How African pygmies live (24 photos). Pygmies - a dwarf tribe, Africa Where the smallest pygmies live on earth

Pygmies are first mentioned in ancient Egyptian inscriptions of the 3rd millennium BC. e. in more late time in ancient Greek sources. In the XVI-XVII centuries. they are called "matimba" are mentioned in the descriptions left by the explorers of West Africa. In the 19th century, their existence was confirmed by the German researcher G. Schweinfurt, the Russian researcher V.V. Junker and others who discovered these tribes in tropical forests basins of the rivers Ituri and Uzle. In 1929-1930. P. Shebesta's expedition described the Bambuti Pygmies; in 1934–1935 the researcher M. Guzinde found the Efe and Basua Pygmies.

Number and population

The total population of 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 Pygmies of the Ituri River speak Sere-Mundu languages.

Pygmies make up the Pygmy Negroid race, they are short in stature, have a yellowish skin tone, narrow lips, and a narrow and low nose bridge. Before the Bantu settlement, the Pygmies occupied the whole of Central Africa, then they were forced out into the region rainforest. They were in severe isolation. Preserved 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 art developed. They retain many features of the tribal structure, wander in groups of 2-4 families.

Occupation

Pygmies only eat 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 get not very large animals or fish. Pygmies have a special technique for catching fish. The method they use is based on poisoning fish with plant 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 only as many fish as they need. Unclaimed fish wakes up after half an hour without any damage.

Who are the pygmies PYGMIES are the people living in equatorial forests and migrating from camp to camp, depending on the time of year. Pygmies make up the Pygmy Negroid race, they are short in stature, have a yellowish skin tone, narrow lips, and a narrow and low nose bridge. The average life expectancy of pygmies is from 16 to 24 years, depending on the specific people, so evolution made sure that they quickly reached 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 countries Central Africa: Burundi, Gabon, DRC, Zaire, Cameroon, Congo, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda and CAR.

The first mention of pygmies was 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. German traveler Georg Schweinfurt. Russian researcher Vasily Junker and others.

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

Pygmies live in the forests. The forest for them is the highest deity, the source of everything necessary for survival. The traditional occupation for most Pygmies is hunting and gathering. They hunt elephants, antelopes and monkeys. They use shortbows and poisoned arrows for hunting. Apart from different meat, pygmies are very fond of wild bee honey. In order to get to their favorite delicacy, 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 of at least 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, is free to leave and join another tribe. There are no formal leaders in the tribe. Issues and problems that have arisen are resolved through open negotiations.

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

Pygmies are the most famous dwarf tribes living in the forests. 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.

Twa a tribe of pygmies 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 pastoral tribes and know how to make pottery.

Tsva this large tribe lives near the swamp south of the river Congo. They, like the Twa tribe, live in cooperation with neighboring tribes, adopting their culture and language. Most of the Tswa hunt or fish.

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

- V Greek mythology a tribe of dwarfs, symbolizing the barbarian world. The name is associated with the small growth of the pygmies and symbolizes a distorted perception of the true ethnic group. The Greeks determined the size of the pygmies from an ant to a monkey. According to various sources, this tribe lived on the southern periphery of the Oikumene - south of Egypt or in India. Herodotus attributed the habitat of the pygmies to the headwaters of the Nile. Strabo listed the pygmies along with large-headed, nest-eared, beardless, noseless, one-eyed and hook-toed half-dogs.

There was a legend that the fertile soil layer of the Egyptian river valleys gives rise to pygmies, so they sometimes acted as a symbol of the fertility of the semi-fairy lands of the south. To harvest the ears, they armed themselves with axes, as if they were going to cut down the forest. Pliny the Elder claimed that the pygmies built their huts from mud mixed with feathers and eggshells, while Aristotle settled them in underground caves.

