Background Information

                                                           
Geographic- the Ituri rainforest in Zaire , Congo

Class system- Mbuti tribe is made up of bands which
                       range from 15-60 people 
                     

Total population-300,000- 400,000 people

Background- They are well known for their tribe
                      members averaging under 4.6"

                    -They have no leading groups or chiefs,
                      issues are settled by discussions
                    - Decisions are made by the consensus
                    - Men & women have equal power 
                    - They are an egalitarian society.

 The tribe is nomadic, which means they only make temporary homes and move when they need to find food. They make their temporary shelters by using wood as the framework and then covering it with leaves. Families normally live in these shelters for about a month before building another one.

People refer to them as pygmies because of their physical height but the Mbuti tribe believe this is a derogatory term.