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Mbuti (Bambuti) of the Ituri

5000 BC – 1885
CultureAfrica

Forest hunter-gatherers of the Ituri — Efe, Sua and Aka bands of 15 to 60 people, with no chiefs, no lineage hierarchy and no overarching political structure, living in exchange partnerships with neighbouring Bira, Lese and Mangbetu farmers. A stateless people is still a real occupier of ground; this is the atlas's culture layer doing its job.

Not an ending: Mbuti communities still live in and around the Ituri forest. The map hands off in 1885 to the Congo Free State and later Belgian Congo, whose concessions and forest clearance began the pressure that continues today.

Borders in 5000 BC · drawn from 1 sourced border frame
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Further reading

Sources