Pygmies are a dwarf tribe, Africa. The smallest people in the world Who are the pygmies and where do they live

Pygmies are first mentioned in ancient Egyptian inscriptions from the 3rd millennium BC. NS. at a later time - in ancient Greek sources. In the XVI-XVII centuries. they are referred to as "matimba" in descriptions left by researchers in West Africa. In the 19th century, their existence was confirmed by the German explorer G. Schweinfurt, the Russian explorer V.V. Juncker and others who discovered these tribes in the rainforests of the Ituri and Uzle river basins. In 1929-1930. expedition P. Shebest described the pygmies bambuti, in 1934-1935 researcher M. Guzinde found the pygmies Efe and Basua.

Size and population

The total population of the pygmies is about 300 thousand people. ... Including in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda over 100 thousand people. Zaire - 70 thousand Congo - 25 thousand Cameroon - 15 thousand Gabon - 5 thousand They speak Bantu languages, the Ituri pygmies speak Ser-Mundu languages.

Pygmies make up the pygmy Negroid race, are distinguished by their short stature, yellowish skin tone, narrow lips, narrow and low nose. Before the settlement of the Bantu, the pygmies occupied the whole of Central Africa, then they were forced out into the area of ​​tropical forests. We were in strong isolation. We have preserved an archaic culture. They are engaged in hunting, gathering and fishing. The weapon is a bow with arrows, often poisoned, with an iron tip, sometimes a small spear. Traps and traps are widely used. Applied arts are well developed. They retain many features of the tribal structure, roam in groups of 2-4 families.

Occupation

Pygmies eat only what they find, catch or kill in the jungle. They are excellent hunters and their favorite meat is elephant, but more often they manage to catch not very large animals or fish. Pygmies have a special fishing technique. The method they use is based on the poisoning of fish with vegetable poisons. The fish falls asleep and floats to the surface, after which it can be collected simply by hand. Pygmies live in harmony with nature and take as much fish as they need. Unclaimed fish wakes up after half an hour without any damage.

Who are the pygmies PIGMIES are a people living in equatorial forests and migrating from camp to camp, depending on the season. Pygmies make up the pygmy negroid race, are distinguished by their short stature, yellowish skin tone, narrow lips, narrow and low nose. The average life span of pygmies is from 16 to 24 years, depending on the specific people, so evolution made sure that they quickly reach the state of an adult, albeit a short person, in order to have time to have children. It is believed that these are the most ancient inhabitants of the Congo Basin. According to the latest estimates, the number of pygmies in the world varies from 150 thousand to 300 thousand people. The vast majority of them live in Central African countries: Burundi, Gabon, DRC, Zaire, Cameroon, Congo, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda and CAR.

The first mentions of pygmies were made in ancient Egyptian records dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. Later, the ancient Greek historians Herodotus, Strabo, Homer wrote about the pygmies. The real existence of these African tribes was confirmed only in the 19th century by the German traveler Georg Schweinfurt. Russian researcher Vasily Juncker and others.

The growth of adult male pygmies is from 144-150 cm in height. Females are about 120 cm. They have short limbs, light brown skin, which serves as an excellent camouflage in the forest. The hair is dark, curly, the lips are thin.

Pygmies live in the forests. For them, the forest is the supreme deity, the source of everything necessary for survival. The traditional occupation for most pygmies is hunting and gathering. They hunt birds, elephants, antelopes and monkeys. Short bows and poisoned arrows are used for hunting. In addition to various meats, pygmies are very fond of honey from wild bees. In order to get to their favorite treat, they have to climb 45-meter trees, after which they use ash and smoke to disperse the bees. Women collect nuts, berries, mushrooms and roots.

Pygmies live in small groups, no less than 50 members. Each group has a special area for building huts. Marriages between members of different tribes are quite common here. Also, absolutely any member of the tribe, when he wishes, can freely leave and join another tribe. There are no formal leaders in the tribe. The questions and problems that have arisen are resolved by open negotiations.

