Bambuti

=Human Relationships With the Natural World=

A main focus of Bambuti culture if respect for one another, and also community. As children are growing up they call all women “Ema” or mother. Children also play games teaching them to be social, and interdependent.



Since the Bambuti put a large emphasis on respect in their human relationships it is no surprise they have an immense amount of respect for nature. The Bambuti believe that they are forest people, meaning their central beliefs revolve around the forest and the resources it provides.



Another large emphasis is put on animals. They believe that animals have human characteristics. Animals represent clans, and individuals, and they can become real. For example “Mr. Turtle” is a character that is wise and tricky. Animal stories teach about human behavior and human relationships between each other.

=Sacred Times, Practices, and Space=



Boys in the Bambuti religion must complete a rite of passage by attending a village circumcision school (//nkumbi),// which is held every three or four years. Bambuti boys will leave their homes for many months to live in close association with other village boys, all of which are circumcised together. Not too long after puberty, marriage will take place, leaving little time for courtship. Sister exchange is a very common practice for marriage. Men from different bands exchange sisters or other females to which they have ties. There is no formal marriage ceremony, a couple is considered married when the bride’s parents are present with an antelope that the groom has solely hunted and killed. The forest is the core of everything in Bambuti life. Not only is it considered to be a sacred place but the Bambuti people consider it to be their great protector and provider, often referring to it as “mother” or “father.” After tragic events occur, such as the death of an important figure or unproductive hunting, a ritual called //molimo// is to be preformed. This noisy celebration serves to wake up the forest as a result of the belief that if bad things are happening to its people, it must me asleep. Most commonly, the ritual consists of food collections from each hut with men dancing and singing around a fire in the evening. Throughout the ceremony, both women and children must remain in the huts with the doors closed.



To control the weather and to improve hunting, Bambuti hunters practice a magical ritual referred to as //anjo//. The sole focus of the ritual is to delay storms until the hunt is over

=The Importance of Origins, Gods and Ancestors=

The Bambuti believe that the wealth and the goodness of the forest comes from Muungu, the greatest of the forest gods who fills all of their needs. Tropical forest foragers believe in the totemic spirits (sitana)- spirits and characteristics represent the group’s unity. They also believe in a water animal, called nyama ya mai in Swahili, who is responsible for any serious water accidents. The forest, their "mother," had the capacity to supply their every need. The Bambuti live much as their ancestors must have lived, leading a very traditional way of life in the forest.

=Artistic Expression and Stories in Oral Religions=



The Bambuti religion is quite compared to most religions one would be exposed to today. Because they are a people have yet to fully develop, they have limited time to think about arts and crafts. Along with their main beliefs, their artistic expression is based off of the forest. Some tropical forest foragers are accomplished storytellers. They share folktales of forest spirits, and legends to bring imagination of their ancestors. When they can get their hands on drums from surrounding village, they perform songs and dances such as the honey feast. Another way of expressing their religion is bark cloth. This is a layer of bark made by the men, and decorated by the women. They use this to conceptualize their world, beliefs, and abstract emotions. These bark cloths are evidence of the Mbuti people’s perception and appreciation for the forest.



=Bibliography=

//Turnbull, Colin M. "Efe and Mbuti."// Every Culture//. N.p., 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. .