Baka People Of The Forest Analysis

Baka and Hadza v. Urban European Society: A Rebuttal of Thomas Hobbes Statement Regarding Life Outside of European Life Throughout existence, all sides of the globe have had ever-growing communities with different worldviews and perception of what society should look like. Communities like the ones seen in “The Baka: People of the Forest” and “The Hadza: Last of the First” widely differ from what westerners are used to seeing. The Baka people of the Baka community live in the southeast rain forest of the Dja region, in Cameroon, but often cross the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. Respectively, the Hadza people live near the lake Eyasi Valley and its surrounding hills in Tanzania. Both are hunter-gatherer and foraging …show more content…
His bias can be proven through the Baka and Hadza communities’ use of art as activities of leisure, their interpersonal relationship between community members and through the way they express conflict and tensions. Both Baka and Hadza people use artistic activities as means of leisure, which goes against Hobbes’s argument that there are no arts in life in a state of nature. Firstly, the two communities use singing as a means to relax in multiple aspect of their daily life. Firstly, the Hadza have s song for every single one of their daily activities. They use them as a means to unite the group when accomplishing their daily tasks such as gathering or hunting. Furthermore, girls in Baka communities are taught from a young age how to sing. Secondly, the young Hadza women make dolls out of mud, which can be seen as a form of art through the embellishments put on the dolls. Finally, Baka children learn, from a young age, how to play musical instruments, such as the lute. They are given miniature versions of those instruments to practise. Whenever someone from the community is bored, they pull out their instrument and start playing. Contrary to Hobbes's …show more content…
In “The Baka: People of the Forest,” tensions are express through teasing. The tactic is taught through societal norms and parents from a young age. One of the best examples was shown by the interaction of Ali, a four year old, and a little girl. Ali told her to go away, and she replied by giving him attitude and starring at him, unimpressed, just like a Baka women would in this exact situation. The children never get yelled on by their parents, they are treated like adults, which means being teased by the entire community. Another tactic used is diversion, they would rather avoid the problem than fixing