in economical, social and political forms.

Table of Contents

Abstract2

Introduction4

Discussion and Analysis5

Polity8

Birth, Marriage, and Death8

Rituals and Religion9

Current Trends and the Future of the Mbuti10

Horticulturalist10

Pastoralism11

Industrialist12

Kinship and Social Organization12

Political Organization13

Gender Relations13

Conclusion14

References15

Mbuti of Central Africa

Introduction

The Mbuti are Nomadic groups of hunters and gatherers who live in small, temporary camps in the southern and central parts of the dense Ituri rain forest in Zaire, central Africa. They frequently move camp to reap the benefit of new areas of the forest nearby. Today, they have also established reciprocal relations hips with settled African peoples in villages close to the forest. Their population is estimated at 20,000 to 50,000, scattered all over the vast forest. They have been celebrated worldwide in books, films, sculptures, and drawings both for their durability and for their physique.

The average Mbuti adult is often no more than four feet, six inches tall. Some call them Pygmies. They call themselves Bambuti (the Mburi people). The term “Pygmy” often carries negative connotations, as if the relative shortness of a group of people were a disability. The Mbuti are normal human beings. Perhaps because of constant ridicule from their much taller neighbors, the Mbuti have grown acutely sensitive to slights. It is said that in the past when an Mbuti met a non-Mbuti along the way, he would ask when the other first saw him. If the non-Mbuti confessed having just seen him, the Mbuti would feel insulted and might even fight: The non-Mbuti was implying that the Mbuti are so short that they can be seen only at close range. If, on the other hand, the non- Mbuti claimed to have sighted him from afar, the Mbuti would be friendly and pleasant.

Discussion and Analysis

Western scientists have for years speculated on why the Mbuti are so short in stature. The explanations suggested include scarcity of highly nourishing food; a genetic condition attributed to inbreeding, natural selection, and adaptation to the forest environment; a growth-hormone deficiency, and the inadequacy of a substance identified as crucial to growth in human beings. As nomads, the Mbuti have seen no need for more lasting and comfortable homes. They generally move almost every month, adapting them easily to a location nearby. The traditional garment of the Mbuti is a narrow strip of bark cloth worn like a G-string by both men and women, old and young. The rest of the body is uncovered. This style is of course dictated by the environment. The Mbuti live in a hot, humid tropical forest. Most Mburi go barefooted. Shoes are too noisy when game is being stalked. A barefooted hunter stepping on dry leaves makes ...