The Forest People By Colin Turnbull

2097 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Impact of colonization on indigenous people

The Forest People, by Colin Turnbull was written in 1961. It follows his accounts among the BaMbuti Pygmies in the rainforest of the Belgian-Congo (now known as the Ituri forest in northeastern Zaire). This was said to be the last group of pygmies. These people are one of the few hunter-gatherer groups left of their kind. The book was written while Turnbull spent three years with the group of Pygmies in the late 1950s. His writing is very informal as he studies this tribe and also compares and contrasts the group of Pygmies to Africans in a local town (newer tribe). He takes the BaMbuti tribe (pygmies) who are perhaps a 10,000-year-old tribe, and he compares them to a group in the Bantu village, who lives right next to the forest and are a more recent tribe. He begins his writing by introducing the readers to the pygmies. He goes through and introduces multiple families and their family members, making it more real. He introduces Ekianga and his multiple wives, Kenge, and others. The names are strange and he gets to know many so it can be hard to keep track. He explains how as western people there is an initial fear of the forest and that this fear is alike those of the villagers near the forest. This can be true for any western born person, or anyone unfamiliar with life in the forest. The villagers have a reason for their fear though, they believe in lots of magic and spiritual things and they believe that the dark forest is full of evil spirits and magic. Turnbull then continues to introduce the readers to the forest through the eyes of the tribe. It shows the intimate knowledge that the tribe has on where and when to get food, and also how to predict predators. It turns the forest environment from intimidating and unknown, to ... ... middle of paper ... ...h as different religions or different practices. But I now understand that some cultures are completely different from my own. That even though I think something may be right, another culture probably has a very different view on it. Or something that I think is common, others do not. For instance, getting your period. I would have assumed that getting your period was the same for every teenage girl, scary because blood is coming out of you but just a part of life and something you accept. But after reading this book I learned that is not necessarily true. The pygmies celebrated it and called it and the villagers cursed it and thought of it as a curse. Overall I learned many new things from reading this book, I was able to learn about a different culture and society, relate it to our class, and also learn more overall about culture diversity and changes in society.

Show More
Related

  • The Light in the Forest by Conrad RIchter

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book, “The Light in the Forest” is a book written by Conrad Richter. This book is about a young man named True Son. He was a young white boy that was captured by Indians. True Son was only four years old when he was captured, and eventually adopted as one of their own. True Son, at the time was way too young to fully understand what was going on. All’s True Son knew was that he had a family, an Indian family that loved him very much. To True Son, he was pure indian.

    Read More

  • Negotiating Differences Into A Canadian Interracial Relationship By Bina Mehta And Kevin Spooner

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    The chapter I read opened my eyes to Culture and Conflict. The story discussed conflict between Bina and Kevin, and their relationship with Binas parents. Binas parents were unimpressed that Bina decided to marry a man from a different culture, which is an untraditional act. This caused conflict between Bina and Kevin’s relationship. Kevin promised Bina that he would try and practice a more Indian lifestyle, but over time these promises started to fail. This put tension on their relationship and often made Bina feel self-conscious about her relationship. In the end Bina came to realize she could practice still practice her culture, Kevin’s family’s culture and their new Canadian culture.

    Read More

  • Changes in the Land by William Cronon

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Europeans changed the land of the home of the Indians, which they renamed New England. In Changes in the Land, Cronon explains all the different aspects in how the Europeans changed the land. Changing by the culture and organization of the Indians lives, the land itself, including the region’s plants and animals. Cronon states, “The shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes well known to historians in the ways these peoples organized their lives, but it also involved fundamental reorganizations less well known to historians in the region’s plant and animal communities,” (Cronon, xv). New England went through human development, environmental and ecological change from the Europeans.

    Read More

  • David Treuer's From The Deep Woods To Civilization

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the Deep Woods to Civilization should be an intriguing read for anybody interested in Native American history. It gives an introspective look into the adjustments to society many had to make at that time. Eastman's own identity follows a parabolic curve from the beginning to the end. He rediscovers his Sioux identity after questioning it. The book implores us to consider the tactics, struggles, and other problems that Indian people have had to go through to achieve success despite the odds being stacked against

    Read More

  • Fish Cheeks Apa Citation

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    These stories taught that you should accept your culture and that people all over feel embarrassed by their culture. You should not be afraid to be how you are just to impress a boy like amy did in fish checks. Nor should you have to change the way you dress or look like the girls did in I Want To Be Miss America, or be classified as a slow learner just because you were taught a different way than other people. People should not be ashamed of their culture just because people do not understand it and think it is weird. You should be your self and if people can't accept that then it's their

    Read More

  • Nomads Of The Rainforest Sparknotes

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    The message of the film is to describe the Waorani lifestyle and how the rainforest is critical to their maintaining their nomadic lifestyle that has been a part of their culture for centuries. Wade Davis’ article, Among the Waorani, provides much of the content brought to

    Read More

  • Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    The tone is set in this chapter as Krakauer uses words to create an atmosphere of worry, fear, and happiness in McCandless’s mind. “The bush is an unforgiving place, however, that cares nothing for hope or longing”(4). McCandless is on the path of death, which creates worry and fear for the young boy. “He was determined. Real gung ho. The word that comes to mind is excited,” (6). Alex is very excited and care free, which Krakauer used to his advantage in making the tone of Alex’s mind happy. The author creates tones to make the reader feel the moment as if the readers were sitting there themselves. Krakauer uses dialogue and setting to create the mixed tones of this chapter. As one can see from the quotes and scenery the author uses tones that are blunt and are to the point to make the reader feel as though the emotions are their own. Krakauer uses plenty of figurative language in this chapter. He uses figurative language to support his ideas,to express the surroundings, and tone around the character. To start the chapter he uses a simile describing the landscape of the area, “…sprawls across the flats like a rumpled blanket on an unmade bed,” (9). This statement is used to make reader sense the area and set the mood for the chapter. The use of figurative language in this chapter is to make a visual representation in the readers mind. “It’s satellites surrender to the low Kantishna plain” (9).

