BAKALAI (BAIALE, BANGOUENS)

This article appears in Volume V03, Page 226 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: BAI-BAR

BAKALAI (BAIALE, BANGOUENS) , a Bantu negroid tribe inhabiting a wide

tract

TRACT (from Lat. tractare, to treat of a matter, through Provencal tractat and Ital. trattato)

of French Congo between the river Ogowe and 2 S. They appear to be immigrants from the

south

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

, and have been supposed to be connected racially with the Galoa, one of the Mpongwe tribes and the

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

river-people of the Ogowe. The Bakalai have suffered much from the incursions of their neighbours the Fang, also arrivals from the

south

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

, and it may be that they migrated to their present abode under pressure from this people at an earlier date. They are keen hunters and were traders in slaves and rubber; the slave traffic' has been prohibited by the French authorities. Their women display considerable ingenuity in dressing their

hair

HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

, often taking a whole day to arrange a coiffure; the

hair

HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

is built up on a substructure of clay and a good deal of false hair incorporated; a coat of red, green or yellow pigment often completes the effect. The same colours are used to decorate the hut doors. The villages, some of which are fortified with palisades, are usually very dirty; chiefs and rich men own plantations which are situated at some distance from the

village

VILLAGE

and to which their womenfolk are sent in times of war. The Bakalai of Lake Isanga cremate their dead; those of the Upper Ogowe throw the bodies into the river, with the exception of those killed in war. The

body

BODY

of a

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

is placed secretly in a hut erected in the depths of the forest, and the

village

VILLAGE

is deserted for that night, in some cases altogether; the slaves of the 'deceased are (or were) sacrificed, and his wives scourged and secluded in huts for a

week

WEEK (from A.S. wicu, Germanic *wikon, probably=
change
- CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)
, turn)

. " Natural " deaths are attributed to the machinations of a sorcerer, and the poison-

ordeal

ORDEAL (O.Eng. ordal, ordael, judgment)

is often practised. Of their social organization little is known, but it appears that nearly all individuals refrain from eating the flesh of some particular animal.

End of Article: BAKALAI (BAIALE, BANGOUENS)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/BAI_BAR/BAKALAI_BAIALE_BANGOUENS_.html">
BAKALAI (BAIALE, BANGOUENS)
</a>

(Previous)
BAJZA, JOSEPH (1804-1858)

(Next)
BAKE, JAN (1787-1864)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email