The Forest People by Colin Turnbull describes the life of the Pygmy as seen by Turnbull in time he spent living with them. It describes the life of Pygmies living in villages and that of those living in the forest. It looks at their social structure, and how they function as a bulture. It loojs at some of their customs, including the molimo festival, which celebrates the bounty of the forest; the elima celebration, which celebrates a young girl's coming into womanhood; and the nkumbi initiation of Pygmy boys into manhood, a practice carried out in the villages but not really a part of the forest culture, and only endured by Pygmies so they can gain acceptance by villagers.
The book looks at the system of rules and laws of the Pygmy, and how they punish different levels of crime in their society. It looks at courtship and marriage ceremonies and rituals, and how brides are chosen in the villages and in the forests. It tells of the hunting rituals, and how they are respected by all, and punishment is meted out on one who disrespects these conventions. The village Pygmy can be seen to be very much under the influence of the Negro culture in the villages. The forest Pygmy live a life much closer to nature than those in the village, and has a great respect for the forest which provides their every need.
1. In the forest, the Pygmies are hunter/gatherers, building small camps, and moving on to follow the game. In the village, life is different. Fires are brought inside at night to dispell mosquitos, and the doors are kept close, nobody sleeping in the open *Turnbull, 1961, 167-169). There is non of the cheerful nighttime gossip heard from the hunters in the forest. The men go off to work daily, rather than to hunt, and the women work in plantations rather than gathering fruits, berries and roots in the wild forest. Most villages are set up to provide labor for plantations or local works such as roads and house buildi...