Procedural/observational
While the negotiation about the payment is still going on, NkMaDa already starts a fire to get smoking branches that are later used to chase the bees out of their hive. NkMa and NkMaDa are discussing who out of the two is going to climb the tree to get the honey out of the bee hive. Then, the two string the smoking branches together using part of a vine as rope. Eventually, NkMaDa climbs the tree, equipped with another vine attached to his arm which he will use to pull up the bucket that is used to transport the honey. NkMa follows him; NkDoRe makes sure the smoking branches are well tied to be transported up the tree. NkMaDa pulls the branches up and smokes the bees out of their hive. In the meantime, NkNaMa is squabbling with her grandchildren who are teasing her and making fun of her. Eventually, a bucket and a machete are transported ip the tree to get the honeycombs out of the hive and transport them down the tree. When the first parts of the honeycombs fall down, NkAdJo explains that the Bagyeli make candles from the wax. He then picks up the first edible honeycombs that have fallen down and begins to eat.
While the negotiation about the payment is still going on, NkMaDa already starts a fire to get smoking branches that are later used to chase the bees out of their hive. NkMa and NkMaDa are discussing who out of the two is going to climb the tree to get the honey out of the bee hive. Then, the two string the smoking branches together using part of a vine as rope. Eventually, NkMaDa climbs the tree, equipped with another vine attached to his arm which he will use to pull up the bucket that is used to transport the honey. NkMa follows him; NkDoRe makes sure the smoking branches are well tied to be transported up the tree. NkMaDa pulls the branches up and smokes the bees out of their hive. In the meantime, NkNaMa is squabbling with her grandchildren who are teasing her and making fun of her. Eventually, a bucket and a machete are transported ip the tree to get the honeycombs out of the hive and transport them down the tree. When the first parts of the honeycombs fall down, NkAdJo explains that the Bagyeli make candles from the wax. He then picks up the first edible honeycombs that have fallen down and begins to eat.
NkMaDa fills the honeycombs into the bucket. In the meantime, the children collect big leaves and spread them on the ground so that the honey can be put on them, stays clean and can be distributed among the hunting party. When more pieces of honeycombs fall down, they pick their share, selecting the best parts and sharing with their grandmother. When the children are too close to the tree and suddenly the smoking branches fall down, they are scolded by the elders. Eventually, the bucket comes down the tree, filled with honeycombs. While the children and NkNama are unloading the bucket and spreading the honeycomby on the leaves, the others take a first piece to eat; the rest is being divided and distributed by NkMa. The Bagyeli eat their share immediately and alo give some honey to the DoBeS team.
Back in the village, NkNaMa explains what the group has done during the day and how the Baygeli don't get lost in the forest: they follow their belly button which points the way. Finally, she asks the team to bring lots of food item the next time they come, including fish, onions, rice, oil and shoes. To measure the size of the needed shoes, they cut strings in the length of their feet, with a Bulu woman helping them. Finally, the team says goodbye for the day and gives a monetary gift to the chief.
NkMaDa fills the honeycombs into the bucket. In the meantime, the children collect big leaves and spread them on the ground so that the honey can be put on them, stays clean and can be distributed among the hunting party. When more pieces of honeycombs fall down, they pick their share, selecting the best parts and sharing with their grandmother. When the children are too close to the tree and suddenly the smoking branches fall down, they are scolded by the elders. Eventually, the bucket comes down the tree, filled with honeycombs. While the children and NkNama are unloading the bucket and spreading the honeycomby on the leaves, the others take a first piece to eat; the rest is being divided and distributed by NkMa. The Bagyeli eat their share immediately and alo give some honey to the DoBeS team. Back in the village, NkNaMa explains what the group has done during the day and how the Baygeli don't get lost in the forest: they follow their belly button which points the way. Finally, she asks the team to bring lots of food item the next time they come, including fish, onions, rice, oil and shoes. To measure the size of the needed shoes, they cut strings in the length of their feet, with a Bulu woman helping them. Finally, the team says goodbye for the day and gives a monetary gift to the chief.
