GorillaSound

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jul 30 2009 | By: gorillasound

The day after our visit to Dzanga Bai, we met Mongambe and Zomela in Bayanga, early in the morning, to buy the last few things before going into the forest via Moussapola, the village where Baihaka families dwell. Shortly after our arrival to Moussapola, all trackers wives appear at the door of Dona’s house, where we waited for the men for more than 2 hours. The big problem? The almighty palm wine was not there yet! And nobody wanted to go to the forest without it… Finally, the wine arrived (40 liters!) and we started to walk. I was in front with Dona, who was leading us while carrying his little baby on his shoulders. After a few minutes, the women behind started to sing, making their incredible yodel, completely harmonized with the incessant forest sounds! We waited to see how many we were; I counted more than 40 people!! We couldn’t went too far from the village because we had to come back the next morning to Bayanga to catch the pirogue heading to Bomassa. After an hour walking we arrived close to a river and decided to stop there for the night. In this way, we had enough time to set up the camp and go deeper into the forest with the “banda” (hunting net) to catch something for dinner. More than eight people took their banda and started to put them in the forest. Women of all ages create a semicircle with the nets while men and other women inside the semicircle shaking branches and imitating animal noises try to push the potential preys towards the net. . If they don’t catch any game after five-ten minutes they rebuild the semicircle of net 200 meters further and start again. Since they tried After 3 unsuccessful attempts, Mapoko’s wife, a wonderful woman of exceptional strength and voice, decides to intervene… She starts to perform in order to have success with the banda, singing and chewing leaves, and then she spits them on the ground and continues singing. Everybody chews leaves and spits on the ground, by my turn the leaves had created a prominent little hill! We keep walking a little further and suddenly we hear the excitement and the screams of joy of the Baihaka in front of us. They catch a little blue duiker! They tried to hunt something else, but the sun was leaving so we decided to come back to the camp. Before that, the meat was divided among the women in similar parts. After a refreshing bath in the river we were ready for dinner. While hunting the women were also collecting coco leaves, forest tubers, payo and other seeds and leaves. I tried a small piece of meat and then I ate coco with gozo. The meat was divided among everyone but wasn’t enough as a dinner, so all the meat and sardines we went with, were cooked the same night.
While the darkness was pervading the forest, we seat close the fires with the women and children. All started to clap their hands while singing; the men were sitting further away, while the young guys were playing the drums! With pitch black night, occasionally lightened by the small fires of the camp, the women started to sing their songs. The voices were incredible; I’m getting more and more in love with their music. As soon as I will have full internet access I will upload some of the recording I took at night!
Suddenly, a young girl sitting at my right points to several dim yet almost fluorescent greenish lights ,arriving from the forest in front of us. Yes! The “toro” were arriving! The four forest spirits danced for more than 2 hours; their dances were incredibly hypnotic; the lights on them resembled strange animal creatures moving in the forest, sometimes flying, sometimes jumping impossible distances, sometimes disappearing in the dark. No more words, it has to be seen in person!
We then went to sleep, but the songs never stopped (well… actually they did after wine was over!) The morning afterwards, around seven, we walked the way back to the village. I promised that I will come back to spend a great time in the forest again!