The Forest People

In The Forest People, anthropologist Colin M. Turnbull describes his experiences while living as a friend and observer with the BaMbuti (Pygmies) of the Ituri Forest. He shares the everyday lives of the Pygmies located in the Epulu River region and their interactions with each other and with him. The setting is the Belgian Congo, which Turnbull describes as located in the center of Africa. Turnbull had visited the Epulu BaMbuti in 1951. This narrative set in 1954, explores his second adventure with this group. The stay is decidedly longer, and by living with the in their forest camps, Turnbull gleans insight into the ways in which the lives of the are different than those of the Negro villagers, as well as other BaMbuti groups in the area.

Turnbull’s narrative also seeks to debunk previous notions about the BaMbuti. Specifically, Turnbull takes issue with the concept that the Pygmies are dependent on the Negro villagers. Previous anthropologists have incorrectly stated that the Pygmies rely heavily on the graces of their Negro “masters.” The relationship between the Pygmies and the villagers was viewed as one-sided, always in favor of the villagers. As Turnbull lives with the Pygmies, however, he has firsthand knowledge of the real relationship between the Pygmies and the villagers. His extensive stay underscores the fact that the relationship is not one-sided but one of mutual convenience.

By living day to day with the Pygmies, Turnbull takes part in various festivals and ceremonies that the villagers and the Pygmies share. The nkumbi is one such event. The nkumbi is an initiation ceremony where both village and Pygmies boys are circumcised and (theoretically) become men. Turnbull also witnesses the elima festival, the initiation ceremony for girls’ coming of age. These ceremonies, in addition to other events that bring the village and Pygmies together, provide perfect examples in the narrative of how different the two groups are.

The nkumbi forces the Pygmies boys to observe the customs of the villagers. Turnbull notes how this ceremony is the prime catalyst for outsiders believing that the Pygmies are fully dependent on the villagers. Though Pygmies have no religious reason to circumcise their children, Turnbull explains their practical reason for following through with the ceremony—the initiated boys become adults, as such, they are then given access to and status in the village. In this way, Pygmies have access to the village all the time.

The craftiness of the Pygmies is highlighted again and again throughout the narrative. The elima also shows their astuteness. The elima is brought into the village, just as marriages are guided by Negro customs, because the Pygmies know that the villagers will most likely provide the food for such events. The Pygmies see these inconveniences as necessary inconveniences, and endure them until they are ready to return to the safe world of the forest. Perhaps most importantly, the Pygmies place no value in the beliefs of the villagers. Just as the villagers believe that the forest is evil, and so Pygmies are evil by extension, Pygmies believe that the only evil exists outside of the forest, and is due to the villagers. The Pygmies would never allow the village rituals and beliefs to be brought back into the safety of the forest.

Turnbull’s narrative also addresses issues of sustainability, religion, communal justice, and punishment. Every chapter highlights the Pygmies’ rich and storied culture that takes the forest as its mother, father, and God. The Pygmies believe that when bad things happen the forest is asleep, and so they sing songs to the forest to wake it up so that its benevolence will once again make things right. For the Pygmies, the forest is good, and as they are the children of the forest, they seek to honor the forest in all that they do. Turnbull’s narrative provides rich insight into the ways in which the Pygmies bring about this life of peace and reverence.