The Twa , often referred to as Batwa or Mutwa (singular), are indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, recognized as some of the earliest inhabitants of the area. Historically and academically, the term “Pygmy” has been used to describe these groups, however, it is considered derogatory, particularly by the Twa themselves. While some Batwa activists accept the term as an acknowledgement of their indigenous status, most prefer specific ethnic labels such as Bambuti (for the Ituri Forest region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Baaka (Lobaye Forest, Central African Republic), and Bambendjelle (Ndoki Forest, Congo-Brazzaville and Central African Republic).
22-536: The Twa of the Kafue Flats wetlands of Zambia are one of several fishing and hunter-gatherer castes living in a patron-client relationship with farming Bantu peoples across central and southern Africa. In Southern Province , where swampy terrain means that large-scale crops cannot be planted near the main rivers, only the Twa fish. They exchange their catch for agricultural produce from their Bantu/village patrons,
44-538: A greater presence in the region. Oral history and anthropological evidence substantiate their Indigenous status, showing no signs of a prior migration. The arrival of the Hutu and the Tutsi (as they are ethnically acknowledged today) around 1100 AD marked the onset of Twa subjugation, a practice that was sustained during precolonial and colonial periods and into the era of post-colonial conflict As largely hunter gatherer populations,
66-525: A lack of education facilities, HIV as well as violence and discrimination against women and girls were higher among Batwa communities than among the neighboring Bantu communities. The Twa People of Rwanda are connected to a broader population of Twa Peoples, and one of three main ethnic groups, alongside the Hutu and the Tutsi . While their population numbers have decreased significantly–comprising around 0.2-0.7% of
88-671: Is incidental to the social identity of the Pygmy/Twa. Twa live scattered throughout the Congo . In addition to the Great Lakes Twa of the dense forests under the Ruwenzoris , there are notable populations in the swamp forest around Lake Tumba in the west (about 14,000 Twa, more than the Great Lakes Twa in all countries), in the forest– savanna swamps of Kasai in the south-center, and in
110-647: Is used to cover a number of different cultural groups, while many Batwa in various parts of the DRC call themselves Bambuti. Arab and colonial accounts speak of Twa on either side of the Lomami River southwest of Kisangani , and on the Tshuapa River and its tributary the "Bussera". Among the Mongo , on the rare occasions of caste mixing, the child is raised as Twa. If this is a common pattern with Twa groups, it may explain why
132-719: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda living mainly in areas bordering other Bantu Tribes. In 1992 the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest became a national park and a World Heritage Site to protect the 350 endangered mountain gorillas within its boundaries. As a result, the Batwa were evicted from the park. Since they had no title to the land, they were given no compensation. The Batwa became conservation refugees in an unforested environment unfamiliar to them. Poverty, drugs and alcohol abuse were rampant, as well as
154-535: The Ligbi , also their own languages. A mismatch in language between patron and client could later occur from population displacements. The short stature of the "forest people" could have developed in the millennia since the Bantu expansion , as happened also with Bantu domestic animals in the rainforest. Perhaps there was additional selective pressure from farmers taking the tallest women back to their villages as wives. However, that
176-543: The Tonga and perhaps the Ila , who build villages at the ecotone on the margins of the floodplain, which they call Butwa "Twa country". The Kafue Twa have a dark-hut method of fishing unique in Africa. The sides of the river are covered with a thick mat of vegetation. The Twa raise a small reed platform about 3 square at the margin of the vegetation, with a tube in the center down to
198-626: The Congo State, explored the Lomani river upstream from Isangi on the Ville de Bruxelles . After steaming for 116 hours he was stopped by rapids at a latitude of 4°27'2" S. The river has lent its name to a number of biological species , including the monkey Cercopithecus lomamiensis and the flowering plant Pavetta lomamiensis . 0°46′N 24°16′E / 0.767°N 24.267°E / 0.767; 24.267 This article related to
220-586: The Taabwa. The former is reported to be the territory of Bemba-speaking Twa. Lomami River The Lomami River ( Swahili : Mto Lomami , French : Rivière Lomami , Dutch : Lomami Rivier ) is a major tributary of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The river is approximately 1,280 km (800 mi) long. It flows north, west of and parallel to the upper Congo. The Lomami rises in
242-603: The Twa are less physically distinct from their patrons than the Mbenga and Mbuti, where village men take Pygmy women out of the forest as wives. The Congolese variant of the name, at least in Mongo, Kasai, and Katanga, is Cwa . The Batwa of Uganda were forest dwellers who lived by gathering and hunting as their main source of food. They are believed to have lived in the Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National parks that border
