Facts about the Baka Tribe
- The Baka people are known as the forest people because they live in the rainforest of Gabon, Congo, and Cameroon.
- Since the Baka live in the rainforest they depend on hunting and gathering for food. They also make medicine from the forest.
- Rather than "pygmy" these people perfer to be called by their tribal names: Aka, Baka, Efe, Mbuti, and Twa Sua
- "Pygmy," is derived from the Greek word, pyme, which means "a cubit in height."
- They are best known for their small size. Adults usually grow to be only three or four feet tall.
- They are a gentle, peaceful people who have the ability to be camouflaged so well in the forest that they can be passed without ever being noticed.
- Men hunt deer, pigs, hippos, and elephants.
- Baka men generally has only one wife, but polygamy does exist, especially among the tribe.
- The Baka tribes in Southern Cameroon have been living in the forest for thousands of years. But now, with logging and mining companies rushing to cash in on the wealth, their ancient culture has come under threat.
- The tribe is currently shrinking partly do from deforestation. It is a bit hard to find the population of some tribes because many of them live in remote place and they don't have a census.