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Type:
Articles
Date:
1992
Notes:
To view the Efe Pygmies (or other hunter-gatherer societies) as a fossil of the paleolithic era now living amongst farming peoples (the Lese) is incorrect. Similarly, to view Efe material culture, such as the painted bark cloth, as a primordial art form, is equally incorrect. Instead Grinker argues "it is difficult to identify material culture with either the farmers or foragers... The Efe and the Lese make up a single social totality and political economy" (page 41).
Grinker looks at the social organization of the Lese-Efe based on the model of the house, where the production and exchange of goods takes place. With respect to barkcloth, Grinker contends that its design and production is a joint enterprise and does not "belong" exclusively to the Efe.