In the 1950s, anthropologist Colin Turnbull lived for three years in a tropical forest with the BaMbuti Pygmies. His 1961 book The Forest People offers an ethnographic study of the culture he experienced. He states in the book's acknowledgments "this book attempts to convey something of the life and feelings of a people who live in a forest world, something of their intense love for that world and their confidence in it" (Turnbull ). Turnbull uses his experiences to tell an elaborate story with characters that a reader can easily become attached to. It erases the stereotype surrounding the Pygmy people and shows the reader the beauty of their culture and way of life. The people of the forest are not simply a description of a cultural group very different from our own; it is also a window into their world. Ituri Forest, where the Pygmies lived at the time of Turnbull's visit, is located in what was once the Belgian Congo. Turnbull clearly states that, to an outsider, the forest would appear heavy. He describes it as having "damp air" and "gigantic water-laden trees" which contribute to the "age-old silence and remoteness and solitude of it all" (Turnbull). However, this is not the forest as the Pygmies see it. The forest is the source of all their wants and needs. Pygmies are foragers, meaning they obtain their food by collecting wild plants and animals (“Foraging as a Subsistence Strategy”). The forest is therefore not only their home; this is how they get their food. The closest thing the Pygmies have to a religion is their worship of the forest. They essentially see the forest as a living entity that will protect them and provide for their needs. This is demonstrated most explicitly in their performance of the molim ritual...... middle of paper ...... by contributing equally, men and women are considered equal. Turnbull emphasizes throughout the book that the Pygmies live satisfying, productive lives and that any outside interference would result in the downfall of their culture. He describes in the first chapter how the behavior of the Pygmies changes when they are subject to external influence: they are more reserved and obedient than when they are in their beloved forest (Turnbull). Although they sometimes do business with neighboring villages, their intense love for the forest prevents them from abandoning their way of life. However, their way of life is under threat, just like the Kayapo people of Brazil. Societies that call themselves “developed” or “first world” wish to civilize cultures they view as inferior to themselves. As more and more of the outside world enters these cultures, their way of life dissipates..