Pangolin caught by BaAka IMG_9870 - a photo on Flickriver

            Net hunting with the BaAka peoples of CAR. They hunt by using nets spread through the forest like a trawler net. After the net is spread the  BaAka then race through the forest making as much noise as they could to scare any duiker in the area into the net (the noise, made before the nets are spread, also serves the purpose of frightening away any of the animals they don't want to encounter - elephants, buffalo, gorilla etc.

In this photo they have caught and killed a pangolin.

The following is an edited version of the Wikipedia entry:

The Baka, known in the Congo as Bayaka are an ethnic group inhabiting the southeastern rainforests of Cameroon, northern Republic of Congo, northern Gabon, and southwestern Central African Republic. They have been historically called pygmies (the term is no longer considered respectful).

The Baka are a hunter-gatherer people. Groups establish temporary camps of huts constructed of bowed branches covered in large leaves (though today more and more homes are constructed following Bantu methods). The men hunt and trap in the surrounding forest, using nets, poisoned arrows and spears to great effect. They sometimes obtain honey from beehives in the forest canopy. The men also fish using chemicals obtained from crushed plant material. Using fast-moving river water, they disperse the chemical downstream. This non-toxic chemical deprives fish of oxygen, making them float to the surface and easily collected by Baka men. Another method of fishing, performed only by women, is dam fishing, in which water is removed from a dammed area and fish are taken from the exposed ground. Women also gather wild fruits and nuts or practice beekeeping while tending to the children. The group remains in one area until it is hunted out then abandon the camp for a different portion of the forest. The group is communal and makes decisions by consensus.

The Baka people are skilled in using various plants in which they may wash out chemicals to use or mash it into a pulp etc to treat illness and infertility. Their skills in this traditional medicine are such that even non-Baka often seek out their healers for treatment.

Baka religion is animist; they worship a forest spirit known as Jengi, also called Djengi or Ejengi, whom they perceive as both a parental figure and guardian. Each successful hunt is followed by a dance of thanksgiving known as the Luma, which is accompanied by drumming and polyphonic singing. One of the most important traditional ceremonies is the Jengi ceremony, a long and secret rite of initiation which celebrates the boy's passage into adulthood.

Taken on: September 23, 2012

Tags:

Africa

BaAka

Central Africa

Central African Republic

Dzanga-Sangha Reserve

Sangha Trinational Protected Area

Tropical

Unesco World Heritage

adventure

conservation

duiker

hunting

jungle

people

portraits

pygmies

pygmy

tourism

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Sets appears in: • Central Africa (Republic Congo, DR Congo, Central African Republic) 2012

Groups appears in: • Tall Tails of Animals

Camera: Canon EOS 7D, f/5.0, 1/30 sec, 18mm, ISO 1000 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 7D
Lens:	12-24mm
Aperture:	f/5.0
Exposure Time:	0.033 sec (1/30)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	1000
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
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