Cultural Research - Mbuti Pygmy Tribe
Cultural Research - Mbuti
Benjamin Williams
ANT 101 – Intro to Cultural Anthropology
Jason Gonzalez
October 24th, 2011
Cultural Research - Mbuti
Throughout history, from the beginning of mankind to present day, there have always been many different types of cultures. These cultures can define an entire race of people, or define a single village. These cultures can also define where a community will live, and what methods are used in their day-to-day survival. This paper will focus on one such culture; the Mbuti Pygmy tribe. The Mbuti are a foraging society, and this type of society impacts many aspects of their culture. This paper will further identify and examine their cultural subsistence. The impact of their society type on kinship, social organization, political organization, economic organization, and their beliefs and rituals will be examined as well. A close look at their beliefs system will show how all aspects of their culture are in some way affected by the center of their spiritual symbolism. So, what exactly is a foraging culture, and how do they function?
The foraging lifestyle is the oldest type of society that humans have lived, dating back to more than million years ago. It’s also the type of society that we humans have been categorized as for the longest amount of time during our existence. Foragers employ a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, as they move from spot to spot, yet within a defined area of land in order to maximize their resources while only consuming what they need. The Mbuti live in the Ituri rainforest, which is in the Congo region of Africa. They employ several different camps within the Ituri, and the camps are typically organized in a spherical pattern. The camps, or bands, will all be about a day’s travel apart from each other, and in the center of the spherical pattern is what the Mbuti refer to as “no-man’s land”, to “which none of them lays exclusive claim lies at the center of the Ituri. This region serves as
Benjamin Williams
ANT 101 – Intro to Cultural Anthropology
Jason Gonzalez
October 24th, 2011
Cultural Research - Mbuti
Throughout history, from the beginning of mankind to present day, there have always been many different types of cultures. These cultures can define an entire race of people, or define a single village. These cultures can also define where a community will live, and what methods are used in their day-to-day survival. This paper will focus on one such culture; the Mbuti Pygmy tribe. The Mbuti are a foraging society, and this type of society impacts many aspects of their culture. This paper will further identify and examine their cultural subsistence. The impact of their society type on kinship, social organization, political organization, economic organization, and their beliefs and rituals will be examined as well. A close look at their beliefs system will show how all aspects of their culture are in some way affected by the center of their spiritual symbolism. So, what exactly is a foraging culture, and how do they function?
The foraging lifestyle is the oldest type of society that humans have lived, dating back to more than million years ago. It’s also the type of society that we humans have been categorized as for the longest amount of time during our existence. Foragers employ a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, as they move from spot to spot, yet within a defined area of land in order to maximize their resources while only consuming what they need. The Mbuti live in the Ituri rainforest, which is in the Congo region of Africa. They employ several different camps within the Ituri, and the camps are typically organized in a spherical pattern. The camps, or bands, will all be about a day’s travel apart from each other, and in the center of the spherical pattern is what the Mbuti refer to as “no-man’s land”, to “which none of them lays exclusive claim lies at the center of the Ituri. This region serves as
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