African Pygmies - Pygmy Mythology, Mokele-Mbembe, TWA, Pygmy Peoples, Ota Benga, Efe People, Mbuti People, Aka People, Forest of the Pygmies (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 25. Chapters: Pygmy mythology, Mokele-mbembe, Twa, Pygmy peoples, Ota Benga, Efe people, Mbuti people, Aka people, Forest of the Pygmies, Baka people, Emela-ntouka, Pygmy music, Aka language, Bambuti mythology, Baka language, Bongo people, The Forest People, Gyele language, Kango language, Khonvoum, Asoa language, Efe language. Excerpt: Mokele-mbembe, meaning "one who stops the flow of rivers" in the Lingala language, is the name given to a large water-dwelling cryptid found in legends and folklore of the Congo River basin. It is sometimes described as a living creature and sometimes as a spirit. It could be considered loosely analogous to the Loch Ness Monster in Western culture. Several expeditions have been mounted in the hope of finding evidence of the Mokele-mbembe, though without success. Efforts have been covered in a number of books and by a number of television documentaries. The Mokele-mbembe and its associated folklore also appear in several works of fiction and popular culture. According to the traditions of the Congo River basin the Mokele-mbembe is a large territorial herbivore. It is said to dwell in Lake Tele and the surrounding area, with a preference for deep water, and with local folklore holding that its haunts of choice are river bends. Descriptions of the Mokele-mbembe vary. Some legends describe it as having an elephant-like body with a long neck and tail and a small head, a description which has been suggested to be similar in appearance to that of the extinct Sauropoda, while others describe it as more closely resembling elephants, rhinoceros, and other known animals. It is usually described as being gray-brown in color. Some traditions, such as those of Boha Village, describe it as a spirit rather than a flesh and blood creature. According to the writings of biologist Roy Mackal, who mounted two unsucces...