The smallest people in the world. Interesting facts about the smallest people that you did not know before Pygmy tribe in Africa

The most short people on earth, whose average height does not exceed 141 cm, live in the Congo River basin in Central Africa. “The size of a fist” - this is translated from the Greek pygmalios - the name of the pygmy tribe. There is an assumption that they once occupied all of Central Africa, but were then forced out into the tropical forests.

The daily life of these wild people devoid of romance and associated with the everyday struggle for survival, when the main task of men becomes getting food for the entire village. Pygmies are considered the least bloodthirsty hunters. And indeed it is. They never hunt for the sake of hunting, they never kill animals for the sake of the desire to kill, they never store meat for future use. They do not even bring a killed animal to the village, but cut it up, cook it and eat it right on the spot, calling all the village residents for a meal. Hunting and everything connected with it is the main ritual in the life of the tribe, clearly expressed in folklore: songs about heroic hunters, dances depicting scenes of animal behavior, myths and legends. Before the hunt, the men cover themselves and their weapons with mud and dung from the animal they are going to hunt, turn to the spear with a request to be accurate, and set off.

The daily food of the pygmies is plant-based: nuts, edible herbs and roots, palm pith. Seasonal activity is fishing. For fishing, pygmies use a special grass that makes the fish fall asleep, but does not die. The grass leaves are dissolved in the river, and the catch is collected downstream. Particularly dangerous for pygmies is the jungle, full of a variety of wild animals. But the most dangerous is the python. If a pygmy accidentally steps on a python more than 4 meters away, it is doomed. The snake instantly attacks, wraps itself around the body and strangles.

The origin of the pygmies is still not entirely clear. What is known is that the first Europeans only recently entered their world and were met with a rather belligerent reception. The exact number of members of the tribe is not known. According to various sources, there are about 280 thousand of them. The average life expectancy is no more than 45 years for men, women live a little longer. The first child is born at the age of 14-15, but there are no more than two children in a family. Pygmies roam in groups of 2-4 families. They live in low huts covered with grass, which can be made in a few hours. Boys aged 9-16 are circumcised and subjected to other rather cruel tests, accompanied by moral instructions. Only men take part in such rituals.

The tribe has lost its native language, so the dialects of neighboring tribes are most often used. The clothing consists only of a hip belt with an apron. But sedentary pygmies are increasingly wearing European clothes. The main deity is the forest spirit Tore, the owner of forest game, to whom hunters turn with prayer before hunting.

The culture and traditions of the Pygmies are gradually disappearing. New life slowly penetrates into their everyday life, dissolving in itself the way of life of the smallest people on the planet.

Watch interesting videos.

Unknown planet. Pygmies and Karamojongs. Part 1.

Ritual dances of the Baka pygmies.

First, let's get acquainted with the facts and reports of scientists about the pygmy tribes. There is not as much information about mysterious short people as we would like, so all of them are important. Where and how they live, who they are: a “mistake” or a “regularity” of Nature; Perhaps, having understood their “features”, we will be able to take a better look at ourselves? After all, we are all children of one planet, their problems cannot be alien to us.

“The first ancient evidence of pygmies was left by a Greek historian of the 5th century. to x. e. Herodotus. When he was traveling around Egypt, he was told a story about how one day young men from the African Nasamon tribe decided to “make a journey through Libyan desert with the goal of penetrating further and seeing more of all those who had previously visited its most remote parts, “...” the Nasamons returned safely and that all the people [pygmies] to whom they came were magicians.”

“Another evidence about the pygmies was left to us by the largest Roman scientist Pliny the Elder (24-79 AD). In his Natural History he writes: “Some report a tribe of pygmies living among swamps, of which the Nile begins"".(1*)
“One of the civilizations where the pygmies lived and which has now gone into oblivion located on Hawaiian Islands . "..." Today, pygmy tribes live in Africa (Central equatorial zone) And South-East Asia(Andaman Islands, Philippines, and Malacca Rainforests)."

