Historical trends in forager and farmer exchange in the Ituri rain forest of northeastern Za�re

Abstract

Using oral histories, archival materials, and observations of present behavior, a largely hypothetical historical reconstruction of the natural resource exploitation and subsistence practices of Lese farmers and Efe foragers in the Ituri Forest of northeastern Zaire is presented. Distinct epochs associated with the advent of forest agriculture, Belgian colonization, and post-independence economic collapse have resulted in changes in local population density, the range of forest resources exploited, and the spatial distribution and intensity of resource use. Broadly speaking, there has been a historical trend toward sedentism, spatial clumping of settlements, localization of resource exploitation, reduced importance of forest carbohydrates in the diet, and an increased reliance on agricultural products. Over time the Efe and Lese exchange system has changed, in relation to the items traded and the relative dependence of each partner on the exchange relationship. Involvement in this alliance has had a considerable impact on Efe settlement pattern, diet, and probably fecundity. It ultimately placed the Lese in a position of power over the Efe, and provided the farmers with means to enter a transient monetary economy. By providing a retrospective on Efe and Lese subsistence, we hope to demonstrate that to decipher the relative benefits and constraints of this contemporary exchange relationship, we must understand their historical etiology.