Learning to walk in the forest

Lew‐Levy, Sheina; Boyette, Adam H.

Abstract

This paper examines how BaYaka children from the Congo Basin learn to “walk in the forest” (botamboli na ndima). Specifically, after placing forest walking within historical and ethnographic context, we consider how this practice contributes to BaYaka motor, cognitive, and social development, and thus, to the acquisition of culture. To do so, we draw from our own observations and those of other researchers working throughout the region. We outline four ways in which “walking in the forest” is directly and indirectly socialized: through motion‐full caregiving in infancy, play and cooperative foraging in early and middle childhood, and exploration in adolescence. Taking “walking in the forest” as a focal point, we argue that the specific ways in which caregivers enhance learning are grounded in BaYaka subsistence and forest management practices, and that learning to walk in the forest is central to the maintenance of BaYaka social networks and the flow of knowledge in the Congo Basin.

Citation

Lew‐Levy, S., & Boyette, A. H. (2024). Learning to walk in the forest. Ethos, 52(3), 401-420. https://doi.org/10.1111/etho.12441

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 5, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jul 24, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-09
• Deposit Date: Jul 31, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 31, 2024
• Journal: Ethos
• Print ISSN: 0091-2131
• Electronic ISSN: 1548-1352
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 52
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 401-420
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/etho.12441
• Keywords: autonomy, motor development, Congo Basin, hunter‐gatherers, socialization
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2614976