The Forest People

As others have noted, Colin Turnbull's book expresses all of the positives of the time he spent with the BaMbuti of Congo, known to most of us as pygmies. The BaMbuti are one of the oldest indigenous peoples, living my hunter-gathering deep in the forest, who refer to themselves as people of the forest. Turnbull made an initial visit in 1951 before returning to the USA and studying anthropology. He returned later to spend a considerable amount of time with them, publishing this book in 1961.

The book in general describes the BaMbuti way of life, their culture and their understanding (or lack thereof) of the wider world. In most detail, it examines the interrelationship of the BaMbuti with the African villagers - who are really farmers. This is a particularly interesting aspect, as Turnbull is able to explain the relationship from each side and how far these differ, while it still remains mutually beneficial. The individual villagers form a bond with an individual pygmy, and thereafter consider them almost their property.

The villagers are terrified of the forest, and will seldom venture into it, and never go far in. This is heavily influenced by their spiritual beliefs. They adopt the pygmies, treating them almost as servants, and they rely on them to hunt and bring them meat from the forest. In return the villagers provide them with farmed produce. The villagers also manage a lot of rituals and ceremonies (such as funerals and weddings, coming of age for male and female, etc) which the pygmies mostly put up with, rather than fully participate in.

For the BaMbuti, they engage in the minimum amount of contact they can in order to still gain maximum benefit of the gifts they receive. Through trickery and deception, they allow the villagers to believe they are controlling more than they do. They use the forest as a natural barrier and happily disappear off when they have had enough. They also readily agree to certain aspects or rules that the villagers' ceremonies require of them, but continue their own way of life unhindered, just making sure the villagers don't find out!

The other aspect Turnbull covers, due to his background in music, is the study of their traditional song and music. An important aspect of this is the molimo which takes on a mythological aspect. I'm not sure if I missed an early explanation, or if Turnbull wrote cleverly, discussing the Molimo, it's appearance and sounds and how they effect forest life without explaining exactly what is is until some 80 pages in, but I found it intriguing. Wikipedia on BaMbuti will quickly explain what it is or the spoiler here: traditionally a wooden trumpet, but sometimes now a metal pipe, kept secret from the women of the tribe and controlled by young men of the camp who are charged with looking after it. It makes a haunting sort of a sound which echoes around the dense forest.

Other reviewers have mentioned the ‘rose-tinted-glasses' view from Turnbull, and that is hard to refute. He explains the power within the tribe and general activities being shared between male and female, but this doesn't really stand up to the descriptions he makes of their life. Women are the harder workers, while men undertake the majority of the hunting. It is however a cooperative rule, rather than being hierarchical in the normal sense - there are no chiefs. The wisdom of the elders is respected, but still weighed by the group. Arguments are frequent, but there simple pathways for reconciliation which generally happens quickly.

There was a great quote on P88 of my edition. Turnbull sat quietly reflecting with an elder, as they were planning an important hunt.

Moke turning back to his bow and began whittling again.‘You will soon see things of which you have never heard, and which you have never seen. Then you will understand things which I can never tell you. But you must stay awake - you may only see them once.'