The Mbuti Pygmies Of The Ituri Forest — страница 4

flower into maturity, and blood comes for the first time, it comes to ther as a gift, received with gratitude and rejoicing…rejoicing that the girl is now a potential mother… Conversely, the Molino is not a time for rejoicing. it is a time of departure from someone who has passed away, many illneses within the band, or a period of poor hunting. The men gather nightly at the central fireplace where they dance, eat, and sing songs to the forest. The Pygmies sing to the forest in order for it to restore the right balance; for the Pygmies regard the forest as a benovelent diety. They..acknowledge and accept the facts of life and death as both being, equally, the gift of their god…In addition to the singing, a trumpet is used during the “Death Molino”. The Molino may last

anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Both the Molino and Elima serve in reinforcing the belief and practices of how Pygmies should interact with each other. In essence, the Mbuti Pygmies are an egalitarian society which maintain a good balanced life in the Ituri Forest. No one goe hungry. For a person who does not have, another who does will surely give. I have reseached the Mbuti way of life, both in the forest and villagege context. Of all their practices, I have found that the distribution of child care among all the females of a band, to be a major difference from our society. Unlike our so called advanced stratified society, the Pygmies do not leave their children without adult supervision. to the Mbuti, the forest is the life giver and the life taker. They do not

perceive a life without it. This view is also expressed by Turnbull, as I quote. “The Forest is our home, when we leave the forest, or when the forest dies, we shall die. We are the people of the forest”.