The people of the Baka are very attached to their culture. It is the only way they are identified as Baka, and not other indigenous tribes. They have managed to keep true to their culture despite land infringement by loggers and visits from the Catholic Church.
One cultural tradition, exercised by the Baka, is the painful practice of teeth filing. Usually performed on children or teenagers, it involves using a knife and a hammer to file the teeth into points. The process is painfully long, lasting about 45 minutes. The owner of the newly filed teeth must not eat for 4 days while the teeth heal. The goal of teeth filing is to provide an ease of eating tough meats and most Bakas are proud to have it done. They claim it makes life easier, despite suffering large amounts of pain during the process.They think it makes them more attractive to someone of the opposite sex, and without it they will be ridiculed.
Not all Bakas feel the same way, however. The tradition is still popular, but younger members of the tribe are beginning to resist the practice. Some Bakas even have their newly sharpened teeth removed because they cannot stand the pain.
 |
| http://www.condition.org/smi8c.htm The continuation of this practice shows how deeply the Baka are rooted in their culture. |
2008 Teeth Filing: Painfully Pleasant for Baka Pygmies.
Electronic Document, http://www.postnewsline.com/2008/02/teeth-filing-pa.html
Accessed November 24,
2012
2008 The Pygmies' Plight. Electronic Document,
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/The-Pygmies-Plight.html
Accessed November 26, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment