The Echuya Batwa Pygmies of Uganda, Facts, History, Height

The indigenous Batwa people, also referred to as Batwa Pygmies or “keepers of the forest,” are hunter-gatherers who live mostly in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo throughout East Africa. They are thought to have been among the first people to live in the equatorial jungles of Africa and are among the oldest indigenous tribes still living there. They have traditionally resided in forests, depending on them for food, shelter, and medical care.

Ancient inhabitants of Uganda’s mountain forests, the Batwa Pygmies are often called the “Keepers of the Forest” due to their long history of stewardship over the land. Short stature is a defining feature of this ethnic group. Men typically stand at about 4.5 to 5 feet tall, while women typically range from 4.2 to 4.8 feet. In the past, the Batwa lived in caves and tiny homes, subsisting on honey, fruits, vegetables, and wild wildlife.

Originating in the dense jungles of southwestern Uganda, the Batwa people are known for their traditional lifestyle as hunters and gatherers. Due to their distinctively diminutive stature, they are considered pygmies. Before the Echuya and Mgahinga rain forests were designated as protected areas, they resided there. Roughly 67,000 of these were counted in the 2002 national census. The mountain gorillas, whose numbers are in danger of dwindling, made their home in Echuya National Park, which is now called Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. There, they coexisted peacefully.

Their forced removal from the forest area started in the 1930s under colonial rule but was finally ended in the early 1990s when their ancestral home was designated as a national park. Kisoro, Kanungu, and Kibale were among the places they ended up settling after being pushed to the forest’s edge by park authorities. Because of the uprooting, they were unable to maintain any kind of connection to the dense tropical jungle that had been their home for generations.

The Batwa pygmies typically work as day labourers on people’s farms or bring large loads of food to market because their low level of formal education makes them unemployed. They have put together a number of traditional dance groups to perform lively dances and songs for passing tourists. Because of their warm hospitality, they are a popular stop for travellers doing gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda’s Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks.

Batwa Pygmies: The World’s Shortest Tribe You’ve Never Heard Of!