Open Collections

Droe, Anj

Database of Religious History (DRH)

The Mbuti are a traditionally hunting and gathering-based society located in the Ituri Forest of what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Mbuti are also typically divided by hunting method: some bands use archery for hunting, while others use a net-hunting method (Beierle, 1995:1). This entry focuses on the net-hunting Mbuti located near the village of Epulu in 1950. At this time, the region had been under Belgian control for over 70 years. However, most cultural contact occurred with the neighboring Bantu villages, many of whose traits (including language and circumcision) the Mbuti adopted. Mbuti religion centers around the relationship of the society to the forest, which is understood to be sacred and to protect the Mbuti. The deity worshiped by the Mbuti (referred to by many different names) is simultaneously benevolent and a god of death, and is, by some understandings, the forest itself. A ceremony called the molimo is undertaken at various crises, during which songs are sung and noise is made to “wake up” the forest. Satani, tricky and clever spirits that were once people, are also important in Mbuti religion, and especially in the improvisatory legends (Beierle, 1995:5). For the Mbuti, religious beliefs were inseparable from almost all aspects of social life. Therefore, this entry considers the religious group to be coterminous with the society at large.

Other

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0422062

Non UBC

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/