The Mbuti people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are an indigenous pygmy group of hunter-gatherers. Interestingly enough, the way they live today is not very different from how they lived thousands of years ago.
Here is how their hunting habits are displayed at the American Museum of Natural History:
Here are more current photos I found online (I did not take them!):
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. Ituri Rainforest. December 2015. The Mbuti (Bambuti) Pygmies of the Ituri Rainforest. Chief is in front.
The Mbuti Pygmies have not advanced much in terms of technology and social structure. They remain nomadic and do not have a system of capital. They make decisions as a group and look down on those who hoard items. There is no emphasis on material wealth. The young people still use a bow and arrow to hunt. Hunting is a group effort and everyone has an important role.
collage attempt #1.
Featured here are the Mbuti Pygmies of the Ituri rainforest, which is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Mbuti community appears to have been largely unaffected (though not entirely) by the many changes which have occurred in the DRC. From 1908-1960, the country was a Belgian Colony, and the land was renamed Belgian Congo. After the country’s independence was won, it adopted the name Zaire. The Belgian and Zairean flag’s colors (black, yellow and red, and green and yellow, respectively) have been incorporated into the piece to represent two important times in the country’s history, which are not mentioned in the museum.
The effects of deforestation and a country at war DO have an impact, even if it is not as big as I would have imagined. Adding the political context of the country where the Mbuti people live would give an interesting depth to the installation.