The weapon is a spear, a small bow, arrows. Pygmies exchange iron for arrowheads from neighboring tribes. Various traps and traps are widely used.

Pygmies are the most famous dwarf tribes living in the forests of tropical Africa. The main areas of concentration of pygmies today: Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Cameroon and Gabon.

Mbutis a tribe of pygmies living in the Ituri forest in Zaire. Most scientists believe that they were most likely the first inhabitants of this region.

Tva a tribe of pygmies in equatorial Africa. They live both in the mountains and on the plains near Lake Kivu in Zaire, Burundi and Rwanda. They maintain close ties with neighboring cattle-breeding tribes, they know how to make pottery.

Tswa this large tribe lives near the swamp south of the Congo River. They, like the Twa tribe, live in cooperation with neighboring tribes, adopting their culture and language. Most of the Tswa are hunters or fishermen.

A group of peoples belonging to the Negrillic race, the indigenous population of tropical Africa. They speak the languages ​​of the Bantu, the Adamaua-Eastern group and the Shari-nil group. Many pygmies maintain a wandering lifestyle, an archaic culture, and traditional beliefs.

- in Greek mythology, a tribe of dwarfs, symbolizing the barbarian world. The name is associated with the small stature of the pygmies and symbolizes the distorted perception of the true ethnos. The Greeks determined the size of the pygmies from ant to monkey. According to various sources, this tribe lived on the southern periphery of the Oycumene - south of Egypt or in India. Herodotus attributed the habitat of the pygmies to the upper reaches of the Nile. Strabo listed pygmies along with large-headed, nest-eared, whiskers, noseless, one-eyed and hook-fingered half-dogs.

There was a legend that the pygmies gave rise to the fertile soil layer of the Egyptian river valleys, so they sometimes acted as a symbol of the fertility of the semi-fabulous lands of the south. To reap the ears, they armed themselves with axes, as if they were going to cut wood. Pliny the Elder argued that pygmies build their huts from mud mixed with feathers and eggshells, and Aristotle settled them in underground caves.

A characteristic motif of pygmy mythology is geranomachy. Legends said that pygmies fight cranes each year for three months, riding on rams, goats and partridges, trying to steal or break the eggs of birds. Moreover, the military campaigns, which took the pygmies three months a year, they made in the southern Russian steppes, where there were nesting cranes. Their enmity was explained by the legend about the transformation into a crane of a pygmy girl who opposed the tribe. The symbolism of geranomachy was found on vases, mosaics, Pompeian frescoes and gems.

Another symbolic motive associated with the pygmies was heraclomachia: myths tell that the pygmies tried to kill the sleeping hero, taking revenge on him for defeating their brother Antaeus. Hercules gathered the pygmies in the skin of the Nemean lion and took them to Eurystheus. Family relations with Antaeus were intended to emphasize the semiotic image of the pygmies, its astonic aspect. A popular technique in artistic creation was the reduction of pygmies and giants into a single storyline.

A Carthaginian deity was also called pygmy, whose head, carved from wood, was placed by the Carthaginians on military ships to intimidate enemies.

Pygmies in Africa

The word "pygmy" usually means something small. In anthropology, this refers to a member of any human group whose adult males do not exceed one and a half meters in height. But the basic concept of this word, as a rule, refers to the African tribes of the pygmies.

The growth of most African pygmies is from 1 m 22 cm to 1 m 42 cm in height. They have short limbs. The skin is reddish brown in color and serves as camouflage in the forest. The head is usually round and broad, with curly hair.

Most pygmies are traditional hunter-gatherers. They hunt antelopes, birds, elephants and monkeys. For this, small bows and poisoned arrows are used for hunting. The women usually pick berries, mushrooms, nuts and roots.

Pygmies live in small groups. Each tribe has at least fifty members. There is a territory for building huts for each group. But with the threat of disappearance of food, each tribe can occupy a different territory. Marriages between members of different tribes are common. In addition, any member of the group is free to leave one and join another tribe whenever he wishes. There are no formal tribal leaders. All problems are resolved through open negotiations.

