Pygmies, 1970's - Film 30868

The Pygmies of the Ituri forest in Zaire, Africa. Their lifestyle, how they shelter, eat and relax. A group of Ituri men from the Ituri rainforest of Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo, carry nets to catch animals. Being a nomadic tribe, the women build a hut made weather proof by large leaves covering the frame. A woman bathes a baby. Small children play by shooting arrows and a ball. Women prepare food for the camp, roasting and grinding seeds. Men scrape out the inner layer of the cloth and make a cloth, pounding the cloth and spreading it out to dry. After drying, the cloth is worn as a loincloth. Children walk around the village on stilts while the other villagers look on and clap. Women and children play a game of jacks with stones. A group of young people line up opposite each other playing a game involving making musical rhythms with their bodies. A child follows a pangolin up a tree. The men prepare their arrows and apply a poison to the tips. A band of hunters spot a monkey in a tree and successfully shoot it. A circular dance is performed. A montage of still images display various body paintings which adorn the pygmy people. Night time in the village, an elder sits with children to pass on spiritual teachings.