African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African folklore 354
remarkable feat of closing a circle of nets in dense forest vegetation without being able to
see the other members of the hunting party. Immediately upon finishing, the net carriers
begin searching the enclosed area, beating leaves, and shouting to drive animals from
their hiding places. The other participants remain near the nets to spot flushed animals, to
frighten them into the nets, and then to seize them before they can escape. Each round of
setting the nets, driving, and moving to the next
Ba Aka net hunting, Dzanga Sangha
Special Dense Forest Preserve, Central
African Republic. Photo © Hal Noss,
www.halnoss.com.
site takes only 10 to 15 minutes. In contrast, Mbuti net hunters generally set the nets
describing an arc up to 0.93 miles long, begin the drive up to 0.6 miles away, and a day’s
hunting comprises four to eight casts.
In Aka mulongo net hunting, the participants depart from their village in the morning
and return in the evening. These hunts usually begin 2 to 2.5 miles, or one hour’s walk,
from the community and cover several kilometers during the ten to thirty casts of the
nets. Hunters frequently leave their nets in the forest where the day’s hunt ends in order
to resume the following day’s hunt at that point. The nets are rolled and tied to the top of
a pole, with a covering of leaves to shed rain. Net hunting also takes place from seasonal
and mobile forest camps (kumbi) that can last from several days to several months.
Aka nets are owned by both women and men. A captured animal is the property of the
net owner (konja), even if that person is not present. However, the head of the animal
belongs to the person who sets the net, while the ribs and belly belong to the person who
first seizes the animal. These sharing rules reinforce cooperation during net hunting and
reflect the cooperative nature of Aka society, providing meat to participants who are not
net owners.
The leader of the net hunt is always a man, unless only women are participating. This
person is one of the first to leave the settlement, choosing the starting and ending points
for the day’s hunt. Once the hunt begins, the leader may determine the general direction
of the hunt and may identify likely places to set the nets, but other hunters frequently take
over these responsibilities as the hunt flows quickly through the forest.