Hunters and gatherers in Africa are represented by three main groups - the Pygmies Central Africa, Bushmen South Africa and Hadza East Africa. Neither the Pygmies nor the Bushmen are a single monolith - each of these groups consists of tribes or other ethnic communities, located at different levels of socio-historical and cultural development.

Name pygmies comes from the Greek pygmaios (literally, the size of a fist). Main countries of settlement: Zaire - 165 thousand people, Rwanda - 65 thousand people, Burundi - 50 thousand people, Congo - 30 thousand people, Cameroon - 20 thousand people, Central African Republic - 10 thousand. people, Angola - 5 thousand people, Gabon - 5 thousand people. They speak Bantu languages.

Pygmies were one of the races that came out of Africa and settled in southern Asia, where they were very common in ancient times. The modern population of pygmies lives not only in Africa but also in some areas of South Asia, such as Aeta and Batak in the Philippines, Semang in Malaysia, Mani in Thailand. The average height of an adult man is about 140 cm. Women are about 120 cm. Increasingly tall pygmies are the result of interracial mixing with neighboring tribes.

“PYGMIES. Have proportional healthy body , only in a reduced size. Anatomy and physiology are close to normal".

“Among the pygmies there are those who are a little sexual (Amazonians) and easily excitable (Bushmen, who have a constant erection), there are very infantile ones - and very masculine (bearded, muscular, with large facial features, chests, unlike Negroids, hairy). African pygmies are very musical and flexible. They hunt elephants. Nilotic giants live next to them, the most tall people on the ground. They say that Nilotes willingly take pygmy women as wives, but are afraid of men.”

Previously, it was believed that the short stature of the pygmies was due to the poor quality of food and some special diet, but this version has not been confirmed. There are other races living nearby - the Masai and Sumburu in Kenya, who do not eat much better, but are considered the highest in the world. At one time, for the purpose of experimentation, a group of pygmies were fed fully and for a long time, but their growth and the growth of their offspring did not increase.

Pygmies Central Africa can be divided into three geographically distinct groups: 1) the Pygmies of the Ituri River basin, known as the Bambuti, Wambuti or Mbuti and linguistically divided into three subgroups: the Efe, Basua or Sua, and aka (about which more in this article); 2) the pygmies of the Great Lakes region - the Twa, inhabiting Rwanda and Burundi, and scattered groups surrounding them; 3) pygmies of the western regions of the tropical forest - Baguielli, Obongo, Akoa, Bachwa, Bayele, etc. In addition, there is also a group of East African pygmies - Boni.

Now the pygmies are facing harsh times, they are dying out due to diseases like measles and smallpox, which, in combination with poor nutrients food and heavy exercise lead to high mortality. In some tribes average duration life is only 20 years. The taller and stronger black tribes oppress the pygmies and force them into unsuitable areas for existence.

Some scientists are also trying to connect short period the lives of pygmies with their growth (compare the life expectancy of an elephant and a mouse). In general, all researchers of this people agree that the study of pygmies helps to better understand the principles of evolution and human adaptability to different conditions environment.

The high demand for bushmeat forces pygmies to poach in reserves. The unreasonable extermination of endangered animals may soon become a threat to the existence of the pygmy tribes themselves - vicious circle, from which it is no longer possible to get out.

Pygmies go poaching in the reserve, weapons - trapping nets and spears.

Here is the prey, catching an antelope is a great success.

“Pygmies are a nomadic people. Several times a year they leave their homes and, together with all their simple belongings, go along hidden paths into the most remote corners of the forest.”
“... pygmies live in huts that look like small green tubercles.”

“The pygmies constantly keep the fire going. When moving to another site, they carry burning brands with them, since striking a fire with flint is very long and difficult.”