The DoBeS team arrives in Nko'olong in the morning. Since it is the national holiday (fête nationale), the Bagyeli have been celebrating with some drinks. NkNaMa and NkTsMa just come back from collecting firewood. NkNaMa shows us different types of broomsticks and starts sweeping an area under the main village tree where NkBiDe is starting to make a traditional basket.
The DoBeS team arrives in Nko'olong in the morning. Since it is the national holiday (fête nationale), the Bagyeli have been celebrating with some drinks. NkNaMa and NkTsMa just come back from collecting firewood. NkNaMa shows us different types of broomsticks and starts sweeping an area under the main village tree where NkBiDe is starting to make a traditional basket.
While Bikoué Delegué is still busy weaving a basket, more and more people arrive in the village. Mama David joins in with the mat making and replaces Ngunde and Dyuga René who have been working on the mat before. It is a national holiday and the Bagyeli are celebrating it with lots of strong gin. The atmosphere is cheerful and people make lots of noise since they are getting drunk.
While Bikoué Delegué is still busy weaving a basket, more and more people arrive in the village. Mama David joins in with the mat making and replaces Ngunde and Dyuga René who have been working on the mat before. It is a national holiday and the Bagyeli are celebrating it with lots of strong gin. The atmosphere is cheerful and people make lots of noise since they are getting drunk.
Delegué is still working on the basket and making progress. At the same time, the Bagyeli in the village Ngolo keep on celebrating the national holiday and drink palm wine. Mambi shows the DoBeS team a box with young dogs, explaining that they keep the cubs there to protect them while the mother is walking around in the village. Dogs play an important role in the Bagyeli's life and the Bagyeli have a close relationship with them. Later on, Mambi and Nandtoungou play with another dog while Delegué is still making the basket.
Delegué is still working on the basket and making progress. At the same time, the Bagyeli in the village Ngolo keep on celebrating the national holiday and drink palm wine. Mambi shows the DoBeS team a box with young dogs, explaining that they keep the cubs there to protect them while the mother is walking around in the village. Dogs play an important role in the Bagyeli's life and the Bagyeli have a close relationship with them. Later on, Mambi and Nandtoungou play with another dog while Delegué is still making the basket.
Delegué has left the center of the village to cut some veins. Meanwhile, the women (Nandtoungou and Tsimbo with the Bulu woman Agathe) start singing and dancing. The song is improvised and says "Nadine, will you cry for me when I die?". Mama has fallen asleep on the mat the young men have just woven. The villagers get more and more drunk, Piano is posing for the camera and wants to be recorded. Only Delegué ignores the party that is going on and is about to finish the upper edge of his basket.
Delegué has left the center of the village to cut some veins. Meanwhile, the women (Nandtoungou and Tsimbo with the Bulu woman Agathe) start singing and dancing. The song is improvised and says "Nadine, will you cry for me when I die?". Mama has fallen asleep on the mat the young men have just woven. The villagers get more and more drunk, Piano is posing for the camera and wants to be recorded. Only Delegué ignores the party that is going on and is about to finish the upper edge of his basket.
Delegué finishes off the upper edge of the basket. Mambi cuts the ends of the sticks and attaches a strap. The other villagers keep talking and smoking.
Delegué finishes off the upper edge of the basket. Mambi cuts the ends of the sticks and attaches a strap. The other villagers keep talking and smoking.
Ada and Mambi are being interviewed by Nadine and Djiedjhie to summarize what they have done today, namely making a basket and a mat. They explain what it is used for by the Bagyeli and by whom. They tell the interviewers that baskets are mainly used by women who carry items gathered in the forest in the basket. The usual way of carrying a basket is to put the strap around the forehead while the basket is on their back. Mats are used for sleeping on both in houses and outside. One mat is usually enough for a couple plus (some of) their children and may host up to five people.
Ada and Mambi are being interviewed by Nadine and Djiedjhie to summarize what they have done today, namely making a basket and a mat. They explain what it is used for by the Bagyeli and by whom. They tell the interviewers that baskets are mainly used by women who carry items gathered in the forest in the basket. The usual way of carrying a basket is to put the strap around the forehead while the basket is on their back. Mats are used for sleeping on both in houses and outside. One mat is usually enough for a couple plus (some of) their children and may host up to five people.
