- (Pygmaei, Πυγμαι̃οι). Mythical people of dwarfs, the size of πηγμή, τ. i.e. height no more than the distance from elbow to fist. According to Homer, they lived on the shores of the Ocean; Subsequently, the sources of the Nile, as well as India, began to be considered their location. Current... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology
PYGMIES- a group of peoples belonging to the Negrill race, the indigenous population of tropical Africa. They speak the languages Bantu (Twa, 185 thousand people, 1992; Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire), Adamaua of the eastern group (Aka, Binga, etc., 35 thousand people; Congo, Central African Republic) and Shari... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Pygmies- (foreign language) people are morally insignificant. Wed. For the crowd he is great, for the crowd he is a prophet; For himself he is nothing, for himself he is a pygmy!... Nadson. “Look, there he is!” Cf. In the midst of his wanderings, he loved his poor Fatherland. She is surrounded by blizzards, She is surrounded by pygmies... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)
PYGMIES Modern encyclopedia
Pygmies- From ancient Greek: Pigmaios. Literally: The size of a fist. In ancient Greek mythology, pygmies were the name given to a fairy-tale people of dwarfs who were so small that they often became victims of cranes, like frogs. Therefore, the dwarfs had to... ... Dictionary of popular words and expressions
PYGMIES- a people of dwarfs who, according to the legendary tales of the Greeks, lived on the shores of the ocean (Homer) and on the sources of the Nile (late writers), where they waged a constant struggle with cranes. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. Pygmies ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
Pygmies- (Pugmaioi), own. people the size of a fist in Greek mythology, a fabulous people of dwarfs living in Libya. The Iliad (III, 6) tells about their battles with the cranes (cf. L. v. Sybel, Mythologie der Ilias, 1877, and L. F. Voevodsky, Introduction to Mythology ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron
Pygmies- PYGMIES, a group of peoples: Twa, Binga, Bibaia, Gielli, Efe, Kango, Aka, Mbuti with a total number of 350 thousand people belonging to the Negrill race, the indigenous population of Tropical Africa. The name comes from the Greek pygmaios (literally the size of... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
pygmies- a group of peoples in Central Africa. Total number 390 thousand people (1995). They speak Bantu languages. Many pygmies retain a wandering lifestyle, archaic culture, and traditional beliefs. * * * PYGMIES PYGMIES, a group of peoples belonging to ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
PYGMIES- (from the Greek “fist” or “distance” from the fist to the elbow) in Greek mythology, a tribe of dwarfs, symbolizing the barbaric world. The name is associated with the small stature of the pygmies and symbolizes a distorted perception of the true ethnic group. The Greeks determined... ... Symbols, signs, emblems. Encyclopedia
Books
- Kremlin pygmies against the titan Stalin, Sergei Kremlev. Although Putin and Medvedev are the same height as Stalin, in comparison with the titanic achievements of the Leader, the current owners of the Kremlin look like mere dwarfs. And the pygmies will always envy the political ones... Buy for 210 rubles
- Kremlin pygmies against the titan Stalin, or Russia, which must be found, Sergei Kremlev. Although Putin and Medvedev are the same height as Stalin, in comparison with the titanic achievements of the Leader, the current owners of the Kremlin look like mere dwarfs. And the pygmies will always envy political...
First, let's get acquainted with the facts and reports of scientists about the pygmy tribes. There is not as much information about mysterious short people as we would like, so all of them are important. Where and how they live, who they are: a “mistake” or a “regularity” of Nature; Perhaps, having understood their “features”, we will be able to take a better look at ourselves? After all, we are all children of one planet, their problems cannot be alien to us.
“The first ancient evidence of pygmies was left by a Greek historian of the 5th century. to x. e. Herodotus. When he was traveling around Egypt, he was told a story about how one day young men from the African Nasamon tribe decided to “make a journey through Libyan desert with the goal of penetrating further and seeing more of all those who had previously visited its most remote parts, “...” the Nasamons returned safely and that all the people [pygmies] to whom they came were magicians.”