“There is no real clay capable of holding buildings together, and the rains destroy the pygmy “structures.” Therefore, they have to be repaired frequently. You can always see this activity only women. Girls who have not yet started a family and their own home, according to local customs they are not allowed to do this work.”

Pygmies (Greek Πυγμαῖοι - “people the size of a fist”) are a group of short Negroid peoples living in equatorial forests Africa.

Testimonies and mentions

Mentioned already in ancient Egyptian inscriptions of the 3rd millennium BC. e., at a later time - in ancient Greek sources (in Homer’s Iliad, Herodotus and Strabo).

In the XVI-XVII centuries. they are mentioned under the name "Matimba" in the descriptions left by explorers of West Africa.

In the 19th century, their existence was confirmed by the German researcher Georg August Schweinfurt, the Russian researcher V.V. Junker and others, who discovered these tribes in tropical forests basin of the Ituri and Uzle rivers (various tribes under the names: Akka, Tikitiki, Obongo, Bambuti, Batwa).

In 1929-1930 P. Shebesta's expedition described the Bambuti pygmies; in 1934-1935, researcher M. Guzinde found the Efe and Basua pygmies.

At the end of the 20th century, they lived in the forests of Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, and Rwanda.

The most ancient mention of pygmies is contained in the story of the Egyptian Khirkhuf, a nobleman of the era Ancient kingdom, who boasted that he managed to bring a dwarf from his campaign for the amusement of the young king. This inscription dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. e. In an Egyptian inscription, the dwarf brought by Hirkhuf is called dng. This name has been preserved to this day in the languages of the peoples of Ethiopia: in Amharic the dwarf is called deng, or dat. Ancient Greek writers tell all sorts of stories about African pygmies, but all their messages are fantastic.

Pygmies lead a hunting lifestyle. In the economy of the pygmies, gathering apparently occupies the first place and mainly determines the nutrition of the entire group. Women do most of the work, since the extraction of plant food is the work of women. Every day, women of the entire living group, accompanied by children, collect wild root vegetables, leaves of edible plants and fruits around their camp, catch worms, snails, frogs, snakes and fish.

The pygmies are forced to leave the camp as soon as all the suitable plants in the vicinity of the camp are eaten and the game is destroyed. The entire group moves to another area of the forest, but wanders within established boundaries. These boundaries are known to everyone and are strictly observed. Hunting on other people's lands is not permitted and may lead to hostile conflicts. Almost all groups of pygmies live in close contact with the tall population, most often the Bantu. Pygmies usually bring game and forest products to villages in exchange for bananas, vegetables and iron spearheads. All pygmy groups speak the languages of their tall neighbors.

Pygmy house made of leaves and sticks

The primitive nature of the pygmy culture sharply distinguishes them from the surrounding peoples of the Negroid race. What are pygmies? Is this population of Central Africa autochthonous? Do they constitute a special anthropological type, or is their origin the result of the degradation of the tall type? These are the main questions that form the essence of the pygmy problem, one of the most controversial in anthropology and ethnography. Soviet anthropologists believe that pygmies are aborigines tropical Africa a special anthropological type, of independent origin.

Height ranges from 144 to 150 cm for adult males, light brown skin, curly, dark hair, relatively thin lips, large torso, short arms and legs, this physical type can be classified as a special race. The possible number of pygmies can range from 40 to 280 thousand people.

By external type The Negritos of Asia are close to them, but genetically there are strong differences between them.

A pygmy is a representative of one of the nationalities living in the equatorial forests of Africa. This word is of Greek origin and means “a man the size of a fist.” This name is quite justified, given the average height of representatives of these tribes. Find out who the pygmies of Africa are and how they differ from others on the hottest continent.

Who are the pygmies?

These tribes live in Africa, near Ogowe and Ituri. In total, there are about 80 thousand pygmies, half of whom live along the banks of the Ituri River. The height of representatives of these tribes varies from 140 to 150 cm. Their skin color is somewhat atypical for Africans, because they are a little lighter, golden brown. The pygmies even have their own national clothes. Thus, men wear a fur or leather belt with a small apron made of wood in front and a small bunch of leaves at the back. Women are less fortunate; they often only have aprons.

