Pygmy

I

Introduction

Pygmy, human sub-population in which an average adult stature of less than about 152 cm (60 in) is an inherited trait. Pygmies live in the tropical forests in central Africa and also in the Malay Peninsula (the Senang people), the Philippine Islands (the Aeta and other peoples), central New Guinea (several peoples), and formerly in the Andaman Islands of India.

II

Traditional Way of Life

Pygmy people were traditionally hunter-gatherers. Some groups maintain their traditional way of life based on hunting and gathering, while others have abandoned it to follow a settled agricultural existence, and others live by a combination of both hunting and agriculture. They were traditionally nomadic but today are more often semi-nomadic people.

Most often, pygmies speak the language of their settled neighbours (and no longer speak their traditional language), even very distant neighbours whom they would have come into contact years ago during their nomadic journeys.

III

Physical Characteristics

The pygmies are a dark-skinned people. Non-African pygmies vary in skin colour from dark brown to very light brown. The forests the pygmies live in are extremely hot and humid. It is thought that their small stature is an adaptation to these extreme conditions. A small body has a larger surface area to volume ratio than a large body (and it is mass that produces heat in the body) and is therefore able to lose heat more quickly. The pygmies also have extremely broad noses, another adaptation to the forest heat and humidity. Life expectancy among pygmies is very short as they have little or no access to conventional medicine and are thus susceptible to infectious diseases.

IV

Non-African Pygmies

Non-African pygmy populations, often called Negritos or pygmoids because physically they have mixed with other people groups, may also represent archaic populations. Blood typing and other studies indicate that the African, Asian, Oceanic, and Indian groups are genetically distinct from one another and have independent origins. They tend to be slightly taller than African pygmies. (See also Andaman Islanders.)