Seasonal Changes in the Subsistence Activities and Food Intake of the Aka Hunter-Gatherers in Northeastern Congo

Abstract

In central Africa, a close relationship exists between the cultivators and the hunter-gatherers (Pygmies), who depend on agricultural foods exchanged for forest products or labor. In northeastern Congo, the Aka hunter-gatherers lead a dual mode of life in the forest and the village. They mainly depend on wild animal and plant food in the forest, whereas on agricultural food in the village. Their subsistence activities are influenced by the fluctuation in the availability of wild food resources that does not fall into a simple annual cycle, but fluctuates from year to year. The subsistence activities of the Aka are more complex than the other hunter-gatherers, and dependent on the ecology of the tropical rain forest and the local economy in northeastern Congo.