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The Forest Dwellers | The Big Man | Nigeria | The Nations of Africa
The
Forest Dwellers
A growing number of Africans are moving to cities, but some people continue to maintain the lifetyle and customs of their ancestors. The Mbuti live in the Ituri forest in northeastern Congo/Zaire. Outsiders have called them pygmies, a Greek word meaning dwarf, because adult Mbuti are only 4½ feet tall.
The Mbuti are nomads. They travel through the forest making a new camp every few weeks. The men hunt with spears, small arrows, and nets, with which they hunt antelope and other small ammals. Women gather fruits, berries, and roots.
Their way of life is threatened. Less than 80,000 remain. The forest is be
ing cut down as Africa becomes more urban and roads are built through the forest. Governments have tried to teach the Mbuti modern farming, but they have had little success. Most Mbuti have no interest in leaving the forest, but many people are concerned with what will happen to the Mbuti if the forest no longer exists.
What happens when a hunter-gatherer sees a modern road for the first time? Listen to Mr. Dowling in "The Day Vinnie Got Eaten By a Toyota."
Listen to the music of the Mbuti
The
Land |
Deserts
and the Sahel
| A
Continent in Crisis
| Ethnic
Rivalries
The
Forest Dwellers |
The
Big Man |
Nigeria
|
The Nations of Africa
To cite this page:
Dowling, Mike, "The Electronic Passport Homework to the Mbuti," available from http://www.mrdowling.com/611-mbuti.html; Internet; updated Tuesday, April 30, 2002 .
©2008, Mike Dowling. All rights reserved.