The Bambuti people are more like the famous Batwa pygmy people in terms of culture. These also prefer to live in forested areas just like the Batwa who live in the regions of western Uganda and in Rwanda as well as Dr. Congo. On your Safari in Uganda you will have an opportunity to meet these people. The Bambuti are closely related to the Batwa people and this explains why they live similar life style. They are equally highly marginalized because they lack the zeal to change to a better life style. Until today, they have remained ignorant about a number of aspects of life, still illiterate, very poor despite the conservation bodies’ effort to help them to adopt the new lifestyle which in term will help in forests protection.
The Bambuti share cultural beliefs with people like the Koikoi and San of South Africa, the Ndoriobo of Kenya and the pygmies in Congo.
Where the Bambuti live in Uganda
These people mainly occupy Bundibugyo and Kasese District. They live around the Congo River basin along the Uganda border with Congo within the tropical rain forests and they speak Kumbuti, a language that is rather hard to learn. They are said to be the indigenous people of the Rwenzori region and the other Bantu came later. The Bambuti are also said to have came from Congo, crossed into Uganda and settled there and so the place became home.
Physical appearance and life style
They are hunters and fruit gatherers as well which means they depend highly on the forest like the Batwas. They are therefore constantly on the move from one place to another searching for food and also a place they feel is safe for them and their families.
They construct huts in the same way as any other local Bantu people except that they use leaves instead of grass for the roof. These huts are short, round and with a so small entrance that one has to crawl inside and outside. In terms of security, they are very aggressive and fierce people capable of protection themselves from their enemies. They adopted this system of housing because they are always moving from one place to another therefore they have no reason for setting up something permanent.
Despite all the hardship they face in life, majority of them look good with fair skins. Given the fact that they live in cool places which are close to the cool forests, many of them have a fairly light skin color with that bronze skin complexion and many of them have curly hair.
Their dress code is often just a belt wound around someone’s waist, holding a piece of bark cloth that is covering the front part and back part between the legs. Both the women and men dress the same way so it is so uncommon to see the Bambuti dressed in real cloths, they are usually almost naked.
What is their Delicacy?
The Bambuti often feed on meat which they get from the wilderness since they are great hunters. The meat is supplemented with potatoes and bananas which they get after bartering their meat for such food stuffs. The men do the hunting while the women do the rest of the house work including carrying the luggage when it’s time for them to shift from one location to another while the man carries the hunting equipment, constructing the huts, caring for the entire family, among so many other roles.
The Bambuti just like the Batwa are amazing group of people who you are worth visiting during your Uganda cultural safari. Over the years, they have been encouraged to change to the modern new life style, setup permanent residents and live a normal life as any other person and this will be good for forest conservation too.
Uganda Safari News | AA Safaris & Tours Ltd