    Read More

  • Apess The Bold Voice Of The Native Americans

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Apess broke the mold by writing this autobiography titled A Son of the Forest in 1829, considering it was not a common literary form for his time. Apess also set the bar as the earliest autobiography written and published by a Native American. Throughout the piece we learn his highs and lows, the prejudices he encountered, his different jobs, and his ordainment as a minister.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Margaret Mead's 'Tales From The Jungle'

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    Derek Freeman and Margaret Mead both conducted fantastic research in Samoa, even though their findings were conflicting. Tales from the Jungle illustrates how different aspects and influences, such as time period and specific focus, can impact the outcome of the research and create a scenario where the opposing parties are not necessarily wrong in their findings and conclusions. The film provides insight into the methods Mead and Freeman used in their research. Both anthropologists learned the language as well as immersed themselves in the culture to some degree, which is paramount in the quest for accurate and thorough research. This controversial film shows an unbiased point of view into how anthropological research can yield one result in a particular setting, and an entirely separate result in

    Read More

  • The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The Jungle,” written by Upton Sinclair in 1906, describes how the life and challenges of immigrants in the United States affected their emotional and physical state, as well as relationships with others. The working class was contrasted to wealthy and powerful individuals who controlled numerous industries and activities in the community. The world was always divided into these two categories of people, those controlling the world and holding the majority of the power, and those being subjected to them. Sinclair succeeded to show this social gap by using the example of the meatpacking industry. He explained the terrible and unsafe working conditions workers in the US were subjected to and the increasing rate of corruption, which created the feeling of hopelessness among the working class.

    Read More

  • Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    This book Into The Wild is about how a young man wants to get away from the world. He does escape from society, but ends up dying in the process. The author, Jon Krakauer, does a great job of describing Chris McCandless and his faults. Chris is an intelligent college graduate. He went on a two-year road trip and ended up in Alaska. He didn't have any contact with his parents in all of that time. Krakauer does a great job of interviewing everyone who had anything to do with McCandless from his parents, when he grew up, to the people who found his body in Alaska.

    Read More

  • John Barker Ancestral Lines Summary

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    During his research Barker utilizes a series of methods in his quest to understand these indigenous people, from this he was able to capture his readers and make them understand issues that surround not only people form third worlds; but how these people and their struggles are related to us. By using ethnographic methods, such as: interviews,participant observation, key consultants/informants,detailed note-taking/ census, and controlled historical comparisons. In these practices Barker came to understand the people and their culture, of which two things became a big subject in his book. The first being Tapa, “a type of fiber made from bark that the Maisin people use as a stable for cloths and other cloth related uses. Defining both gender roles and history; proving income and also a symbol of identity to the people” (Barker 5-6). And the other being their forest, of which logging firms the Maisin and Non Government Organizations (NGO’s), had various views, wants and uses for the land. Logging firms wished to clear the area to plant cash crops such as oil palms, while the NGO’s wanted the land to remain safe; all the while the Maisin people were caught in the middle by the want to preserve their ancestors lands and the desperate need to acquire cash. With these two topics highlighted throughout Barkers ethnography the reader begins is journey into understanding and obtaining questions surrounding globalization and undeveloped

    Read More

  • When Cultures Collide: The Challenges of Raising African Children in a Foreign Country

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, this book gave me a whole new view on life and how we can interact better with different people. The book emphasized that culture is key to understanding people. Sometimes it is hard to connect with others because they are indicated as different but in due time we can adjust. Every culture has their own traditions when it comes to what they eat, what to wear, dating, various ceremonies, holidays and more. Reading this book helped me become more accepting of who I am and where I come from.

    Read More

  • Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    Is society too egotistical? In Hunters in the Snow, Tobias Wolfe gives an illustration of the selfishness and self-centeredness of humankind through the actions of his characters. The story opens up with three friends going on their habitual hunting routine; their names are Frank, Kenny, and Tub. In the course of the story, there are several moments of tension and arguments that, in essence, exposes the faults of each man: they are all narcissistic. Through his writing in Hunters in the Snow, Wolfe is conveying that the ultimate fault of mankind is egotism and the lack of consideration given to others.

    Read More

  • Unique Cultures in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

    2015 Words  | 5 Pages

    There are a variety of cultures in this world and each culture is unique. Usually when one was born and raised in a certain culture, that person may adapt to that culture for a period of time. It is sometimes difficult to look into someone else’s culture, and understand their culture. Sometimes one must keep an open mind, study the culture, or live in another culture to understand the culture. When reading “The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy, and “Things Fall Apart“, by Chinua Achebe one must look beyond their culture to understand how others live in a different culture. When I read Roy’s novel, I did not get a great understanding of the novel, because it was difficult to follow. I did not know a lot about the culture before I read novel. Both text discusses a particular cultural group, and as the narrator tells the story the narrator intertwines the cultural elements with the actual story being told. The differences between the text were the way the text was structured, and how the stories were told. Also, both texts contained different religions practiced by the particular cultural group.

    Read More

More about The Forest People By Colin Turnbull

Open Document