Sources: www.africa.org.ua, ppt4web.ru, www.worldme.ru, c-cafe.ru, www.e-allmoney.ru

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In the rainforests of the Ituri province of the Republic of Congo, live the smallest people on the planet - the pygmies of the Mbuti tribe. Their average height is 135 cm. Their light skin color helps them to easily and imperceptibly live in the forest shade at the level of the Stone Age.
They do not raise livestock or cultivate plants. They live in close connection with the forest, but not longer than a month in one place. The basis of their diet is harvested berries, nuts, honey, mushrooms, fruits and roots, and the form of their social organization is determined by hunting.

For those Mbuti that hunt mainly with bows and arrows, the group may consist of only three families, although during the honey harvesting season, the hunters form large groups, which are required for round-up - begba. But in the west, netted hunters should have a group of at least seven families, preferably twice as many. In those cases when the group already unites 30 families, it is divided.

There is enough room for 35 thousand Mbuti in the Ituri forests. Each group occupies its own territory, always leaving a decent-sized common piece of land in the center of the thicket.

The group as a whole considers itself a single family, and this is the main social unit, although the group does not always consist of relatives. Its composition can also change with each monthly nomad. Therefore, there are no leaders or permanent leaders. In any case, all members of the group are in solidarity with each other.

On the hunt, the family is divided into age groups. The older men set traps and ambush them with darts and clubs. Young men keep at a distance with arrows in their hands, so that if the game escapes, kill it. And women and children are behind the young hunters, turning to face them and waiting for the caught game to be put into baskets. They carry baskets behind their backs, they are held with the help of straps worn on the forehead. When the group has caught the game for the day, they return to the camp, collecting everything edible along the way. Then the food is cooked over a fire.

The most disgusting crime among pygmies is when some cunning hunter sets up nets at the time of the game. The main catch is in his hands, but he does not share with anyone. But justice is restored simply and impressively. All the spoils are confiscated from the cunning man, and his family remains hungry. "

Curious Englishman Colin Turnbull decided to conduct an experiment. He really wanted to check how the pygmy would behave outside his forest. Here is what he writes: “I persuaded the experienced hunter Kenge to go with me to the Ishango National Reserve, to the savanna, which is teeming with game. We loaded them with all kinds of provisions, got into the car and drove off. As it was pouring rain, Kenge did not even notice that the forest was left behind. When we drove out onto the grassy plain, my companion began to grumble: - Not a single tree, what a bad country.
He was reassured only by the promise of a large amount of game. But then he was upset again when he learned that it was impossible to hunt this game. When we climbed the slope and looked at the plain, Kenge was dumbfounded. A green plain stretched out to the horizon in front of him, merging with Lake Edward. Without end and without edge. And elephants, antelopes, buffaloes, etc. graze everywhere. Kenge had never seen such a thing.
“This meat would last for many months,” he said dreamily. I got into the car and got out of it more until we left the reserve. The next day, Kenge felt more confident and said:
“I was wrong, it’s a good place, although I don’t like it. Here the sky is clear and the earth is clear. If only there were more trees ... On the way back, the deeper we drove into the forest, the louder Kenge sang. In the camp he was greeted like a hero

The Mbuti tribe are pygmies living in the east of Zaire, numbering about 100 thousand people and speaking the Efe language. Their gloomy fame as ruthless hunters differs in a rather peaceful way of life, in comparison with the warlike North Kenyan tribes. All tribes are already open, because European missionaries do not leave any ethnic group without their attention.

Mbuti pygmies change their sites every five years in order to migrate closer to civilization - near roads and rivers, they can exchange their prey in the form of skins, meat, wild fruits and berries for the achievements of cultural life they need - salt, matches, metal objects.

Mbuti tribe

They also became interested in clothing, so it is almost impossible to see their famous skirts made of leaves and tree bark. The Mbuti make contacts for such natural exchanges with the sedentary and civilized Bantu (translated from Swahili - "people").
Bantu is the linguistic group of most of the Zaire tribes and many other African peoples, the literal linguistic name of which means sedentary people, tall.