A characteristic motif of the mythology of the pygmies is geranomachy. Legends said that the pygmies fought cranes for three months every year, riding on rams, goats and partridges, trying to steal or break the eggs of birds. Moreover, military campaigns, which took the pygmies three months a year, they made to the southern Russian steppes, where there were crane nests. Their enmity was explained by the legend of 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 motif associated with the pygmies was heraclomacy: myths tell that the pygmies tried to kill the sleeping hero, taking revenge on him for the victory over their brother Antaeus. Hercules gathered the pygmies into the skin of the Nemean lion and took them to Eurystheus. Family relations with Antey were intended to emphasize the semiotic image of the pygmies, its astonic aspect. Popular reception in artistic creativity there was also a reduction in a single storyline of pygmies and giants.

Pygmy was also the name of the Carthaginian deity, whose head, carved from wood, was placed by the Carthaginians on warships to intimidate enemies.

Pygmies in Africa

The word "pygmy" usually means something small. In anthropology, it 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 hunters and gatherers. They prey on antelopes, birds, elephants and monkeys. For this, small bows and poisoned arrows are used for hunting. Women usually gather berries, mushrooms, nuts and roots.

Pygmies live in small groups. Each tribe consists of at least fifty members. There is a territory for building huts for each group. But with the threat of extinction of food, each tribe can take 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 they wish. There are no formal leaders of the tribe. All problems are solved through open negotiations.

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

To begin with, let's get acquainted with the facts and reports of scientists about the pygmy tribes. There is not so much information about mysterious undersized people as we would like, so all of them are important. Where and how they live, who they are: "mistake" or "regularity" of Nature; perhaps, having understood their “features”, we will be able to better consider ourselves? After all, we are all children of the same planet, their problems cannot be alien to us.

“The first ancient evidence of the pygmies was left by a Greek historian of the 5th century. to x. e. Herodotus. When he was traveling in Egypt, he was told a story about how one day young men from African tribe Nasamonov decided to “make a journey through Libyan desert in order to penetrate further and see more than all those who had previously visited the most remote parts of it, “...” the Nasamones returned safely and that all the people [pygmies] they came to were wizards.

“Another testimony about the pygmies was left to us by the largest Roman scientist Pliny the Elder (24-79 AD). In his Natural History, he writes: “Some report a tribe of pygmies living among the marshes, from originates the Nile"".(1*)
"One of the civilizations inhabited by pygmies and which now gone into oblivion located on Hawaiian Islands. "...". Today, pygmy tribes live in Africa (Central equatorial zone) And South-East Asia(Andaman Islands, Philippines, and Malacca rainforests)."

Hunters and gatherers in Africa are represented by three main groups - the Pygmies of Central Africa, the Bushmen South Africa and hadza East Africa. Neither the Pygmies nor the Bushmen are a single monolith in stages - each of these groups consists of tribes or other ethnic communities located on various levels socio-historical and cultural development.

Name pygmies comes from the Greek pygmaios (literally - the size of a fist). The main countries of settlement: Zaire - 165 thousand people, Rwanda - 65 thousand people, Burundi - 50 thousand people, Congo - 30 thousand people, Cameroon - 20 thousand people, Central African Republic - 10 thousand. people, Angola - 5 thousand people, Gabon - 5 thousand people. They speak Bantu languages.

Pygmies were one of the races that came out of Africa and settled in southern Asia, where they were very common in antiquity. The modern population of pygmies lives not only in Africa but also in some areas of South Asia, such as Aeta and Batak in the Philippines, Semang in Malaysia, Mani in Thailand. The average height of an adult male is about 140 cm. Women are about 120 cm. Increasingly tall pygmies are the result of interracial mixing with neighboring tribes.

"Pygmies. Have proportional healthy body, only reduced in size. Anatomy and physiology are close to normal".

“Among the pygmies, there are few sexy (Amazons) - and easily excitable (Bushmen who have a constant erection), there are very infantile - and very masculine (bearded, muscular, with large facial features, chest, unlike Negroids, hairy). African pygmies are very musical and plastic. They hunt elephants. Nilotic giants live next to them, the most tall people on the ground. They say that the Nilotic people willingly take pygmy women as wives, but they are afraid of men.

