Hunting Activities in Forest Camps among the Baka Hunter–gatherers of Southeastern Cameroon

Abstract

This paper analyzes the hunting activities of Baka hunter-gatherers at their forest camps. The Baka currently use two types of hunting camps: sedentary camps at fixed sites and migratory camps that shift location. I analyzed the two types of camps based on (1) camp location and period of use, (2) migration patterns of camp members, (3) hunting techniques (snare and gun hunting), and (4) relation to agricultural activities. Although the Baka are regarded as hunter-gatherers, they have undergone agriculturalization and sedentarization for several decades. The analyses in this paper place the current state of their hunting activity in the above context and suggest how individualized and low-effort hunting techniques such as snare and gun hunting are adaptive to forest camp activities.