Some argue that by this act, hunters atone for their guilt for depriving the forest of game and vegetation, since the pygmies have an ambivalent attitude towards hunting. She brings them joy, pleasure, and they love to eat meat, but still they believe that it is not good to take the life of living beings, for God created not only the people of the forest, but also the animals of the forest.

Children at a very early age are taught the idea of ​​dependence on the forest, belief in it, make them feel like a part of the forest, and therefore they are entrusted with the responsibility to kindle a redemptive fire, without which there will be no successful hunt.

The high mobility of pygmies also leads to the fickle nature of social organization. Since the composition and size of groups changes all the time, they cannot have leaders or individual leaders, since they, like other people, can leave and leave the group without a leader. And since the Mbuti does not have a lineage system, it would be difficult to divide up the leadership when the group splits into smaller units once a year. Here age also plays an important role in the system of government, and everyone, except children, has their own responsibilities. But even children play a certain role: bad behavior (laziness, quarrelsomeness, selfishness) is not corrected with the help of a punishment system - it does not exist among the pygmies, but simply by making fun of the guilty one. Children can do this very well. For them, this is a game, but through it they comprehend the moral values ​​of the life of adults and quickly correct the behavior of the offender, making him laugh. Young people are more likely to influence the lives of adults, in particular, they can express their dissatisfaction with the group or the approval of the group as a whole, rather than individuals during a religious holiday praying. For adult hunters, the decisive word in economic matters remains, but that is all. Elders act as arbiters and make decisions on the group's most important issues, and the elderly are universally respected.

The closeness that exists between the Mbuti pygmies and their forest world is manifested in the fact that they humanize the forest, call it father and mother, since it gives them everything they need, even life. They do not try to control the world around them, but adapt to it, and this is the fundamental difference between their attitude to the forest and the attitude to the forest of its other inhabitants - fishermen and farmers. The Mbuti's technique is very simple, and other tribes with a certain material wealth consider hunters to be poor. But such material wealth would only be a hindrance to the Mbuti nomads, and their technology sufficiently satisfies their needs. They do not burden themselves with any surplus. They make clothes from the bark broken by a piece of elephant tusk, from skins and lianas they make bags in which they carry children behind their backs, quivers for arrows, bags, jewelry and ropes for weaving hunting nets. In a matter of minutes, the Mbuti build dwellings from young shoots and leaves, cutting them with metal machetes and knives, which they receive from peasants living nearby. They say that if they did not have metal, they would have used stone tools, but this is doubtful - the pygmies are gradually entering the Iron Age.

The abundant gifts of the forest can be judged at least by the kasuku tree - the resin from its top is needed for cooking, and the resin taken from the roots of the tree is used to illuminate the dwellings. This resin is also used to seal the seams of the bark boxes into which they collect honey. From an early age, a child learns to use the world around him so as not to ruin him, but only to take everything that is needed at the moment. His education boils down to imitating adults. His toys are copies of objects that adults use: a boy learns to shoot a bow at slowly moving animals, and a girl goes into the forest and picks up mushrooms and nuts in her tiny basket. Thus, children provide economic assistance by obtaining some food, although for them it is just a game.

Thanks to the sense of interdependence and community brought up from birth, the pygmies as a single team oppose the neighboring tribes of forest farmers, who have a completely different attitude to the forest and consider it a dangerous place that must be cleared in order to survive. Pygmies trade with these farmers, but not for economic reasons, but simply so that farmers do not climb into their forest in search of meat and other forest products that peasants always need. The villagers are afraid of both the people of the forest and the forest itself, protecting themselves from them with rituals and magic.