“Another evidence about the pygmies was left to us by the largest Roman scientist Pliny the Elder (24-79 AD). In his Natural History he writes: “Some report a tribe of pygmies living among swamps, of which the Nile begins"".(1*)
“One of the civilizations where the pygmies lived and which has now gone into oblivion located on Hawaiian Islands. "..." Today, pygmy tribes live in Africa (Central Equatorial Zone) and Southeast Asia (Andaman Islands, Philippines, and Malacca rainforests).”
Hunter-gatherers in Africa are represented by three main groups - the Pygmies of Central Africa, the Bushmen of South Africa and the Hadza of East Africa. Neither the Pygmies nor the Bushmen are a single monolith - each of these groups consists of tribes or other ethnic communities at different levels of socio-historical and cultural development.
Name pygmies comes from the Greek pygmaios (literally, the size of a fist). Main countries of settlement: Zaire - 165 thousand people, Rwanda - 65 thousand people, Burundi - 50 thousand people, Congo - 30 thousand people, Cameroon - 20 thousand people, Central African Republic - 10 thousand. people, Angola - 5 thousand people, Gabon - 5 thousand people. They speak Bantu languages.
Pygmies were one of the races that came out of Africa and settled in southern Asia, where they were very common in ancient times. The modern population of pygmies lives not only in Africa but also in some areas of South Asia, such as Aeta and Batak in the Philippines, Semang in Malaysia, Mani in Thailand. The average height of an adult man is about 140 cm. Women are about 120 cm. Increasingly tall pygmies are the result of interracial mixing with neighboring tribes.
“PYGMIES. Have proportional healthy body, only in a reduced size. Anatomy and physiology are close to normal".
“Among the pygmies there are those who are a little sexual (Amazonians) and easily excitable (Bushmen, who have a constant erection), there are very infantile ones - and very masculine (bearded, muscular, with large facial features, chests, unlike Negroids, hairy). African pygmies are very musical and flexible. They hunt elephants. Next to them live the Nilotic giants, the tallest people on Earth. They say that Nilotes willingly take pygmy women as wives, but are afraid of men.”
Previously, it was believed that the short stature of the pygmies was due to the poor quality of food and some special diet, but this version has not been confirmed. There are other races living nearby - the Masai and Sumburu in Kenya, who do not eat much better, but are considered the highest in the world. At one time, for the purpose of experimentation, a group of pygmies was fed fully and for a long time, but their growth and the growth of their offspring did not increase.
Pygmies Central Africa can be divided into three geographically distinct groups: 1) the Pygmies of the Ituri River basin, known as the Bambuti, Wambuti or Mbuti and linguistically divided into three subgroups: the Efe, Basua or Sua, and aka (about which more in this article); 2) the pygmies of the Great Lakes region - the Twa, inhabiting Rwanda and Burundi, and scattered groups surrounding them; 3) pygmies of the western regions of the tropical forest - Baguielli, Obongo, Akoa, Bachwa, Bayele, etc. In addition, there is also a group of East African pygmies - Boni.
Now the pygmies are facing harsh times, they are dying out due to diseases like measles and smallpox, which, in combination with food poor in nutrients and heavy loads, lead to high mortality. In some tribes, the average life expectancy is only 20 years. The taller and stronger black tribes oppress the pygmies and force them into unsuitable areas for existence.
Some scientists are also trying to connect the short life span of pygmies with their growth (compare the life expectancy of an elephant and a mouse). In general, all researchers of this people agree that the study of pygmies helps to better understand the principles of evolution and human adaptability to different environmental conditions.
The high demand for bushmeat forces pygmies to poach in reserves. The unreasonable extermination of endangered animals may soon become a threat to the existence of the pygmy tribes themselves - a vicious circle from which it is no longer possible to escape.
Pygmies go poaching in the reserve, weapons - trapping nets and spears.
Here is the prey, catching an antelope is a great success.
