Notes:
- He returned after Pat had died and the district name was changed to Epulu, this was the name of the river that went past Pat's old house
- His home had been replaced by a hotel
- This new community looked as if it was attracting Pygmy labor, many of Turnbull's friends now worked at local stores and the motel, and bought their food at local stores instead of hunting and gathering like they used to
- Kenge was a great friend of Turnbull and would help interpret his questions and would take him through the forest
- The Pygmies had started to make their own plantation in the forest, this meant that hunting-and-gathering would most likely end, now they would be committed to just one place in the forest and would no longer rome like they used to.
- Njobo and Masisi have the finest clearings on the plantation and they are known as the most influential hunters in the group. Njobo killed two elephants on his own and another two with others. He had three wives and one son named Nyange, his second wife. His son had tuberculosis of the leg bone and was crippled. Masisi was related to Njobo and he had a large attractive family. He was known for taking part in disputes.
- Pygmies have short legs, are powerful and muscular, have round heads, there eyes are far apart form each other, they have flat noses, their head hair grows like peppercorn tufts, and many have thick body hair. They are set apart from the Negros.
- Manyalibo and his wife use humor to settle big disputs, the Pygmy hate being laughed at.
- The oldest member of the group is old Tungana. He seemed to have more progressive views but he also seemed to struggle with hunting in his old age and didn't mind the gifts left for his wife for him by his sons. Tungana stole from stores.
- Moke was also a elder and pretended to be related Tungana because other then his children he was not related to anyone in the group.
- Moke, Kolongo, and Njabo cut the marks into Turnbull's forehead.
- It was not seen as tradition to have more then one wife. Ekianga had 3 wives.
- Sau feared she would be left when the group moved, this happens to many old people. During arguments she has a sharp acid voice to prove that she is still vigorous. The Negroes think that she is a witch and should be killed. Turnbull was found of their family, they always built their hut by his.
- The main families of this group are Njobo and Masisi, Tungana and Manyalibo, and Ekianga and his relatives. This included Amabosu and Sau.
- Linguistics > they have their own particular intonations that makes it nearly impossible for non-Pygmies to understand the language. The Negroes call the Pygmies a different name then their "real" name.
- CEPHU "leader" of group. He often tagged along on other hunts and when it didn't go well he was blamed. His family kept to themselves at night and seemed unhappy. He had a large family but no large enough to form his own hunting group so they would go with Njobo and Ekianga. Cephu was the best story teller in the forest.
- Kenge had a happy position in the group. His dad marred a sister of Njobo and they joined his sisters group. This happens a lot. Kenge was his son by a different wife from a unrelated group. Refer to page 38 for better explanation but basically Kenge could flirt with anyone.
- Moke told Turnbull when his house was finished all the people will return the forest because they belong here.
- One of Cephu's children died and Masisi said this was because he didn't look after his children properly.
- Funerals-> They have "chief" diggers people in charge of the digging. The body s bathed, scented, wrapped in cloth, tied in a map and then is placed on wood. This is a Negro custom. The mother and older sister had to be dragged away as they tried themselves to fall into the grave. Cephu wept a lot. The Negroes have rules on who can and cannot wail but the Pygmies do not have these rules.
- When Pygmies laugh they hold each other up, slap their sides, contort their body, and snap their fingers.
- There was always a fire going.
- Masisi was angry that people outside immediate family were wailing and the people stopped after he threw a few of the children.
Religion:
- The Negroes direct guiding spirit away by pouring a bucket of water in a hole above the dead body and then down the grave away from the forest and village. The Negroes believe that the forest is where spirits of the dead are and they have to stay away village.
- The Negroes do not believe in a natural death but rather that some evil spirit, witch or sorcerer, had cursed the little girl with dysentery and had forced her to die. They Negroes were full of fear.
- The Pygmies did not feel like they needed to look for the witch. They believed the girl died and that was it.
- When Balekimito died there was a sense of complete loss that could never again be made good. The people fought to get in the hut and then fought to get out of the hut. Some of the children ran out of the hut and hit the ground and beat it. Asofalinda tried to strangle herself for allowing her mom to died, and it took three of the men to loosen the noose that was around her neck.
- The use of Molimo after deaths.
I have learned so much from my observations. I have learned how the villages (motels, stores, and plantations) have started to change the way of life amongst the forest people. I have learned the roles of different men in the camp and their personalities. I learned that old people are sometimes left if they cannot keep up. I have learned the differences between the Negroes and the Pygmies, and how the Pygmies are sometimes torn between two different lives. The traditions of the Negroes and their own traditions. This chapter taught me a lot about death and how funerals are proceeded. I learned the "stages" of death: hot, with fever, ill, dead, completely or absolutely dead, lastly dead forever.
In regards to my observations on religion I learned that the Negroes are controlled almost by fear and by death. They believe that death is caused by evil and the forest is evil to them. The Pygmies seen to view death as something they mourn and then something they try to forget. Death seems to be just something that happens. Death seems to have a empty and lingering sadness after death. The people view the forest as a place of comfort and they return to the forest for the Molimo Festival. They want the forest to be "heathy" again. I wonder if they blame themselves for the death, since they were in the village and not the forest. I do not know the answer to this yet. This chapter also taught me a lot about the social dynamics of the Pygmies. In light of my anthropological theory of Functionalism I think that the reason they don't seem to blame spirits for death is because they need move on with their lives individually so that as a society they can survive. For example, Masisi was angry about people outside the immediate family mourning so openly and loudly, he wanted only the immediate family to mourn and then he wanted everyone to move on. I think that the Pygmie believe that they don't have time to deal with searching of evil spirits or witches, they were bored when the Negros did so when the younger girl died. I think they want to move on so that the group can keep thriving in order to survive.
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