Chapter 5 The Crime of Cephu, the Bad Hunter

Chapter 5 The Crime of Cephu, the Bad Hunter 

Observations and Religion 
- Some put on a paste made from antelope, spittle, and ground.  We are not sure if this is a Pygmy or Negro is origin but we think that it came latter because not all families practice this and some families criticize those who do.  
- Hunting was unlucky due to Anjo and it was found in horns.  So the families would give old Moke only the magic horns and old Moke would throw it into the fire, and that was all.  The magic horns were seen as selfish magic.  The families all ran into good luck eventually after that in regards to hunting.  
- Typically everyone is cheerful and yelling rude remarks back and forth in the camp as they prepare to go hunt.  The people build a fire and they point the stick sing he direction of the hut.  A vine is laid as a circle around the fire and the meet is split up here after the hunt.   One day in particular everyone was quiet, this is a bad sign.  Cephu had refused to give to the molimo basket and the people were very upset that he was breaking tradition.  He had said that morning that he was tired of the molimo camp over there.  The people had always though of his camp and their camp as ONE camp.  All the people in the camp kept their thoughts to themselves about this matter.  
- The people make a smoky fire in order for the hunter to in harmony with the forest.  The Pygmies see the fire as a great and special gift to the forest that shows their debt and their dependence.  Everyone comes to hunt.  The women and children collect trees and nuts and wait for the signal from the men.  
- Cephu told them he had taken the wrong was so he had built his own fire, the people were upset with this.  
- The women and children run towards the animals after the signal and the animal is chased towards the nets.  The animal is killed gruesomely and then the women put its dead body into the baskets on their back.  A child imitates the animal as it dies.  Sometimes they pluck the feathers off a bird and let it die slowly, I wonder if they view this as a way to show they appreciate the gifts given to them by the forest.  
- When the men came back from the hunt they were quiet but the women came back swearing at each other, their husbands, and about Cephu.  
- Calling someone an animal is a great insult 
- One of the men would not give up his seat to Cephu and told him basically to sit on the floor becaus that is where animals sit. 
- Manyalibo explained to everyone how Cephu had made their camp bad.  He talked about how he did not contribute the to molimo basket.  Cephu said that the molimo was none of his business.  Cephu then mentioned Balekimito's name when she was brought up and he greatly offended everyone, since the name of a dead person is NEVER to be said.  Then he denied that she was his mother which mean that he was saying he did not belong to the same group as Manyalibo, Ekianga, and the others.  Cephu had set up his net in front of others and stollen their catch, the people were very upset with this as well.  Food is supposed to be shared and no-one is supposed to go without.  It is wrong to steal others food.  
- THIS SOCIETY has a chief (Cephu) and they are a band society.  Only villagers had chiefs though the BaMbuti did not have chiefs.  
- Cephu apologized and said he did not mean to put his net in front of the others.  Then he gave the food to be divided up that he had caught.  
- Masisi took some food cooked by his wife to Cephu and his "hunger cries" stopped.  Cephu was sitting on the ground like an animal but he was singing so he was just a much BaMbuti as the others.  

From the perspective of a Functionalist Anthropologist the people have to hunt to survive.  They all share their catches so that no INDIVIDUAL will starve.  Their was a brief mentioning of some who put on a paste made from antelope, spittle, and ground.  We are not sure if this is a Pygmy or Negro is origin but we think that it came latter because not all families practice this and some families criticize those who do.  This could be seen as a form of magic used to bring good luck but we are not sure if this is truly a Pygmy tradition.  All the Pygmy people believe hunting can be unlucky due to Anjo,  it is found in horns.  So the families would give old Moke only the magic horns and old Moke would throw it into the fire, and that was all.  The magic horns are seen as selfish magic.  The families all run into good luck eventually after that in regards to hunting.  The people are practice a ritual involving lighting a smoky fire before they hunt.  They then put a vine around it, and that is where they typically divide up the meat.  I think this is a ritual because it is structured, repressive, and separated in location. This "ritual" is a part of daily life, which typically means that it cannot be a ritual according to what I learned in class so I am not truly sure if it is considered a ritual or not by anthropology standards.  Their religion is greatly intwined by religion and the reason that Cephu is so greatly judged is because he messes with this.  He says the name of a dead person, steals food, lights his own fire, and does not give to the molimo basket.  He also says that his camp his separate from the others and challenges his kinship/ancestry.  These things I think both relate to their religion and culture because everything they believe stems from the idea that they see the forest as their God.