Babongo

/bəˈbɒŋɡoʊ/ noun

Definition

A name for a pygmy people of Central Africa, particularly found in Cameroon and Gabon.

Etymology

From Bantu languages, likely combining a root word with reduplication or affixation common in Bantu naming patterns; the term entered English colonial literature in the 19th-20th centuries.

Kelly Says

The Babongo (or Baka people) are hunter-gatherers with extraordinary forest knowledge—they've inspired Western research on biodiversity and traditional ecological practices, though they've faced marginalization in modern nation-states.

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