4A. What is Turnbull's reaction to the molimo when he finally sees it?
He was upset because he expected the molimo to be more elaborate and well decorated
and overall, just better looking. Instead, the molimo is an ugly looking pipe, and he describes it
as water piping that was stolen from roadside construction gangs. He is clearly not impressed by
the molimo, and is honestly quite disappointed by it. He also expected it to sound much better,
and thinks it's a rude sound, and strongly dislikes it.
B. Why does he feel the way that he does?
He feels that way because he is a big fan of the forest and its exoticness. He had high
expectations about the Molimo, which is probably why he was so upset. He expected something
just as beautiful and ornate. He expected symbolism and sacredness, however he got a boring
metal pipe. He is upset because he thinks that the molimo is not “good enough” and that it
doesn’t do the forest justice and isn’t worthy of all the pride that the Bambuti have about it. The
BaMbuti clearly hold a lot of pride in their molimo.
C. What do the BaMbuti think about their molimo trumpet; what do they value, in a molimo
trumpet?
They are very proud of their molimo, and think that it’s great. What they value is a molimo that
will last a long time, which is why it’s metal and not wood, which decays quickly. If you think
about it, this is a very reasonable way to think because reliability and function are more
important than beauty. Their molimo will last them a long time, which saves them from having
to make a new one every few years.
20A. Briefly describe the part of the molimo ceremony that took place in the early morning after
the singing ended.
The youths will blow the trumpets, which will wake everyone up. They cause a big
ruckus, and run all over the camp, knocking over chairs and playing tug of war. Turnbull thinks
that this is supposed to represent the first fight over possession of the molimo.
B. Who are the people that are generally singled out by the molimo youths in the morning?
Typically, the people in the offender’s hut are singled out. The offender is anyone who had done
something wrong the previous day. Most of the time, this was Cephu’s camp, because as stated
before, he was a great source of tension in the camp
C. What is the purpose of this part of the molimo ceremony?
The purpose is to wake up the entire camp, because the BaMbuti believe that bad things
happen when the forest is asleep, bad things happen. They think that the forest is their
“protector”. It protects them from all bad things, and waking it uThey perform this part to wake
up the forest, so that the forest can stop these bad things from happening. They see the forest as
their father and mother and believe that it protects them from all bad things.
D. What is the symbolic significance of this part of the ceremony; what "idea" does it tell us?
Think.
It tells us that the Bambuti have great trust and faith in their forest. They believe that it
gives them everything. They think that bad things happen because the forest is asleep, so they
need to wake it up, which isn’t what your typical person would assume. If a tornado hit your
house while you were sleeping, you probably wouldn’t say that it happened because the house
wasn't awake to protect you. The BaMbuti truly believe that the forest is a real living thing, and
they believe that it has always protected the BaMbuti, the forest’s children. They have a lot of
faith in it to always protect them and give them encouragement, support, and protection. The
death of Balkemito is a good
