Entry Five

Chapter 4

“It was the first time I had known a group of Pygmies to be so silent”. This and other aspects of the Molimo festival reflect not only an expression, but also a conception of what is to be done during that festival. It expresses something abstract and creative. Though it originated as a practical measure (because the molimo was made of wood), giving the molimo “a drink” has become a form of expression, as it is something that is done repeatedly. The molimo festival itself contains a tremendous amount of expression -- the music, the singing and the dancing, the charade of the women acting as if the molimo is an animal, the men not being allowed to fall asleep, and the repetition of it all. It is an expression, but there is an actual meaning behind it as well. For the Pygmies the molimo is called when bad things happen, in order to restore events to how they should be.

                This chapter explained much about the worldview of the BaMbuti. The first glimpse we see into the world of the BaMbuti is the significance of music in their lives. Music for them is an expression that carries over into almost every situation. We see it most clearly in the Pygmy legend of the “Bird with the Most Beautiful Song.” In this legend, a father tired of feeding his bird kills it, and the bird rejoins “he killed the Song, and with the Song he killed himself and he dropped dead, completely dead, dead for ever” (82). This legend illustrates the value that the BaMbuti have for song, to the point that someone who kills the Most Beautiful Song kills himself. This legend is more than just an expression; it is a conduit of meaning and a meaning in itself.

                That is why the molimo is so important. It is a song of meaning to the Forest, to wake it up and restore the good again. The entire lives of the BaMbuti take place in the forest, therefore all of their perceptions are of the forest.  Meaning is interpreted in the context of the forest as the provider of life and everything. The molimo is crucial because to the BMbuti, it is the means of communing with the giver of life.

Brief Paragraph:

I believe the Symbolic Anthropology of Geertz is relevant to analyze the Pygmies in this chapter. Though back in Blog 1 I did not think that I would use Symbolic Anthropology, I believe that in this chapter it could be a tool for fuller understanding of the Pygmies culture and meaning. Symbolic Anthropology posits that each cultural element is a layered web which both reflects and creates meaning. Using this method to analyze every element of the Pygmies’ culture would lead to an exhaustive amount of analysis that is not necessary, but using it to analyze the Pygmy value for music and the molimo leads to greater understanding of what music is to and to how the Pygmies reflect and create meaning.