Angéline is pounding nuts in a mortar that have been soaking in a bowl with water. Tata helps stabilizing the mortar when Clarisse takes over the pounding, saying that this is a lot of work. Angéline takes the mashed nuts out and transfers them to a bowl to make more space in the mortar for grinding more soaked nuts. Tata now pounds the nuts. Aminu grinds the mashed nuts into a fine paste with a stone and a stone plate.
This is the first of four sessions showing how the Bagyeli make a steamed bread from wild nuts, called búmbɛ̀ wà ngùmɔ́.
Aminu still grinds the pounded nuts into a fine paste using stones. The ground paste falls off the edge of the stone plate into a bowl on the ground. The men who are sitting around them in the hut are still drinking and the other ladies comment on her grinding. Clarisse brings green chillies and breaks off the stem. Tata shows a jackfruit and explains what it is in Gyeli.
This is the second of four sessions showing how the Bagyeli make a steamed bread from wild nuts, called búmbɛ̀ wà ngùmɔ́.
Muadjina is checking the consistency of the nut paste before she starts wrapping it into a banana leaf. The other women are sitting around her and giving advice. Aminu explains that before they can wrap it, they first have to grind the chillies. Mimbe cuts open some oranges in the background by cutting off just about a fifth. The children then suck out the orange. Ne explains to Nadine that the fruit she is holding in her hand is called "sísà" and is used in sauces and soups. Aminu starts grinding the chillies which are added to the nut paste.
This is the third of four sessions showing how the Bagyeli make a steamed bread from wild nuts, called búmbɛ̀ wà ngùmɔ́.
Aminu starts wrapping the nut and chilli paste into banana leaves by placing two leaves together and removing the hard part of the stem. When the nut paste is rolled into the leaves, the leaf bundle is then formed into a triangle and tied together at the top. Muadjina and Mbang are helping her as the villagers are generally still sitting together in the hut, hanging out and conversing. Aminu then lights the fire, explaining what she is doing and pointing out that this is the kitchen stove of the Bagyeli. She is using empty "Lion d'Or" (local alcohol) sachets as combustible. She then sets a pot on the fire stones filled with the wrapped nut paste. She pours water over the wraps until they are covered. They are steamed for about an hour and then removed from the pot. Nandtoungou, Muadjina, and Mbang distribute and open the wraps which contain three parts due to the folding into a triangle. Mbang carries one bowl with nut bread packages to her hut where another group of people is seated. She unties one that she deems good; the bread is distributed amongst the people and children who are present. It is generally eaten warm.
This is the last of four sessions showing how the Bagyeli make a steamed bread from wild nuts, called búmbɛ̀ wà ngùmɔ́.
Tsimbo is bringing fire wood, a huge bamboo trunk that she balances on her head. Bernadette, Pauline, and Bvuraga break the bamboo apart by hitting it with the back of a machete or sticks. Some bamboo pieces are brought to the burning kitchen fire and added to the burning wood. The children explain that there is breadfruit in the pot on the fire that is cooking. Ngolo and Aminu lift the lid off the pot and carry the heavy pot to the side. They remove the banana leaved that covered the breadfuit pieces under the lid. Aminu tries the cooked breadfruit and then starts distributing it into different pots and bowls for different people. Poga comes and helps her and Ngolo. Aminu's daughter Linda starts eating breadfruit with boiled palm nuts. Aminu shows how breadfruit and palm nuts are eaten together. Also the other children start eating and also Piano gets his share. After the pots are empty, Ngolo shows how she cleans the dishes with a bundle of grass and water, while Poga is pounding cassava in the background.
Aminu and Mimbe are washing and scaling fish in a bowl with water. The fish will be boiled in water with salt, lemon, and chilli and is also a typical dish amongst the Mabi who do extensive fishing in the ocean (while the Bagyeli mostly fish in rivers and creeks in the rain forest.) Mimbe grinds chilli between stones and Muadjina adds green herbs. While the fish is boiling, the family still sits together in the kitchen and converses. Mbang cuts an onion with a machete in her hand while Poga is watching her. She then peels and cuts cassava, also with a machete in her hand. Nandtoungou checks if the fish is done.