At home

The buildings in which representatives of this people live are made of twigs and leaves, holding everything together with clay. Oddly enough, building and repairing huts here is the job of women. A man, having decided to build a new house, must go to the elder for permission. If the elder agrees, he hands his visitor a nyombikari - a bamboo stick with a peg at the end. It is with the help of this device that the boundaries of the future home will be outlined. The man does this; all other construction concerns fall on the woman’s shoulders.

Life style

A typical pygmy is a forest nomad who does not stay in one place for a long time. Representatives of these tribes live in one place for no more than a year, as long as there is game around their village. When there are no more unafraid animals, the nomads leave in search of a new home. There is another reason why people often move to a new place. Any pygmy is an extremely superstitious person. Therefore, the entire tribe, if one of its members dies, migrates, believing that the forest does not want anyone to live in this place. The deceased is buried in his hut, a wake is held, and the next morning the entire settlement goes deep into the forest to build a new village.

Production

Pygmies feed on what the forest gives them. Therefore, early in the morning, the women of the tribe go there to replenish supplies. Along the way, they collect everything edible, from berries to caterpillars, so that every pygmy fellow tribesman is well-fed. This is an established tradition, according to which the woman is the main breadwinner in the family.

Bottom line

The pygmies are accustomed to the traditions of their life, which have been established for centuries. Despite the fact that the state government is trying to teach them a more civilized life, cultivation of the land and a settled existence, they continue to remain far from this. The pygmies, photographed by many researchers studying their customs, refuse any innovations in their everyday life and continue to do what their ancestors did for many centuries.

Pygmies (Greek Πυγμαῖοι - “people the size of a fist”) are a group of short Negroid peoples living in the equatorial forests of Africa.

Testimonies and mentions

Mentioned already in ancient Egyptian inscriptions of the 3rd millennium BC. e., at a later time - in ancient Greek sources (in Homer’s Iliad, Herodotus and Strabo).

In the XVI-XVII centuries. they are mentioned under the name "Matimba" in the descriptions left by explorers of West Africa.

In the 19th century, their existence was confirmed by the German researcher Georg August Schweinfurt, the Russian researcher V.V. Junker and others, who discovered these tribes in the tropical forests of the Ituri and Uzle river basins (various tribes under the names: Akka, Tikitiki, Obongo, Bambuti, Batwa) .

In 1929-1930 P. Shebesta's expedition described the Bambuti pygmies; in 1934-1935, researcher M. Guzinde found the Efe and Basua pygmies.

At the end of the 20th century, they lived in the forests of Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, and Rwanda.

The most ancient mention of pygmies is contained in the story of the Egyptian Hirkhuf, a nobleman from the era of the Old Kingdom, who boasted that he managed to bring a dwarf from his campaign for the amusement of the young king. This inscription dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. e. In an Egyptian inscription, the dwarf brought by Hirkhuf is called dng. This name has been preserved to this day in the languages of the peoples of Ethiopia: in Amharic the dwarf is called deng, or dat. Ancient Greek writers tell all sorts of stories about African pygmies, but all their reports are fantastic.

Pygmy house made of leaves and sticks

The primitive nature of the pygmy culture sharply distinguishes them from the surrounding peoples of the Negroid race. What are pygmies? Is this population of Central Africa autochthonous? Do they constitute a special anthropological type, or is their origin the result of the degradation of the tall type? These are the main questions that form the essence of the pygmy problem, one of the most controversial in anthropology and ethnography. Soviet anthropologists believe that pygmies are aborigines of tropical Africa of a special anthropological type, of independent origin.

In terms of external type, the Negritos of Asia are close to them, but genetically there are strong differences between them.