From the banda, Bernard, James, and the two women led us off a short distance away into an area where an authentic Batwa village was set up with various huts both on the ground and in trees. James performed a short religious ceremony on a special rock site where he asked the appropriate gods for favors: good weather, good health, good hunting, etc.
CLICK HERE to go to YouTube and see a variation of Batwa forest structures.
The Batwa would build some huts in the trees for the small children to sleep in during the night. Their greatest fear was of leopards snatching their children during the night. An adult, armed with a spear, would guard over the children in the tree huts at night. The height of his position would give him an advantage over a prowling leopard.
Erin sitting in the tree hut.
The Batwa would build these simple structures out of twigs and leaves. They would hunt small game and gather roots, honey, and other food sources from the surrounding forest. When the food ran out, they would move to another location and build new huts. The forest would restore itself quickly to its original state. The Batwa knew how to do things: just when their house was ready for a good cleaning, they would just move into a new one.
Here I have discovered Bernard and James in their Batwa forest hut.
I felt like the Jelly Yellow Giant, Oh, Oh, Oh.
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