Human-Gorilla and Gorilla-Human: Dynamics of Human-animal boundaries and interethnic relationships in the central African rainforest

TL;DRAbstract

This paper (1) describes the perceptions of the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) by forest dwellers of southeastern Cameroon and (2) investigates the sociocultural dimension of human–gorilla relationships focusing on folk theories of human–animal hybrids in which the gorilla is deeply embedded, enabling us to deal with the symbolic and social aspects of hunter-gatherer–farmer relations. The Baka hunter-gatherers of the southeast Cameroon–Congo border regions live with their Bakwele farming neighbors. They regard the Bakwele as gorilla–humans that may be reincarnated as gorillas after death. Conversely, the Bakwele regard the Baka as animal–humans that can transform themselves into various animals to raid crops, and believe that there are human–gorillas (dzil-elizaliza) in the wild gorilla population whose bodies are gorilla but whose spirits are those of human beings. There are two types of dzil-elizaliza: the revenant human-gorilla of the deceased, which is gentle and

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