The only magical remedy for hunters is of a "sympathetic" character - it is a talisman made of forest lianas, decorated with tiny pieces of wood, or mastic from forest fire ashes mixed with the fat of an animal and embedded in the horn of an antelope; it is then applied to the body to ensure a successful hunt. The idea of ​​such a talisman is simple: if the mbuti physically touches the forest even closer, then his needs will be surely satisfied. These acts are more religious than "magical" in nature, as can be seen in the example of a mother who swaddles a newborn child in a special garment made from a piece of bark (although now the mother could get a soft cloth), and decorates the infant with amulets made of vines. leaves and pieces of wood, and then bathes him in forest water, which accumulates in some thick vines. With the help of this physical contact, the mother, as it were, dedicates the child to the forest and asks for his protection. When trouble comes, then, as the Mbuti say, it is enough for them to sing the sacred songs of the prayer ceremony, "wake up the forest with them" and draw its attention to their children - then everything will be all right. It is a rich but simple faith, in stark contrast to the faith and practice of neighboring tribes.

But the rest of the life of the Mbuti has not changed in any way, they, like in past centuries, remain the same gatherers and nomadic hunters, preserving their traditional culture.

Video: Ritual dances of African pygmies.

Do you know how the word "pygmies" is translated? People as big as fists. They are the smallest people on the planet.

Most under the word "pygmies" understand the people of short stature living in Africa. Yes, this is partly true, but even African pygmies are not one people. Various nationalities live on the Black Continent: the pygmies of the Batwa, Bakiga, Baka, Aka, Efe, Sua, and this is not the whole list. The height of an adult man usually does not exceed 145 centimeters, and a woman - 133 cm.

How do the smallest people on the planet live?

The life of the pygmies is not easy) They live in temporary villages in the forests. Why temporary, you ask? The smallest people have a nomadic lifestyle, they are constantly in search of food and are looking for places rich in fruits and honey. They also have ancient customs. So, if a person died in a tribe, then he is buried under the roof of a hut and the settlement is abandoned forever.

Near the temporary villages, pygmies hunt deer, antelopes and monkeys. They also collect fruits and honey. With all this, meat makes up only 9% of their diet, and they exchange the bulk of the production for garden vegetables, metal, fabrics, tobacco from people who keep farms near the forest.

Little people are considered excellent healers: they prepare medicinal and poisonous potions from plants. It is because of this that other tribes dislike them, as they attribute magical powers to them.

For example, pygmies have a curious way to fish: first they poison the pond, causing the fish to float to the surface. And that's all, the fishing was a success, it remains only to collect the catch. No gathering with fishing rods on the shore or fishing with a harpoon. After a few hours, the poison ceases to act and again the lively fish returns to its usual life.

The life span of pygmies is very short: from 16 to 24 years. People who have lived to be 40 years old are real centenarians. Accordingly, they have sexual maturity much earlier: at the age of 12. Well, they acquire offspring already at the age of fifteen.

Still in slavery

Africa is the most controversial continent. Slavery has long been banned throughout the world, but not here. For example, in the Republic of the Congo, according to the established tradition, pygmies are inherited from the Bantu people. And these are the real slave owners: the pygmies give them their prey from the forest. But, unfortunately, small people are forced to endure such treatment, since the "owners" give them the food and goods necessary for survival, without which it is impossible to live in the forest. Moreover, pygmies go for tricks: they can be in "slavery" by several farmers at the same time in different villages. If one owner did not give food, then perhaps the other will make him happy.

Pygmy genocide

The smallest people have been under constant pressure from other tribes for many centuries. And here we are talking not only about slavery, but even about ... cannibalism! Moreover, in our modern world, in the 21st century. So, during the civil war in the Congo (1998-2003), pygmies were simply caught and eaten. Or, for example, in one of the provinces of Africa, North Kivu, at one time there was a grouping to prepare the territory for mining. And they killed and ate pygmies in the process of stripping. And some peoples of the Black Continent generally believe that the flesh of a pygmy will give magical power, and a connection with a woman from some stunted tribes will relieve disease. Therefore, rape happens very often here.

Of course, all this affects the life of the small people: there are no more than 280 thousand of them left, and this figure is decreasing every year.

