[Lifestyle] Pygmies do not give up their ancient lifestyle in Africa

[MosterOfficial ☆]

 

The Pygmies, a group of hunter and gatherer people who live in the forest areas of Central and West Africa near the Atlantic Ocean and are known for their short stature, maintain their age-old habits of life despite advances in technology. Europeans gave the name "pygme" to this group of people based on the Greek word "πυγμή" which means fist. Thus they made reference to the fact that these individuals were "the size of a fist", as they measured an average of 120 centimeters in height. It is believed that there are currently approximately 120,000 pygmies. Most of them live in the forested areas of Cameroon, near the Atlantic Ocean. Small pygmy groups also exist in Rwanda, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Gabon and Angola. They continue their 5,000-year-old hunting culture Pygmy-inhabited rainforests are rapidly being depleted due to timber production and mining. The habitats of pygmies, who are not allowed to live in forests that have been transformed into national parks, are getting smaller and smaller. Apart from this, the integration efforts of the Government of Cameroon for the Pygmies to settle into a stable life are not successful. Pygmies, who do not like to communicate with foreigners and have photos taken of them, lead a different lifestyle than the settled peoples of the African continent. Many pygmies, still living like ancient people, spend most of their time hunting deep in the forests and gathering fruits and herbs. Because they do not use money, Pygmies exchange the products they hunt and gather with other communities to meet their needs. These groups of people travel frequently to find prey, making arrows and spears out of wood and stone, and using machetes to kill monkeys, antelopes, gazelles, and elephants. Wild fruit trees are the main food source for pygmies. They consume fruits such as wild plum, wild mango, and hazelnuts daily.

 

 

They also use the forest as a pharmacy

 

I was born in this forest and I want to die here. This forest gives us everything we need," said Aboumyem Amoura, the oldest member of the Pygmy Amoura family, who lives in the forest region of Bikuitsi-Njule. Pygmies, who cannot benefit from any social services in the places where they live, especially health, because they are not accepted as citizens. They use the leaves, bark, and wild plants of forest trees as medicines. Syrup made from the leaves of the Moringa tree (called the miracle tree), commonly found in the rainforests where pygmies live, is used to treat high blood pressure. The pygmies use the cream they produce from the Nlouer plant against poisoning, they use the syrup obtained by boiling the bark of the Abda Zoak tree (elephant tree) in the treatment of stomach disorders and ailments experienced by women during pregnancy . For the treatment of bone and joint pain, pygmies warm the bark of the Azobe tree and apply it by massaging the problem area.

 

They live in wooden houses of the Nzon and Mbunde tree

 

Pygmies live in houses that they build from the branches and broad leaves of the Nzon and Mbunde tree, which are often found in the forest. These individuals migrate frequently and build their temporary houses in about an hour. This group of people spend their days hunting and gathering wild fruits, gather around the fire that they light at night, chat, listen to the advice of their elders and dance.

 

 

They believe in life after death

 

Pygmies, who generally maintain their belief in animism, believe that everything in nature has a spirit and a material existence, and they believe that every object is controlled by a spirit. These people hide their dead in boats or caves, since they believe in an afterlife and believe that the spirits of their ancestors live everywhere. However, it is possible to find Muslims and Christians among the Pygmies who have come into contact with sedentary life in recent years.

 

Lifestyle