BaMbuti
A group of Mbuti, with explorer Osa Johnson, in 1930
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (30,000-50,000?) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Languages | |
| Efe, Asoa, Kango | |
| Religion | |
| Bambuti mythology | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Pygmies (generally assumed) |
Mbuti or Bambuti are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa. Their languages are Central Sudanic languages (a family of the Nilo-Saharan phylum) and Bantu languages.
The Mbuti population lives in the Ituri Forest, a tropical rainforest covering about 70,000 km2 of the north/northeast portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bambuti are pygmy hunter-gatherers, and are one of the oldest indigenous people of the Congo region of Africa. The Bambuti are composed of bands which are relatively small in size, ranging from 15 to 60 people. The Bambuti population totals about 30,000 to 40,000 people. There are four distinct cultures within the Bambuti. These are
The term BaMbuti (Mbuti) is therefore confusing, as it has been used to refer to all the pygmy peoples in the Ituri region in general, as well as to a single subgroup in the center of the Ituri forest.
Around 2500 BCE, the Ancient Egyptians made reference to a "people of the trees" that could have been the Mbuti.
Haplogroup E-M200 has been found in 25% (3/12) of a small sample of Mbuti from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Haplogroup B-P7 has been observed most frequently in samples of some populations of pygmies 21% (10/47) Mbuti from Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The forest of Ituri is a tropical rainforest. In this area, there is a high amount of rainfall annually, ranging from 50 to 70 inches (127 cm to 178 cm). The rainforest covers 70,000 square kilometers.The Mbuti population lives in the Ituri Forest, a tropical rainforest covering about 70,000 km2 of the north/northeast portion of the Congo. The dry season is relatively short, ranging from one to two months in duration. The forest is a moist, humid region strewn with rivers and lakes. Several ecological problems exist which affect the Bambuti. Disease is prevalent in the forests and can spread quickly, killing not only humans, but plants, and animals, the major source of food, as well. One disease, carried by tsetse flies, is sleeping sickness, which limits the use of large mammals. Too much rainfall, as well as droughts, can greatly diminish the food supply.
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