“Pygmies are a nomadic people. Several times a year they leave their homes and, together with all their simple belongings, go along hidden paths into the most remote corners of the forest.”
“... pygmies live in huts that look like small green tubercles.”
“The pygmies constantly keep the fire going. When moving to another site, they carry burning brands with them, since striking a fire with flint is very long and difficult.”
“There is no real clay capable of holding buildings together, and the rains destroy the pygmy “structures.” Therefore, they have to be repaired frequently. You can always see this activity only women. Girls who have not yet started a family and their own home, according to local customs they are not allowed to do this work.”
Pygmies (Greek Πυγμαῖοι - “people the size of a fist”) are a group of short Negroid peoples living in the equatorial forests of Africa.
Testimonies and mentions
Mentioned already in ancient Egyptian inscriptions of the 3rd millennium BC. e., at a later time - in ancient Greek sources (in Homer’s Iliad, Herodotus and Strabo).
In the XVI-XVII centuries. they are mentioned under the name "Matimba" in the descriptions left by explorers of West Africa.
In the 19th century, their existence was confirmed by the German researcher Georg August Schweinfurt, the Russian researcher V.V. Junker and others, who discovered these tribes in the tropical forests of the Ituri and Uzle river basins (various tribes under the names: Akka, Tikitiki, Obongo, Bambuti, Batwa) .
In 1929-1930 P. Shebesta's expedition described the Bambuti pygmies; in 1934-1935, researcher M. Guzinde found the Efe and Basua pygmies.
At the end of the 20th century, they lived in the forests of Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, and Rwanda.
The most ancient mention of pygmies is contained in the story of the Egyptian Hirkhuf, a nobleman from the era of the Old Kingdom, who boasted that he managed to bring a dwarf from his campaign for the amusement of the young king. This inscription dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. e. In an Egyptian inscription, the dwarf brought by Hirkhuf is called dng. This name has been preserved to this day in the languages of the peoples of Ethiopia: in Amharic the dwarf is called deng, or dat. Ancient Greek writers tell all sorts of stories about African pygmies, but all their reports are fantastic.
Pygmies lead a hunting lifestyle. In the economy of the pygmies, gathering apparently occupies the first place and mainly determines the nutrition of the entire group. Women do most of the work, since the extraction of plant food is the work of women. Every day, women of the entire living group, accompanied by children, collect wild root vegetables, leaves of edible plants and fruits around their camp, catch worms, snails, frogs, snakes and fish.
The pygmies are forced to leave the camp as soon as all the suitable plants in the vicinity of the camp are eaten and the game is destroyed. The entire group moves to another area of the forest, but wanders within established boundaries. These boundaries are known to everyone and are strictly observed. Hunting on other people's lands is not permitted and may lead to hostile conflicts. Almost all groups of pygmies live in close contact with the tall population, most often the Bantu. Pygmies usually bring game and forest products to villages in exchange for bananas, vegetables and iron spearheads. All pygmy groups speak the languages of their tall neighbors.
Pygmy house made of leaves and sticks
The primitive nature of the pygmy culture sharply distinguishes them from the surrounding peoples of the Negroid race. What are pygmies? Is this population of Central Africa autochthonous? Do they constitute a special anthropological type, or is their origin the result of the degradation of the tall type? These are the main questions that form the essence of the pygmy problem, one of the most controversial in anthropology and ethnography. Soviet anthropologists believe that pygmies are aborigines of tropical Africa of a special anthropological type, of independent origin.
Height ranges from 144 to 150 cm for adult males, light brown skin, curly, dark hair, relatively thin lips, large torso, short arms and legs, this physical type can be classified as a special race. The possible number of pygmies can range from 40 to 280 thousand people.
In terms of external type, the Negritos of Asia are close to them, but genetically there are strong differences between them.
Dwarfism and gigantism are opposites of the human world that attract attention. In addition to 190 cm giants, Africa is home to the smallest people in the world. And this is not just a glitch in genetics - there is a whole set of factors here that everyone will be interested in learning about.
