in the African Rainforest
(Baka Pygmies of Cameroon,Photos, texts and audio recordings
Gabon and Congo)
by Luis Devin
Soundscape: tropical rainforest sounds (Central Africa).
|2. Termite gathering: young Baka boy|
piercing a big termite nest with a spear,
after having smoked it with burnt twigs.
Food gathering in the rainforest is one of the most important activities for the survival of the group. The products gathered (wild yam and fruit, mushrooms, etc.) are basically vegetables, but in some seasons of the year it is also possible to find small animals, such as termites and caterpillars.
Carried in baskets and panniers, the products come to the camp, where they are shared by the families according to principles of reciprocity and mutual assistance. Here the food is eaten at once or within a few days from the gathering, for it cannot be preserved for a long time.
|4. Boy with termite larvae|
gathered on large leaves
of Marantaceae plants.
|5. Women returning|
from the gathering
of mushrooms, seeds
and other forest products.
Music anthropologist and writer, he has carried out field research in central Africa, where he lived with the Baka Pygmies and other forest peoples, whose music, rituals and survival strategies he has been studying for more than a decade.www.luisdevin.comwww.facebook.com/LuisDevin
HOME SECTION INDEX BACKBaka Pygmy food gathering, with photos and ethnographic notes (Baka Pygmies of Cameroon, Gabon and Congo).
Photos, texts and audio recordings by Luis Devin.
Page URL: http://www.pygmies.org/baka/food-gathering.php
Photos, videos and sounds are available for licensing, both for multimedia use and paper publications. For the terms and conditions, contact the author from the Contact page
The time in the tropical rainforests of the Western Congo Basin, where the Baka Pygmy people live, is 16:55. Every minute, at least 25 hectares (250.000 m²) of forest are destroyed around the world (source: WWF).Go to the Baka Pygmies section index
Copyright © 1998-2016 Luis Devin. All rights reserved.