Pygmies of Central Africa. How African pygmies live (24 photos). Why such a small stature

18.10.2019

According to dictionaries, the Pygmies are a very small group of peoples in Central Africa, the total number of which is about 390 thousand people. They speak Bantu languages. Most of the tribes maintain a nomadic way of life and adhere to traditional beliefs. Their culture is very archaic.

Pygmies photo (clickable)

The name of this people comes from the Greek word pygmaios - "the size of a fist." So, Homer in his immortal "Iliad" called the dwarfs who fought with cranes. The little dancers who entertained the pharaohs of Egypt were also called the same. The European colonialists who came to Africa, faced with this undersized tribe of Africans, whose average height is about 150 cm, considered them descendants of the ancients and borrowed the name.

Where do pygmies live? Pygmies live in difficult places and are extremely reluctant to come into contact with strangers. At the end of the "harvesting" in one area and the end of the hunting season, they move to a new place.

The main male occupation of this people is hunting, and in all its varieties. Pygmies of Africa perfectly comprehended all the secrets of the forest and the habits of animals that are in the area where they are in this moment reside. Hunters set snares and traps, use arrows and bows; if big game is driven in, the “weak” half of the tribe also takes part.

Children, upon reaching the age of ten, build themselves a separate dwelling and begin to live independently from their parents. Elders lead the tribe. They do not steal, they treat liars and unfaithful spouses with contempt, and they solve all problematic issues at the general council.

Pygmies: photos of women (clickable)

Misdemeanors that entail punishments up to the prohibition of joint hunting and even expulsion are considered to be the unfair division or concealment of food, spoiling water, damaging trees and hunting animals unnecessarily.

Women always carry a specially made bag with them. It contains everything that can serve as food: plants, roots and stems of edible herbs, seeds, fruits and berries, insects, nuts, caterpillars - everything goes into action.

Some members of the Pygmy tribe are engaged in fishing. As fishing rods, they use flexible tree branches with a wire attached to the end in the form of a hook.

Their prey and "gifts of nature" African pygmies exchanged for agricultural products and other things. They are mainly attracted to metal products - knives, arrowheads and spearheads, axes and wire, which they use to make primitive tools or decorate weapons with it.

Attempts to fix these people on certain plots of land failed - modern pygmies, like their ancestors, continue to lead a nomadic lifestyle, although in the Democratic Republic of the Congo they try to give them primary education and provide medical care.

Short video: pygmies hunting and fishing

Pygmies (Greek Πυγμαῖοι - "people the size of a fist") - a group of undersized Negroid peoples living in equatorial forests 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" of Homer, in 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 share of women, since the extraction of plant food is the business of women. Every day, the women of the entire cohabiting group, accompanied by children, collect wild-growing roots, leaves of edible plants and fruits around their camp, 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.

Pygmies (Greek Πυγμαῖοι - "people the size of a fist") - 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" of Homer, in 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 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.

House of pygmies made of leaves and sticks

In external type, the negritos of Asia are close to them, but genetically there are strong differences between them.

Pygmies are first mentioned in ancient Egyptian inscriptions of the 3rd millennium BC. e. at a later 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 explorer G. Schweinfurt, the Russian explorer V.V. Junker, and others who discovered these tribes in the tropical forests of the Ituri and Uzle river basins. 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 fish poisoning. 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 only as many fish as they need. Unclaimed fish wakes up after half an hour without any damage.

Who are the pygmies PYGMIES - people living in the 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 the countries of Central Africa: Burundi, Gabon, DRC, Zaire, Cameroon, Congo, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda and the Central African Republic.

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 only confirmed in the 19th century by the 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. In addition to various meats, 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 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.

Twa 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 pastoral tribes and 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 hunt or fish.

A group of peoples belonging to the Negril race, indigenous people 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.

- in 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 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. A popular technique in artistic creativity was the reduction into a single storyline 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

Dwarfism and gigantism are the opposites of the human world, attracting attention. In addition to 190 cm giants, the smallest people in the world live in Africa. And this is not just a failure in genetics - there is a whole set of factors that everyone will be interested in learning about.

The smallest people in Africa are called pygmies or negrilli. Translated from Greek, "people the size of a fist." Their height ranges from 124 to 150 cm (and height below 147 cm is considered dwarfism).

Pygmies are well adapted to life in tropical rainforests - it is easy for them to move around in impenetrable wilds, organisms cool better in hot climates and require much fewer calories to feed.

On the mainland, there is a fairly large community of pygmies (about 280 thousand people), common in the equatorial forests of Central Africa on the territory of 5 states. They are conditionally divided into western and eastern.

Pygmies can be found on all continents: the Philippines, Brazil, Australia, Bolivia, Indonesia, the Fiji and Aydaman Islands. In addition to tropical forests, the smallest people in the world live in other places (for example, the African pygmies Twa - in the desert).