The smallest people in Africa are called pygmies or negrillies.. Translated from Greek, “people the size of a fist.” Their height ranges from 124 to 150 cm (and dwarfism is considered height below 147 cm).
Pygmies are well adapted to life in tropical rainforests - it is easy for them to move in impassable wilds, their organisms cool better in hot climates and require much less calories for food.
On the mainland there is a fairly large community of pygmies (about 280 thousand people), distributed in the equatorial forests of Central Africa on the territory of 5 states. They are conventionally divided into Western and Eastern.
Pygmies can be found on all continents: the Philippines, Brazil, Australia, Bolivia, Indonesia, the Fiji and Adaman Islands. In addition to tropical forests, the smallest people in the world live in other places (for example, the African Twa pygmies live in the desert).
Pygmies in history
The first mentions of pygmies are found among the ancient Greeks (III millennium BC) and Egyptians (II millennium BC). And officially the world became acquainted with the pygmies after the independent travels in Africa of the German G. Schweinfurt and the Russian V. Juncker in the 1870s.
In the 60s of the twentieth century, the Belgian researcher J.P. Alle lived for several months in one of the pygmy communities, Efe. He made 2 documentaries about the Aborigines and founded a charitable foundation. Now this organization provides real assistance to this people in the Congo, providing them with land for farming.
Genetics, anthropology of pygmies
Many researchers identify pygmies as a special race. Men with a height of one and a half meters are considered giants, and the average height of women is around 133 cm. African pygmies have light brown skin, a small head with a wide forehead and nose, black and curly hair, and thin lips.
It is interesting that in appearance the Negritos inhabiting the south and southeast of Asia, as well as the islands of Melanesia and the north of Australia are closest to the pygmies. But genetically the differences are quite large.
Pygmies still have the Neanderthal gene (up to 0.7%). These human ancestors lived from 600 to 350 thousand years ago, and in modern humans this gene has mutated and is practically not found.
Origin hypotheses
Reasons for short stature
- Hormones
It is not surprising, but the pituitary gland secretes growth hormone in pygmies in the same way as in ordinary people. But Africans do not experience growth acceleration, since the secretion of hormones during puberty does not occur at the proper level.
Already in childhood, strong differences are visible between the same Europeans and pygmies. A five-year-old pygmy is the same in height as a 2-year-old European. And in adolescence (12-15 years), pygmies simply stop growing.
- Malnutrition
Pygmies are not only small, but also extremely delicate. Their nutrition depends largely on luck. For example, the pygmy tribe in the Philippines is considered the thinnest of all human populations. Infant mortality in this tribe accounts for half of the total birth rate.
Therefore, in order to survive, the size of the pygmies decreased from generation to generation.
- Living near the equator
The tropics are characterized by a hot and humid climate. In such conditions (if we add forests here), the body will definitely overheat. People usually sweat and thus can avoid heatstroke.
But with high humidity, you simply won’t be able to sweat intensely. Pygmies were able to reduce muscle mass and thus improve thermoregulation.
- Sun deficiency
Dense tropical forests prevent sufficient sunlight penetration (and the body's production of vitamin D). Therefore, the skeleton of pygmies is smaller - calcium is not absorbed enough and bone growth is inhibited.
- Lifestyle
One of the main activities of the aborigines in Africa is collecting honey. Pygmies have been doing this for several millennia, so they have evolved into small and agile people, weighing up to 45 kg, who can climb vertically on branches that can support their weight. Among the Batwa pygmies, even the feet can bend at an angle of 45 degrees, although in ordinary people - only up to 18.
Pygmies even managed to enter into a kind of symbiosis with bees. Bees almost never bite people, and the latter practically do not react to minor stings. But as soon as a white man appears next to him and sweats a little, he will have no mercy.
- Small century
Unfortunately, the smallest people in the world live very short lives. Their average life expectancy is only 24 years, and 40-year-olds are already considered elders. Pygmies survive only due to frequent changes of generations.