Why is so small

In fact, the diminutiveness of these peoples is explained by evolution. Moreover, in different nations the reasons are different, this is the conclusion that scientists have come to. So, genetic analyzes have shown that in some tribes (for example, among the Sua and Efa pygmies), a child's growth restrictor is turned on in the womb and babies are born very small. And in other nations (Baka), children are born normal, the same as among representatives of European races, but in the first two years they grow very slowly. All these changes at the genetic level are triggered by various factors.

So, poor nutrition contributes to short stature: the body of pygmies has decreased in the process of evolution. The fact is that they need much less food to survive than larger nations. It is also believed that the tropics "helped" small growth: after all, body weight affects the amount of heat produced, so large peoples have a much greater chance of overheating.

Well, another theory says that diminutiveness makes life easier in the tropics, making pygmies more nimble, because in impenetrable forests this is an excellent quality. This is how evolution helped young people adapt to their lifestyle and climate.

Interesting Pygmy Facts You Didn't Know Before

Fact number 1... Many believe that pygmies live in forests. However, this is not always the case: for example, the Pygmies of the Twa tribe live in deserts and swamps.

Fact number 2... Moreover, some anthropologists attribute dwarf peoples to pygmies, where a man's height does not exceed 155 centimeters. In their opinion, pygmies live in different parts of the planet: in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Bolivia and Brazil. For example, Filipino pygmies:

Fact no. 3... Most pygmy words are associated with honey and plants. In general, they have lost their native language and now speak the languages ​​of the peoples around them.

Fact no. 4... Some researchers believe that pygmies are representatives of an ancient people that existed more than 70 thousand years ago.

Fact number 5... Pygmies were known even in Ancient Egypt. So, black dwarfs were brought to rich nobles as a gift.

Fact no. 6... In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pygmy children were sold to zoos and Europe as exhibits.

Fact number 7... The smallest people in the world are the pygmies of Efe and Zaire. The height of women does not exceed 132 cm, and of men - 143 cm.

Fact no. 8... In Africa live not only the lowest people, but also the tallest. In the Dinka tribe, the average height of a man is 190 cm, and a woman is 180 cm.

Fact number 9... Pygmies do not use the calendar today, so they do not know the exact age.

Fact number 10... A 2.5-year-old Caucasian child is about the same height as a five-year-old pygmy.

The first mentions of pygmies were made in ancient Egyptian records dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. Later, ancient Greek historians wrote about the pygmies. Herodotus, Strabo, Homer. The real existence of these African tribes was confirmed only in the 19th century by a German traveler. Georg Schweinfurt, a Russian researcher Vasily Juncker and others.

The growth of adult male pygmies is from 144-150 cm in height. Women - about 120 cm. They have short limbs, light brown skin, which serves as an excellent camouflage in the forest. The hair is dark, curly, the lips are thin.

Occupation

Pygmies live in the forests. The forest for them is the supreme deity - the source of everything necessary for survival. The traditional occupation for most pygmies is hunting and gathering. They hunt birds, elephants, antelopes and monkeys. Short bows and poisoned arrows are used for hunting. In addition to various meats, pygmies are very fond of honey from wild bees. In order to get to their favorite treat, they have to climb 45-meter trees, after which they use ash and smoke to disperse the bees. Women collect nuts, berries, mushrooms and roots.

Pygmies live in small groups, no less than 50 members. Each group has a special area for building huts. Marriages between members of different tribes are quite common here. Also, absolutely any member of the tribe, when he wishes, can freely leave and join another tribe. There are no formal leaders in the tribe. The questions and problems that have arisen are resolved by open negotiations.

Weapon

Weapons are a spear, a small bow, arrows (often poisoned). Pygmies exchange iron for arrowheads from neighboring tribes. Various traps and traps are widely used.

Pygmies are the most famous dwarf tribes living in the forests of tropical Africa. The main areas of concentration of pygmies today are: Zaire (165 thousand people), Rwanda (65 thousand people), Burundi (50 thousand people), Congo (30 thousand people), Cameroon (20 thousand people) and Gabon (5 thousand people). people).

