Witness Bambuti trade elephant tusks, cloth, and a pangolin for iron tools, plantains, and salt with Bantu

NARRATOR: This band of Bambuti Pygmies is retrieving a cache of elephant tusks that they wrapped in large leaves and stored in the forest. Having hunted the elephants for both meat and ivory, the Pygmies ate the meat but stockpiled the tusks to trade with neighboring Bantu peoples.

Drumming heralds the arrival of the Bambuti trading party. When the leaders greet each other, the Pygmies' smaller stature becomes evident. As in Western culture, the handshake is common among these forest people.

Trading begins, with each group neatly arranging their articles in plain view of the other. The goods are the common property of the group, and trade is communal rather than individual. The leaders act as representatives.

Bambuti trade goods also include decorated bark cloth, bows, and a live pangolin—a small mammal similar to the anteater and the armadillo.

Now the bargaining begins. The Pygmy representative selects one of the prime tusks. His counterpart offers two iron-headed spears. This is not enough. Two iron ax heads are added, but the Bambuti spokesman would like more. Finally, a broad knife with leather case and strap completes the trade.

When trading is finished, the Pygmies return to their camp with items that their nomadic way of life does not provide, such as cultivated bananas, dried plantains, iron tools, and salt. These goods are then distributed among the group members.