Observations and Religion:
- They do not fear anything in the forest, they don't even bring spears when they go looking for a molimo. They did not fear anything in the forest only that which was outside the forest. They saw the forest as their home.
- Cephus did not always attend the singing and may critized him for it. Masimongo was a relative in Cephus's camp and he always stood up for him but Manyalibo did not allow for these kinds of excuses.
- Two fires the old man sang at theirs the young men danced at theirs
- Masalito became angry when people were beating the roof of his hut and tearing off the leaves when they were "fighting the animal of the forest." He told them to take the animal away, put it back in the water, and stop making so much noise. This was offensive to say because he was breaking the tradition.
- Amabosu became a different person when he played the "trumpet."
- The trumpets are given a "drink" because when they were made out of wood it made them sound better. Even though they are now made of steel they have kept the tradition.
- The hide the molimo in the water because it is the easiest place to hide it.
- The Molimo sleeps on top of a "marked" Molimo tree in the forest until it is "needed."
- The trumpets (Molimo) had to "drink" so they were emerged into water.
- Negro tribes center around different sacred objects but the Pygmies do not do that.
- The Molimo is a concern of the men in the village.
- As the men sung around the fire the lead singer Amabosu went to the forest to play the Molimo.
- Everyone has to eat so they all shared some spinach like leaves and rice. Everyone had to eat and nobody could sleep, they had to stay up and sing. It is considered one of the biggest crimes to sleep while the Molimo is singing. If a man was sleeping he would be stabbed in the stomach and killed. They would them burry him under the kumamolimo and his death would not be mentioned or mourned. The women would be told that the molimo (a great animals of the forest) carried the missing man away.
- The women were to believe that this really was a dangerous animal. The words of the Molimo songs say "The Forest is Good."
- If a women sees the Molimo she is supposed to believe that she will die.
- They call out to the Molimo when things are going poorly (hunting is poor, somebody is dying, a person is really dead etc.)
- The forest is a mother and father to them. It gives them everything that they need. There has to be a reason why bad things happen. Bad things happen when they are sleeping. For example a Leapord steals a dog or a child. When the forest is sleeping bad things happen. They sing and dance to make the forest happy again, they want to share their happiness with the forest.
- THE FOREST IS THEIR GOD
This chapter explains the religion of the Pygmies. They all have different names for their God, the forest. The people all believe in the forest as their God because they forest is how they survive. The forest gives them food, shelter, water, etc. The people each individually need the forest to survive and prosper. When the forest is sleeping the people do all they can to make it awaken and be happy again. The forest is seen as their mother and father and their lives are consumed by the forest.
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