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#1732855354393264-576: The Twa fish in Southern Province , where the swampy terrain means that large-scale crops cannot be planted near the best fishing grounds. The geneticist Cavalli-Sforza also shows Twa near Lake Mweru on the Zambia–Congo border. There are two obvious possibilities: the Luapula Swamps , and the swamps of Lake Mweru Wantipa . The latter is Taabwa territory, and the Twa are reported to live among
286-565: The Twa for access and woodland territories decreased, the dependence on agricultural and pastoral resources increased, and a number of Twa struggled to maintain their way of life. Twa historical contributions and their indigeneity to the land constitute a vital foundation in the building of the socio-cultural landscape that currently exists in Rwanda today. Twa culture plays a major role in the oral traditions of history and mythology of neighboring groups as an autochthonous people–the earliest settlers of
308-451: The Twa were experts of the woodland landscape, well versed in acquiring both plant and animal food sources for hundreds of years before herders and farmers began to clear large sections of forests—decimating arable land for agriculture and livestock. This decimation led to a significant decrease in livelihood for the Twa, who sustained themselves by providing forest resources and goods to other populations–as these populations no longer relied on
330-399: The fish were running. Maho (2009) lists Kafue Twa as a dialect of Ila, Ethnologue of Tonga. Twa peoples All Pygmy and Twa populations live near or in agricultural villages. Agricultural Bantu peoples have settled a number of ecotones next to an area that has game but will not support agriculture, such as the edges of the rainforest, open swamp, and desert. The Twa spend part of
352-407: The land–they occupied critical positions of power in governance and presided over ceremonial traditions to honor the vitality of the earth, reflecting their long-standing and influential impact on the region. Southern Angola through central Namibia had Twa populations when Europeans first arrived in the 16th century. Estermann writes, The southern Twa today live in close economic symbiosis with
374-502: The population, with estimates ranging from 20,000 to 36,000 individuals according to various sources. The Twa in Rwanda have been designated as “Historically Marginalized People (HMP) a term that reflects their history of discrimination, prejudice, and exclusion. Their vulnerability is underscored by reports that highlight their status as one of the most disadvantaged groups in the country. The Twa today make up less than one percent of Rwanda’s population. Historically, however, they held
396-603: The savanna swamps scattered throughout Katanga in the south-east, as in the Upemba Depression with its floating islands , and around Kiambi on the Luvua River . The island of Idjwi has a native population of approx 7000 BaTwa. According to UNHRW more than 10,000 BaTwa are displaced from Virunga Park in the Northern Kivu province's refugee camps such as Mugunga and Mubambiro due to decades of war. The term Batwa
418-573: The south of the country, near Kamina and the Congo– Zambezi divide . It flows north through Lubao , Tshofa [ fr ] , Kombe , Bolaiti , Opala , and Irema before joining the Congo at Isangi . Henry Morton Stanley reached the confluence of the two rivers on 6 Jan. 1877, "the affluent Lumami, which Livingstone calls 'Young's river,' entered the great stream, by a mouth 600 yards wide, between low banks densely covered with trees." In October 1889 M. Janssen, Governor-General of
440-591: The tribes among which they are scattered— Ngambwe , Havakona , Zimba and Himba . None of the individuals I have observed differs physically from the neighboring Bantu. These peoples live in desert environments. Accounts are limited and tend to confuse the Twa with the San . The Twa of these countries live in swampy areas, such as the Twa fishermen of the Bangweulu Swamps , Lukanga Swamp , and Kafue Flats of Zambia ; only
462-473: The water. They cover themselves and the tube with blankets, blocking out light as the adjacent vegetation does and enabling them to see the fish in the river clearly. They then spear the fish with bident and trident spears up to 6 m long, and occasionally longer, depending on the depth of the water. In the 1950s there were several hundred of these platforms raised in the Twa fishing grounds, and catches were reported to be over 100 kg per person per day when
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#1732855354393484-454: The year in the otherwise uninhabited region hunting game, trading for agricultural products with the farmers while they do so. Roger Blench has proposed that Twa (Pygmies) originated as a caste like they are today, much like the Numu blacksmith castes of West Africa , economically specialized groups which became endogamous and consequently developed into separate ethnic groups, sometimes, as with
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