XVIᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Ituri region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The penetration of food-producing communities into the Ituri forest occurred largely within the last three or four centuries described by the passage, reaching a climax in the nineteenth century. Pygmy hunter-gatherers and villagers from several linguistic communities coexisted in the region. Villagers adopted specialized forest cultivation based on bananas and cassava, while hunting groups formed alliances with food-producers and exchanged forest expertise for food, metal goods, and pottery. The process illustrates the importance of ecological corridors around major rainforest blocks.
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Le récit
The Ituri is presented as a region where food production arrived comparatively late. Around forty thousand pygmies lived in small hunter-gatherer bands, alongside an approximately equal number of food-producing villagers drawn from eight or nine ethnic and linguistic groups. Traditions preserved by both communities placed the main penetration of food-producers within the previous three or four centuries, with the process reaching its climax in the nineteenth century.
As competition intensified, hunting bands formed permanent alliances with particular food-producing groups. They served as hunters, scouts, and spies, receiving plantation food and drink, metal goods, and pottery in return. Over time, dependence on these exchanged goods increased, while the villagers themselves underwent a substantial adaptation to the forest environment.
The villagers abandoned cattle and cereal crops in favour of specialized cultivation suited to the forest, with bananas and cassava as staples and dry rice, beans, groundnuts, and oil-palms as additional crops. They also fished the rivers and relied on hunters for meat. Because the sour soils often ceased to yield after about three years, settlements moved along rivers, streams, and forest tracks, leaving planted areas to revert to secondary growth.
XVIᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Ituri region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The penetration of food-producing communities into the Ituri forest occurred largely within the last three or four centuries described by the passage, reaching a climax in the nineteenth century. Pygmy hunter-gatherers and villagers from several linguistic communities coexisted in the region. Villagers adopted specialized forest cultivation based on bananas and cassava, while hunting groups formed alliances with food-producers and exchanged forest expertise for food, metal goods, and pottery. The process illustrates the importance of ecological corridors around major rainforest blocks.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The Ituri is presented as a region where food production arrived comparatively late. Around forty thousand pygmies lived in small hunter-gatherer bands, alongside an approximately equal number of food-producing villagers drawn from eight or nine ethnic and linguistic groups. Traditions preserved by both communities placed the main penetration of food-producers within the previous three or four centuries, with the process reaching its climax in the nineteenth century.
As competition intensified, hunting bands formed permanent alliances with particular food-producing groups. They served as hunters, scouts, and spies, receiving plantation food and drink, metal goods, and pottery in return. Over time, dependence on these exchanged goods increased, while the villagers themselves underwent a substantial adaptation to the forest environment.
The villagers abandoned cattle and cereal crops in favour of specialized cultivation suited to the forest, with bananas and cassava as staples and dry rice, beans, groundnuts, and oil-palms as additional crops. They also fished the rivers and relied on hunters for meat. Because the sour soils often ceased to yield after about three years, settlements moved along rivers, streams, and forest tracks, leaving planted areas to revert to secondary growth.