The shortest tribe in the world

Four groups of Ituri Pygmies, together referred to as the Bambuti, live in the Ituri Forest in the Eastern Congo (Kinshasa). Their average height is less than 4 feet 6 inches (137 cm).

The average Pygmie is under five feet tall. They are only 35 percent shorter than average people. Research has shown that this small stature is hereditary and not the result of starvation.

Researchers have spent years attempting to determine why the Pygmies are Africa’s shortest tribe.

The small stature of pygmies has been explained by a number of ideas. According to conventional wisdom, pygmies’ size results from travelling through impenetrable forests and eating few calories.

Nonetheless, some research indicates that the pygmies’ height may be connected to their adaptation to the low UV radiation levels seen in rainforests.

This suggests that their skin produces little vitamin D, which restricts their ability to absorb calcium from food for bone formation.

The Bambuti refer to themselves as “bamiki bandura,” or the children of the forest, because the forest gives them everything they need to survive. For them, the forest is a fatherly deity deserving of affection and adoration.

They live in homes made from wrapped phrynium leaves. They don’t have a council of chiefs or elders. They use common dialogues to resolve their issues.

The Bambuti have also suffered greatly, experiencing cannibalism and enslavement at the hands of their Bantu neighbours over the years. Over 20,000 Pygmies died during the Congo war and the genocide in Rwanda.