Puberty occurs very early in them, simultaneously with growth inhibition. Men begin to reproduce at the age of 12, and the peak birth rate for women is at 15.
Pygmies in the modern world
Modern African pygmies live in forests, obtaining everything they need through hunting and gathering. They kill animals with a bow and arrow.
At the same time, until recently, they did not know how to make fire (they carried it when changing camps) and did not make tools (they exchanged them with neighboring tribes).
A large segment of nutrition (up to 30%) is occupied by collecting fruits and honey. And the pygmies exchange the rest of the food and things (metal, tobacco, clothes, dishes) from nearby farmers for honey and other forest provisions.
Pygmies are constantly wandering. This is due to the custom - when a member of the tribe dies, he is left in the hut where he lived. In this case, the entire community moves to a new place.
Pygmies are very knowledgeable about medicinal plants. Therefore, no one can prepare a medicinal or poisonous mixture better than them. Even the bulk of the pygmy vocabulary consists of similar words.
Pygmies catch fish in an interesting way. They produce a poison that causes all the fish in the pond to float upside down. But over time, the poison loses its potency and the fish can be eaten.
Slavery and cannibalism
It turns out that slavery still exists in the Republic of the Congo. The neighboring tribe, the Bantu, has pygmy slaves in their families and passes them on by inheritance.
Pygmies obtain food for their masters in the forest in exchange for goods necessary for survival. To be fair, it is worth noting that slaves may well be in the service of several farmers.
And in the province of North Kivu there is still a belief that by eating the flesh of a pygmy, you can get magical powers.
Video
A pygmy is a representative of one of the nationalities living in the equatorial forests of Africa. This word is of Greek origin and means “a man the size of a fist.” This name is quite justified, given the average height of representatives of these tribes. Find out who the pygmies of Africa are and how they differ from others on the hottest continent.
Who are the pygmies?
These tribes live in Africa, near Ogowe and Ituri. In total, there are about 80 thousand pygmies, half of whom live along the banks of the Ituri River. The height of representatives of these tribes varies from 140 to 150 cm. Their skin color is somewhat atypical for Africans, because they are a little lighter, golden brown. The pygmies even have their own national clothes. Thus, men wear a fur or leather belt with a small apron made of wood in front and a small bunch of leaves at the back. Women are less fortunate; often they only have aprons.
At home
The buildings in which representatives of this people live are made of twigs and leaves, holding everything together with clay. Oddly enough, building and repairing huts here is the job of women. A man, having decided to build a new house, must go to the elder for permission. If the elder agrees, he hands his visitor a nyombikari - a bamboo stick with a peg at the end. It is with the help of this device that the boundaries of the future home will be outlined. The man does this; all other construction concerns fall on the woman’s shoulders.
Life style
A typical pygmy is a forest nomad who does not stay in one place for a long time. Representatives of these tribes live in one place for no more than a year, as long as there is game around their village. When there are no more unafraid animals, the nomads leave in search of a new home. There is another reason why people often move to a new place. Any pygmy is an extremely superstitious person. Therefore, the entire tribe, if one of its members dies, migrates, believing that the forest does not want anyone to live in this place. The deceased is buried in his hut, a funeral is held, and the next morning the entire settlement goes deep into the forest to build a new village.
Production
Pygmies feed on what the forest gives them. Therefore, early in the morning, the women of the tribe go there to replenish supplies. Along the way, they collect everything edible, from berries to caterpillars, so that every pygmy fellow tribesman is well-fed. This is an established tradition, according to which the woman is the main breadwinner in the family.
Bottom line
The pygmies are accustomed to the traditions of their life, which have been established for centuries. Despite the fact that the state government is trying to teach them a more civilized life, cultivation of the land and a settled existence, they continue to remain far from this. The pygmies, photographed by many researchers studying their customs, refuse any innovations in their everyday life and continue to do what their ancestors did for many centuries.
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