Entry Sixteen

Chapter 15

Far from being “liberated” by the villagers, the Pygmies feel that in the model plantations they would be in great danger. In the forest they know they are safe, because the forest is theirs. Once out in the open, however, they are subject to all the evil influences of the villagers, particularly witchcraft. This reflects the Pygmy conception of the forest and their adaptation to the forest. Being in the forest is good; being out of it is not.

To claim a honey tree as their own, the pygmies tie a vine around the tree, and all Pygmies respect that symbol. To keep the villagers away from the honey trees, the Pygmies tell villagers stories about the “dreadful and dangerous” spirits they have to fight to get the honey. So “naturally enough, then, it is a time when the villagers prefer to leave the Pygmies, and the forest, well alone.” This reflects the conceptions of the villagers, who understand the forest as a scary place full of spirits. These conceptions have dictated how the villagers live to the point where they do not get honey because they are afraid.

Expression

The Pygmies dancing and acting out the honey gatherers and the bees shows their expression.

When Kenge dances alone, he tells Colin “I am not dancing alone… I am dancing with the forest, dancing with the moon…” he continues his dance of love and life… This shows the how much the Pygmy’s lives are centered around the forest.

Brief Paragraph:

This chapter is best analyzed using Evolutionary Anthropological theory. Evolutionary Anthropology focuses on the development of single, primitive cultures into complex, modern ones. On an Evolutionary Anthropological scale, the villagers would be considered more “developed” in comparison to the Pygmies, who are a hunter-gatherer tribal group. As pointed out in this chapter, the Pygmies would not survive if put into another adaptation. Their lives are centered around the forest, and to take them out of the forest would not be wise biologically or in terms of their worldview.