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The Bambuti
• The Bambuti people group live in The Democratic Republic Congo (formerly Zaire).
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Origins and Populations
• There are approximately 20,000 Bambuti pygmies dwelling in the Ituri Forest.
• The Bambuti have lived in the Ituri Forest and the Central African rainforests for over 6,000 years.
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The Ituri Forest
• The Ituri forest is sacred and is the core element of traditional Bambuti life.
• The forest is sometimes referred to as their “mother”.
• A source of food, clothing, and shelter
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History of the Bambuti
• The earliest recorded reference to the Bambuti is in the story of an expedition by Egyptians around 2500 B.C.
• Were referred to as the “People of the Trees” by the Egyptians.
• Were considered mythical creatures until the 1800s.
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History of the Bambuti
Henry Morton Stanley
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A Little Bit About the Bambuti…
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=cix0w7NIt24&NR=1 (2:29 – 4:18)
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Lifecycle: Family Size
• Individual households are called “endu” and consist of a husband, a wife, and their children.
• Families live in bands of approximately 50 people.
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Lifecycle: Birth and Life Expectancy
• According to a study that took place in 2007, the life expectancy of an Mbuti infant at birth is only 15-16 years.
• - Even when an Mbuti ages past 15, their life expectancy is still only 35.
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Lifecycle: Birth and Life Expectancy
• Communality and interdependence are learned as children.
• Children refer to the women of their village as “Ema”.
• Children are nursed long after they can walk and talk and are often swapped with children of sisters and close friends.
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Lifecycle: Betrothal and Marriage
• Marriage takes place shortly after puberty begins.• Mutual affection can play a part in marriage but
betrothal is mainly via family members.• Divorce is common. • A typical marriage is monogamous because the
number of women is less compared to the number of men.
• There is no formal bridal ceremony or bride prize.
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Lifecycle: Death
• At the death of an individual, the Molimo ritual is carried out.
• The dead are buried in huts and are abandoned when the village moves to another area.
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Household: Food
• The Bambuti diet depends on the rain, which determines hunting and gardening productivity.
• Typical crops: Rice, cassava, and sweet potatoes• The pangolin is a delicacy.
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Household: Language
• Due to the process of aculturization, the Bambuti have lost their original language and have acquired the Bantu dialect.
• Lese: Spoken by the Efe• Bila: Dialect influenced by the Bantu
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Gender and Labor Roles
• Men and women share roles as gatherers of vegetation and hunting, except for hunting with bows and arrows.
• Men are responsible for hunting as well as making the traditional cloth.
• Women are responsible for building and maintaining the huts, cooking, cleaning, fetching water, and caring for the children.
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Beliefs, Taboos, and Superstitions
• The Ituri Forest • The giant forest hog• Food taboos• Blood
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Customs and Rituals
• Molimo Ceremony – The most important ritual in the Bambuti life
• Nkumbi Ritual – Rite of passage for boys• Elima Ceremony – Ritual for women• Anjo Ritual – Ritual performed to control the
weather and to improve hunting
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Material Culture: Styles of Dress
• Men wear loincloths. • Traditional cloth is made from the inner bark of
vines.• Western influence has increased the use of
manufactured fabrics.
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Material Culture: Styles of Dress
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Material Culture: Dwellings
• The Bambuti live in villages of small round huts called “phrynium huts” made from pliable saplings covered in large phrynium leaves.
• The dwellings are abandoned when the village moves on in search of more abundant game and vegetation.
• Each new village has easy access to a Bantu village for trading purposes.
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Material Culture: Dwellings
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Transportation
• The Mbuti travel on foot as the paths and roads are not fit for motor vehicles.
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Hunting and Cultivation
The Bambuti are hunters…
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Hunting and Cultivation
…and gatherers.
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Hunting and Cultivation
• Hunting only occurs when meat is needed for consumption or for trade with the Bantu.
• Hunting is done with bows and arrows and fishing is done with nets.
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Politics: Governance
• The Bambuti live cooperatively and have no central figure of authority.
• Decisions are made by a group of elders.• Decisions are argued over until a resolution is
achieved.
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Politics: Conflict and Warfare
• The Bambuti are a peaceful people and prefer to avoid conflict.
• Involved in the occupation of Epulu by Jean-Pierre Bemba and his rebels, “Les Effaceurs” after Mobutu’s reign.
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Economics: Income and Trading
• Traditionally have sought to live a life free of creating goods for profit as they believe the forest supplies their needs.
• Trading takes place with neighboring villages.• Honey and are meat traded in exchange for
vegetation.• Meat from the giant forest hog is favored for
trading.
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Supernatural Beliefs
• The Bambuti believe in a greater power which they acknowledge and see around them.
• Five interchangeable terms for this force: pepo, keti, boru, roho, and satani
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Supernatural: Afterlife
• Though there are beliefs of disembodied spirits, there is no certain belief in the afterlife.
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Supernatural: Spirits
• Muungu: The highest of the forest deities; giver of wealth and goodness
• Belief in totemic spirits or sitana – Represent the group’s unity
• Nyama Ya Mai – Water spirit; responsible for water accidents
• Belief that disembodied spirits dwell in the forest
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Religious Ritual: Prayer and Offerings
• The Mbuti worship the Ituri Forest, pray to the forest, and give thanks for its protection and its provision.
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Reverence and Honor
• The Bambuti hold deep reverence for nature, especially the forest that they dwell in.
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The Church Among the Bambuti
• Though attempts have been made to minister to the Bambuti, little conversion has been accomplished
• There has been no Bible translations made in the Bambuti languages.
• Scripture distribution is difficult due to the impenetrable nature of the forest.
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How to Pray
• That Jesus would reveal Himself in a bold way to the Bambuti
• That there would be healing and forgiveness for the deep wounds that have been made to the Bambuti people
• That the Lord would make a way for Scripture to be distributed
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Sources
http://www.ucc.uconn.edu/~epsadm03/mbuti.html
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Brazil-to-Congo-Republic-of/Efe-and-Mbuti.html
http://www.helium.com/items/1666258-the-history-of-the-bambuti
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/extermination--of-the-pygmies-6166051.html
http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/democractic-republic-congo/mbuti-zaire
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Okapi_Faunal_Reserve,_Democratic_Republic_of_Congo
http://www.komonews.com/news/national/97733989.html
http://stirling.kent.ac.uk/sac/fw47/Comparative%20analysis.html
http://roadsandkingdoms.com/2012/mbuti/
http://ishk.com/forest_people.pdf
http://www.halfmoonbaymemories.com/?p=7509
http://www.worldmissioncentre.com/MBUTI.html