Observations of the BaMbuti Pygmies

The Bambuti Pygmies were a tribe in Africa who live in the Ituri Forest for many years. They were characterized because of their singing, dancing and rituals, they were called “the people of the trees” because of this. Before more studies were done, they were referred to as “subhuman monsters” or even “creatures flying the treetops”. Colin Turnbull was a famous British-American anthropologist who studied many different tribes and cultures especially in Africa. He became extremely attracted to the Bambuti Pygmies as he continued studying their culture and society as one of the oldest indigenous ones in Africa. They started out as solitary individuals who traveled in small groups, these later evolved into four cultures: the Efe, the Aka, the Sua and the MBUTI. The Mbuti tribes were famous for being independent and variety of goods and food. These people were also distinguished because of their harsh and strict rules. Traditions were very important for these people; the major beliefs were the unity of families. The families’ houses were temporary because of their nomad life since they were hunters and gatherers. They usually migrated to the rainforests in dry seasons. In one of Colin’s expeditions in these tribes, one of the translators was amazed when he saw bulls running towards him and perceived their change in size; the translator was tricked by what is called now an optical illusion. Colin made many small discoveries like this one that shaped others perception; these pygmies had such a small knowledge that they considered optical illusion as magic. Colin’s discoveries of perception shaped what they later learned and what we know now.