Mbutis- a tribe of pygmies living in the Ituri forest in Zaire. Most scientists believe that they were most likely the first inhabitants of this region.

Twa (Batwa)- a tribe of pygmies in equatorial Africa. They live both in the mountains and on the plains near Lake Kivu in Zaire, Burundi and Rwanda. They maintain close ties with neighboring cattle-breeding tribes, they know how to make pottery.

Tswa (batswa)- this large tribe lives near the swamp south of the Congo River. They, like the Twa tribe, live in cooperation with neighboring tribes, adopting their culture and language. Most of the Tswa are hunters or fishermen.

Pygmies (Greek Πυγμαῖοι - "people the size of a fist") are a group of undersized Negroid peoples living in the equatorial forests of Africa.

Testimonies and mentions

Mentioned already in the ancient Egyptian inscriptions of the 3rd millennium BC. e., at a later time - in ancient Greek sources (in the "Iliad" by Homer, Herodotus and Strabo).

In the XVI-XVII centuries. they are referred to as "matimba" in descriptions left by researchers in West Africa.

In the 19th century, their existence was confirmed by the German researcher Georg August Schweinfurt, the Russian researcher V.V. Juncker and others, who discovered these tribes in the rainforests of the Ituri and Uzle river basins (various tribes under the names: Akka, Tikitiki, Obongo, Bambuti, Batwa) ...

In 1929-1930. expedition P. Shebest described the pygmies bambuti, in 1934-1935 researcher M. Guzinde found the pygmies Efe and Basua.

At the end of the 20th century, they live in the forests of Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Rwanda.

The earliest mention of pygmies is contained in the story of the Egyptian Khirhuf, a nobleman of the Old Kingdom, who boasted that he had managed to bring a dwarf from his campaign for the amusement of the young king. This inscription dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. NS. In the Egyptian inscription, the dwarf brought by Khirhuf is called dng. This name has survived to this day in the languages ​​of the peoples of Ethiopia: in Amharic, the dwarf is called deng, or dates. Ancient Greek writers tell all sorts of stories about African pygmies, but all of their messages are fantastic.

Pygmies lead a hunting lifestyle. In the pygmy economy, gathering seems to occupy the first place and mainly determines the nutrition of the entire group. Most of the work is done by women, since it is women’s business to obtain plant foods. Women of the whole group living together daily, accompanied by children, gather wild roots, leaves of edible plants and fruits around their camp, catch worms, snails, frogs, snakes and fish.

The pygmies are forced to leave the camp as soon as all suitable plants have been eaten in the vicinity of the camp and the game has been destroyed. The entire group moves to another area of ​​the forest, but wanders within the established boundaries. These boundaries are known to everyone and are strictly observed. Hunting on foreign lands is not allowed and can lead to hostile clashes. Almost all groups of pygmies live in close contact with the tall population, most often with the Bantu. Pygmies usually bring game and forest products to villages in exchange for bananas, vegetables, and iron spearheads. All groups of pygmies speak the languages ​​of their tall neighbors.

House of pygmies made of leaves and sticks

The primitive nature of the culture of the pygmies sharply distinguishes them from the surrounding peoples of the Negroid race. What are pygmies? Is this the autochthonous population of Central Africa? Do they constitute a special anthropological type, or is their origin the result of the degradation of the tall type? These are the main questions that constituted the essence of the Pygmy problem, one of the most controversial in anthropology and ethnography. Soviet anthropologists believe that pygmies are the aborigines of tropical Africa of a special anthropological type, of independent origin.

Growth from 144 to 150 cm for adult males, the skin is light brown, the hair is curly, dark, the lips are relatively thin, the body is large, the arms and legs are short, this physical type can be classified as a special race. The possible number of pygmies can range from 40 to 280 thousand people.

In appearance, the Negritos of Asia are close to them, but genetically there are strong differences between them.