Previously, it was believed that the low growth of the pygmies is due poor quality nutrition and some of his special diet, but this version has not been confirmed. There are other races living nearby - the Masai and Sumburu in Kenya, who do not eat much better, but are considered the highest in the world. At one time, for the purpose of experimentation, a group of pygmies were fed fully and for a long time, but their growth and the growth of their offspring did not increase.

pygmies Central Africa can be divided into three geographically distinct groups: 1) the Pygmies of the Ituri River Basin, known as Bambuti, Wambuti or Mbuti and linguistically divided into three subgroups: Efe, Basua, or Sua, and aka (more on that in this article); 2) the Pygmies of the Great Lakes region - the Twa, inhabiting Rwanda and Burundi, and scattered groups surrounding them; 3) pygmies of the western regions of the rainforest - baguielli, obongo, akoa, bachva, bayele, etc. In addition, there is also a group of East African pygmies - boni.

Now the pygmies have come to harsh times, they are dying out due to diseases like measles and smallpox, which, in combination with poor nutrients food and heavy loads lead to high mortality. In some tribes, the average life expectancy is only 20 years. Higher and stronger Negro tribes oppress the Pygmies and survive them on unsuitable areas for existence.

Some scientists are also trying to connect the short life span of the pygmies with their height (compare the life span of an elephant and a mouse). In general, all researchers of this people agree that the study of pygmies helps to better understand the principles of evolution and human adaptability to different conditions environment.

The great demand for bushmeat causes pygmies to poach in nature reserves. The unreasonable extermination of endangered animals may soon become a threat to the existence of the pygmy tribes themselves - a vicious circle from which it is already impossible to get out.

Pygmies go to poach in the reserve, their weapons are trapping nets and spears.

Here is the prey, catching an antelope is a great success.

“Pygmies are a nomadic people. Several times a year they leave their homes and, together with all the simple belongings, go through hidden paths to the most remote forest corners.
"... Pygmies live in huts that look like small green tubercles."

“Pygmies maintain fire constantly. When moving to another parking lot, they carry burning brands with them, since it is very long and difficult to carve a fire with flint.

“There is no real clay capable of holding the buildings together, and the rains destroy the pygmy” buildings. Therefore, they often have to be repaired. Behind this occupation you can always see only women. Girls who have not yet acquired a family and their own home, according to local customs They are not allowed to do this job."

Pygmy is a representative of one of the nationalities living in the equatorial forests of Africa. This word is of Greek origin and means "a man the size of a fist." This name is quite justified, given the average height of the representatives of these tribes. Find out who the pygmies of Africa are and how they differ from others in the hottest continent.

Who are the pygmies?

These tribes live in Africa, next to Ogowe and Ituri. In total, there are about 80 thousand pygmies, half of which live along the banks of the Ituri River. The height of the representatives of these tribes varies from 140 to 150 cm. The color of their skin is somewhat atypical for Africans, because they have a slightly lighter, golden brown. Pygmies even have their own national dress. So, men wear a fur or leather belt with a small apron made of wood in front, and a small bunch of leaves in the back. Women are less fortunate, often they only have aprons.

At home

The buildings in which representatives of this people live are made of twigs and leaves, fastening everything with clay. Oddly enough, the construction and repair of the hut here is the responsibility of the women. A man, having conceived the construction of a new house, must go to the elder for permission. If the elder agrees, he gives his visitor a nyombikari - a bamboo stick with a peg at the end. It is with the help of this device that the boundaries of the future home will be outlined. This is done by a man, all other construction worries fall on the shoulders of a woman.

Life style

A typical pygmy is a forest nomad who does not stay in one place for a long time. Representatives of these tribes live in one place for no more than a year, while there is game around their village. When the fearless animals run out, the nomads take off in search of a new home. There is another reason why people often move to a new place. Any pygmy is an extremely superstitious person. Therefore, the whole tribe, if one of its members dies, migrates, believing that the forest does not want anyone to live in this place. The dead man is buried in his hut, a commemoration is held, and the next morning the whole settlement goes deep into the forest to build a new village.

