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Archive for the Category "Pygmies"

In the COUNTRY of ” the SOUTHERN RIVERS ». A part 2 Окт 11

Half an hour of driving on the asphalted highway from the airport up to the center of Conakry so have quickly flown, that we had not time to admire the beautiful garden city which has stretched on 16 km. In its streets high coconut palm trees with wide leaves, mighty, in two grasps is dense-green trees of a mango proud, giants almost deprived foliage baobabs which mighty branches are capable to sustain weight of a steam locomotive, and magnificent bright green silk cottons improbable thickness and height grow. They cover with impenetrable foliage of the house.
We have gone on a city market. How many paints and sounds! Bright attires of women and men. A noisy dialect. Silvery mountains of a fish. Guttural barracking of the sellers who are praising highly the goods, bleating of the goats brought on sale, bark of dogs, scurrying between legs, whistles of policemen, frequent fraction of a drum tam-tam under which sounds guys dance.
How many here gifts of the sea and the generous Guinean ground! A flounder, a tuna, the halibut, sardines… On palm leaves mountains of the cleared oranges rise. Huge a sheaf of bananas. Them eat crude, fried and baked. Fragrant fruits of a mango. Yam - a sweet potato. Greater, sweet roots similar to a giant beet cassava - plants with a high thin stalk and sprawling leaves. Beside roots ямса lay, at cooking it becomes white, friable. Corncobs, pineapples, coffee grains, beans of cocoa, nuts coca-cola, bags with snow-white rice…
The market lived, boiled, as suddenly the sky has darkened, blaze from the end in the end a lightning and the rain has rushed. For the first time we have understood, that such a tropical downpour. It seems, that from the sky falls are plunged. The elements stormed half an hour. Then the rain as has suddenly stopped, as well as has begun, and through breaks in clouds has looked out the hot African sun. The area quickly dried out, as if a hot plate, and was smoked the ferry. In bright beams of the sun all has found former clearness and brightness.

IN THE COUNTRY OF “THE SOUTHERN RIVERS” Окт 11

In Middle Ages the Arabian scientists gone with enterprising merchants through hot sand of Sahara on the south, named present Guinea the country of ” the Southern rivers ». Really here it is a lot of rivers. The extensive mountain plateau carries the name of Futa Dzhallon -« the Father of the rivers ». From uplands from height of 1500 m the river Senegal flows down. Also the well-known Niger - the greatest river of the Western Africa from here originates. During from above 4 thousand in km flows it to ocean, crossing on the way five countries.
People of the country of ” the Southern rivers » tall, broad-shouldered. On persons of all shades of a leather, from the most dark up to olive, - White teethes, the open smiles. On many men - short trousers - shorts and motley years shirts, national suits «boo-boo» - long to toe a wide white shirt. Some Guineans are dressed in bright color attires. Color of a leather, clothes depend on an accessory to one of ten tribes making the four-million population of the country. The largest nationalities of Guinea - Fulbe, Malinke and soosoo.
At women of Guinea complex hair dresses, put on they in bright dresses with prevalence of red, yellow, green colors - colors of a national colors. Red color symbolizes determination of people to struggle for the independence. Yellow color - the sun of Africa, shining all: both black and white. The third color of a flag - evergreen jungle. Trees in jungle cost shoulder to shoulder, to it they and will stand in hurricanes. People will be not broken with any storms!..
Conakry, capital of Guinea, - the most damp place in all Africa. Humidity of air reaches here 99 percent. Sensation such as if all time you are in a pair bath. A leather sticky, a shirt wet. It is difficult to local mistresses to dry the washed linen, it is necessary to spread it on hot stones. But vegetation here violent and uncontrollable in growth.

In tropical woods of Africa. A part 2 Окт 09

The basic employment of pygmies - hunting and collecting. With the primitive weapon of the man safely go on the largest animals. Hunters leave in a wood late, only after the sun will dry up dew as they are afraid of its cold drops falling from trees. Pygmies are able to spin networks from lianas. Length of such network about 9 m, and width - about 1 m. of 10-20 networks fasten together. Sometimes networks are stretched on hundreds meters. A network adhere above and below to branches of trees and bushes. After that women and children leave far forward and start to exhaust shouts animals which are promptly born, being rescued from beaters, and get in a network. They toss, fight, trying to be released, and even more confuse. Then hunters take animals from a network, entangle their lianas of a leg and bear them home. After that men have a rest, and women cook I food. The killed animal is property of all community. Plates during meal leaves of bananas, as plugs - the perfected sticks serve.
Women and children are engaged in collecting. Never falling outside the limits the site of a wood, they find edible roots, a grass, a bark, leaves of trees and bushes. All this “crop” shares fifty-fifty between families. Products of collecting go to food in a crude kind or boiled, from them prepare for various dishes.
Sometimes pygmies hunt and on monkeys. Between people below and monkeys above there is a present fight. Monkeys throw people than has got. Fruits, dull ends, branches - all flies downwards. People find out monkeys and start up in them arrows. If it is possible to kill female the cub mostly itself rushes downwards and nestles on dead mother, and both of them drag in settlement. Meat of monkeys is tasty.
Pygmies worship to spirits, trust in sorcery. Ceremonial ceremonies play a greater role in their daily life. Pygmies are musical, love dances and dancings in which glorify the ancestors and mythical heroes.

In tropical woods of Africa Окт 08

The largest animals are found in depth of a wood where the greatest trees grow and - elephants, there live the smallest people of globe - pygmies. Growth of the man not above 140 sm, growth of the woman is much less. Tribes of pygmies: efe, basooa, bakve, bambooty, acca, batva, babinga , etc. Scientists believe, that pygmies have lodged in a river basin of Congo long before other people, and some researchers consider pygmies as natives of these places.
Pygmies in languages of the neighbours - speak a bow and adamua east. They conduct rather isolated way of life though enter economic communications with next people, exchanging products of hunting on agricultural - bananas, manioc, millet.
Pygmies put the small villages in depth of a wood, often move from a place on a place. As dwelling it are served with the tents similar on small green hillock, constructed of palm leaves. They are built by women. They drive in the ground of a branch the thick ends downwards. The top parts of branches connect a lianas so, that the arch is formed. A number of such arches also makes a skeleton of dwelling. Then on a skeleton put greater leaves of palm trees, attaching them to a skeleton the split stalk. Construction of such dwelling takes away two-rub hours. Furniture of a hut unpretentious. In it there is a bed are two boards put by a number, under which one end the piece of a tree is palmed off to raise them. Such bed is covered by nothing.  Under a head instead of pillows they put an own hand. About pillows and blankets pygmies have no concept. Despite of seeming plain, tents are made strongly and represent good shelter from tropical downpours. Pygmies produce house utensils only from a vegetative material - leaves and a bark of trees. Quite often these subjects of the unitary use.