Preliminary ethnographic research on the Bakoya in Gabon

Abstract

Little is known about the Pygmy groups living in Gabon. The Bakoya, along with the Babongo and the Baka Pygmy groups live in this central African country. They settled about seventy years ago and now share the same village space with Bantu ethnic groups. After a summary of the historical background and the social organization of the Bakoya Pygmies, I will give a brief description of their subsistence activities to highlight the social changes and economic transformations that the Bakoya underwent, by comparing two groups of Bakoya Pygmies, one living in Imbong and the other in Ekata. This fi rst anthropological study has found how agriculture is important for subsistence and for earning money, a shift from collec- tive to individualistic activities, and less dependence on non-Pygmy neighbors, with some noted differences between the two Bakoya villages.