This session shows how the women are cooking fish.
Christopher and Nadine arrive with the interpreters Djiedjhie and Severin in Ngolo and greet the people. They are welcomed by the children who sing songs they've randomly heard on the radio and whose meaning they do not understand at all. Everybody is getting ready for the hike into the forest. A group of a few young men, two elderly women and several children is leaving the village together with the DoBeS researchers. Their first stop outside the village is the former location of the settlement. Nandtoungou explains that her parents lived there before, but that the Bulu forced them to live on the road which they are doing since then. She also shows the tombs of her ancestors which they call "paradise". The she goes on to explain that the leaf she has around her finger will prevent the rain from falling.
The group continues into the forest where Dyuka shows a type of nut the Bagyeli like to gather and eat.
Christopher and Nadine arrive with the interpreters Djiedjhie and Severin in Ngolo and greet the people. Everybody is getting ready for the hike into the forest. A group of a few young men, two elderly women and several children is leaving the village together with the DoBeS researchers. Their first stop outside the village is the former location of the settlement. Nandtoungou explains that her parents lived there before, but that the Bulu forced them to live on the road which they are doing since then. She also shows the tombs of her ancestors which they call "paradise".
The hunting group is arriving in the deep forest and forming subgroups which spread in different directions. On the way, the Bagyeli explain different plants and their uses. Eventually, the last born of NkNaMa discovers a hole, a den of an animal. The Bagyeli show and explain how they capture animals from their holes. Unfortunately, the animal of this hole has left its den already some days ago.
The hunting group is arriving in the deep forest and forming subgroups which spread in different directions. On the way, the Bagyeli explain different plants and their uses. Eventually, the last born of NkNaMa discovers a hole, a den of an animal. The Bagyeli show and explain how they capture animals from their holes. Unfortunately, the animal of this hole has left its den already some days ago.
The group of Bagyeli, DoBeS researchers and interpreters continues to walk in the forest, hoping to catch some animals. On the way, NkNaMa cuts branches to make a broom out of them, NkUrPi explains how certain plants can injure you with their thorns and NkMaDa shows a place where he has already caught a type of antilope several times describing how he kills the antilope with his spear.
The group of Bagyeli, DoBeS researchers and interpreters continues to walk in the forest, hoping to catch some animals. On the way, NkNaMa cuts branches to make a broom out of them, NkUrPi explains how certain plants can injure you with their thorns and NkMaDa shows a place where he has already caught a type of antilope several times describing how he kills the antilope with his spear.
The young men who are about to make a drum sharpen their machete und start digging out a part of a tree trunk, whose bark has been stripped already, with a wooden hammer and metal chisel. As it is raining, they are all sitting huddled together in a hut (rather than in under the Indian almond tree in the village center as they would usually). While they are working, they are smoking and talking.
This is the first of seven parts of a procedural and observational recording on how the Bagyeli make a drum.
While digging out the tree trunk for the drum, the chisel slips and cuts Mambi in his finger. The wound is rinsed off with water from a bowl and stanched with a thread. Mambi then takes a break from the work, drinks some strong alcohol and Segyua continues to dig out the tree trunk.
This is the second of seven parts of a procedural and observational recording on how the Bagyeli make a drum.
Mambi continues to dig out the tree trunk with a chisel and hammer while Mama and Ntemba are stabilizing the trunk. As this is hard work, Segyua takes turns with Mambi and starts carving out the trunk at some point. Meanwhile, two kids have been found stealing fish and are punished by Mambi who makes them sit still on their knees in the corner of the hut for some time.
This is the third of seven parts of a procedural and observational recording on how the Bagyeli make a drum.
Citation
Nadine Grimm (née Borchardt) and Christopher Lorenz. (2011 - 2012). Item "Procedural/observational" in collection "Bagyeli/Bakola". The Language Archive. https://hdl.handle.net/1839/b741509e-b29a-48f8-928a-9b1400949696. (Accessed 2023-05-30)
Note: This citation was extracted automatically from the available metadata and may contain inaccuracies. In case of multiple authors, the ordering is arbitrary. Please contact the archive staff in case you need help on how to cite this resource.