Pygmies in history

The first mentions of pygmies are found among the ancient Greeks (3rd millennium BC) and Egyptians (2nd millennium BC). And officially the world got acquainted with the pygmies after independent travels in Africa by the German G. Schweinfurt and the Russian V. Juncker in the 1870s.

In the 60s of the twentieth century, the Belgian researcher J.P. Alle lived for several months in one of the pygmy communities, efe. He filmed about the natives 2 documentaries and founded charitable foundation. Now this organization is providing real assistance to this people in the Congo, providing them with land for farming.

Genetics, anthropology of the pygmies

Many researchers distinguish pygmies as a special race. Men one and a half meters tall are considered giants, and the average height of women is around 133 cm. African pygmies have light brown skin, a small head with a wide forehead and nose, black and curly hair, and thin lips.

It is interesting that outwardly the Negritos, who inhabit the south and southeast of Asia, as well as the islands of Melanesia and the north of Australia, are closest to the pygmies. But the genetic differences are quite large.

Pygmies still have the Neanderthal gene (up to 0.7%). These human ancestors lived from 600 to 350 thousand years ago, and modern man this gene has mutated and is virtually non-existent.

Origin hypotheses

Reasons for small growth

Hormones

Surprisingly, the growth hormone in pygmies is secreted by the pituitary gland in the same way as in ordinary people. But there is no growth acceleration in Africans, since the secretion of hormones during puberty is not at the proper level.

Already in childhood, strong differences are visible between the same Europeans and pygmies. A five-year-old pygmy is the same height as a 2-year-old European. And in adolescence (12-15 years), pygmies simply stop growing.

Malnutrition

Pygmies are not only small, but also extremely slender. Their food largely depends on luck. For example, the Pygmy tribe in the Philippines is considered the thinnest of all human populations. Infant mortality in this tribe is half of the entire birth rate.

Therefore, in order to survive, the size of the pygmies decreased from generation to generation.

Living near the equator

The tropics are hot and humid climate. Under such conditions (if forests are added here), the body will definitely overheat. Usually people sweat and thus can avoid heat stroke.

But with high humidity, sweating hard just won’t work. Pygmies managed to reduce muscle mass and thus improve thermoregulation.

Sun deficiency

Dense rainforests prevent sufficient penetration sunlight(and the formation of vitamin D in the body). Therefore, the skeleton of the pygmies is smaller - calcium is not assimilated enough and bone growth is inhibited.

Lifestyle

One of the main activities of the aborigines in Africa is the collection of honey. Pygmies have been doing this for several millennia, so they have evolved into small and agile people weighing up to 45 kg, able to vertically climb branches that can withstand their weight. Among the Pygmies of the Batwa tribe, even the feet can bend at an angle of 45 degrees, although in ordinary people - only up to 18.

Pygmies even managed to enter into a kind of symbiosis with bees. Bees almost do not bite people, and the latter practically do not react to minor bites. But as soon as a white man appears next to him and sweats a little, he will not be spared.

small age

Unfortunately, the smallest people in the world live very little. Their average life expectancy is only 24 years, and 40-year-olds are already considered aksakals. Pygmies survive only due to the frequent change of generations.

Puberty occurs in them very early, simultaneously with inhibition of growth. Males start breeding at the age of 12, and females peak at 15.

Pygmies in the modern world

Modern African pygmies live in the forests, obtaining everything they need through hunting and gathering. Animals are killed with bows and arrows.

At the same time, until recently, they did not know how to make fire (they carried it when changing the parking lot) and did not make tools (they exchange them with neighboring tribes).

A large segment of nutrition (up to 30%) is occupied by the gathering of fruits and honey. And the rest of the food and things (metal, tobacco, clothes, utensils) are exchanged by pygmies from nearby farmers for honey and other forest provisions.

Pygmies constantly roam. This is due to the custom - when a member of the tribe dies, he is left in the hut where he lived. At the same time, the entire community moves to a new place.

Pygmies are very well versed in medicinal plants. Therefore, no one can prepare a medicinal or poisonous mixture better than them. Even the bulk of the pygmy vocabulary consists of such words.

Pygmies catch fish in an interesting way. They make poison, thanks to which all the fish in the pond will float up belly up. But after a while, the poison loses its strength and the fish can be eaten.

Slavery and cannibalism

It turns out that slavery still exists in the Republic of the Congo. The neighboring tribe, the Bantu, has pygmy slaves in their families and passes them on by inheritance.

Pygmies obtain food for their masters in the forest in exchange for goods necessary for survival. In fairness, it should be noted that slaves may well be in the service of several farmers.

And in the province of North Kivu, there is still a belief that by eating the flesh of a pygmy, you can get magical powers.