Mining

Pygmies feed on what the forest gives them. Therefore, in the early morning, the women of the tribe go there to replenish supplies. On the way, they collect everything edible, from berries to caterpillars, so that every pygmy of the same tribe is fed. This is an established tradition, according to which the woman is the main breadwinner in the family.

Outcome

Pygmies are accustomed to the traditions of their lives, which have been established for centuries. Despite the fact that the government of the state tries to educate them in a more civilized life, cultivation of the land and a settled existence, they continue to remain far from this. Pygmies, photographed by many researchers studying their customs, refuse any innovations in their everyday life and continue to do what their ancestors have been doing for many centuries.

And etc.; formerly presumably Pygmy languages

traditional beliefs

Negril type large black race

Pygmies(gr. Πυγμαῖοι - "people the size of a fist") - a group of undersized Negroid peoples living in the equatorial forests of Africa. Another name for African pygmies is negrilli.

Evidence

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

Pygmies in mythology

Physical type

The Efe and Sua peoples living to the east of the tank initially give birth to small children - the growth limiter is turned on during fetal development. Bak children are born normal, but in the first two years of life, Bak children grow noticeably slower than Europeans.

Occupation

Pygmies are inhabitants of the forests, the forest for them is the source of everything necessary for life. The main occupations are hunting and gathering. Pygmies do not make stone tools, they did not know how to make fire before (they carried the source of fire with them). The hunting weapon is a bow with arrows with metal tips, and these tips are often poisoned. Iron barter from neighbors.

Language

Pygmies usually speak the languages ​​​​of the peoples around them - efe, asua, bambuti, etc. There are some phonetic differences in the dialects of the pygmies, but with the exception of the Baka people, the pygmies have lost their native languages.

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Notes

Literature

• Putnam E. Eight Years Among the Pygmies / Ann Putnam; With preface and ed. B. I. Sharevskaya; Artist B. A. Diodorov. - M .: Publishing house of Eastern literature, 1961. - 184 p. - (Journey through the countries of the East). - 75,000 copies.(reg.)

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An excerpt characterizing the Pygmies

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 references

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

In the XVI-XVII centuries. they are called "matimba" are mentioned in the descriptions left by the explorers of West Africa.

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

In 1929-1930. P. Shebesta's expedition described the Bambuti Pygmies; in 1934–1935 the researcher M. Guzinde found the Efe and Basua Pygmies.

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

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

Pygmies lead a hunting lifestyle. In the economy of the Pygmies, gathering, apparently, occupies the first place and mainly determines the nutrition of the entire group. Most of the work falls to the lot of women, as the booty plant food is the business of women. Every day, women of the entire living group, accompanied by children, gather wild-growing roots, leaves around their camp. edible plants and fruits, catch worms, snails, frogs, snakes and fish.

Pygmies are forced to leave the camp as soon as all suitable plants are eaten in the vicinity of the camp and the game is destroyed. The whole group moves to another area of ​​the forest, but wanders within the established boundaries. These boundaries are known to all and are strictly observed. Hunting on foreign lands is not allowed and may lead to hostile clashes. Almost all groups of pygmies live in close contact with a tall population, most often with the Bantu. Typically, the pygmies bring game and forest products to the 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 it an autochthonous population of Central Africa? Do they constitute a special anthropological type, or is their origin the result of degradation of the tall type? These are the main questions that made up the essence of the pygmy problem, one of the most controversial in anthropology and ethnography. Soviet anthropologists believe that the Pygmies are natives of tropical Africa of a special anthropological type, of independent origin.

Height from 144 to 150 cm for adult males, skin is light brown, hair is curly, dark, lips are relatively thin, large torso, 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 external type, the negritos of Asia are close to them, but genetically there are strong differences between them.