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In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a population) for populations in which adult men are on average less than 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) tall.
Dembner (1996) reported a universal "disdain for the term 'pygmy '" among the Pygmy peoples of Central Africa: the term is considered a pejorative, and people prefer to be referred to by the name of their respective ethnic or tribal groups, such as Bayaka, Mbuti and Twa. [2]
The ethnic groups of Africa number in the thousands, with each ethnicity generally having their own language (or dialect of a language) and culture. The ethnolinguistic groups include various Afroasiatic , Khoisan , Niger-Congo , and Nilo-Saharan populations.
In his book, In Darkest Africa, Stanley described meeting a "pygmy" couple. Stanley writes of them: "In him was a mimicked dignity, as of Adam; in her the womanliness of a miniature Eve". [9] In 1906, a Congolese "pygmy" named Ota Benga was exhibited among apes at the Bronx Zoo in New York City. Ota was 4 feet and 11 inches tall.
The Aka or Biaka (also Bayaka, Babenzele) [1] are a nomadic Mbenga pygmy people. They live in south-western Central African Republic and in northern Republic of the Congo.They are related to the Baka people of Cameroon, Gabon, northern Congo, and southwestern Central African Republic.
The Efé, who differ from other pygmy groups in that they hunt with bows and arrows instead of nets, are associated with the Lese people. The Efé language is related to that of the Lese, and is Central Sudanic in origin. [4] (The pygmy groups in the region generally speak the language of the tribes with whom they associate.) [5]: 9–23
Due to their pygmy ancestry, they continue to suffer ethnic prejudice, discrimination, violence, and general exclusion from society. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Batwa men struggle with alcoholism, known to occur in communities facing cultural collapse as men can no longer carry out traditional roles and provide for families. [ 10 ]
Related ethnic groups; African Pygmies: The Mbuti people, or Bambuti, are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the Congo region of Africa.