The Forest People

The molimo is a ritual that takes place several times throughout the narrative. Turnbull explains that both the Negro villagers and the BaMbuti have a form of the molimo. The villagers’ molimo is tied more closely to magic and religion, while the molimo of the BaMbuti is more practical. The BaMbuti perform the ritual during times of great duress. It is meant to appease the forest. The BaMbuti consider the forest to be asleep when bad things happen, and so the ritual is meant to wake the forest up. During the ritual, the men sing songs nightly. There is also a trumpet-like instrument also known as the molimo. This instrument is used during the rituals, and holds a place of great respect and reverence in the Pygmy community. 

The nkumbi is a festival celebrating the puberty of boys, an initiation ceremony that includes circumcision. Though it is held in the villages for the Negro children, BaMbuti children participate. For the Negro villagers, the festival symbolizes a rite of passage into manhood, a connection to dead ancestors and history. The BaMbuti use the ceremony to gain access to villages, as anyone who is not initiated is not considered an adult in the eyes of villagers and not allowed in the village.