著者

佐藤 弘明

出版者

浜松医科大学

雑誌

浜松医科大学紀要. 一般教育 (ISSN:09140174)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.7, pp.19-30, 1993-03-31

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Food restriction on elephants among the Baka, a hunter-gatherer group in northwestern Congo, was described, and its social function was also discussed. The Baka hunt and snare various forest animals ranging from rats to elephants, mainly aiming at duikers and primates. Elephants are rarely hunted. Once killed, however, an elephant could bring enormous amount of meat to many people. Nevertheless, the Baka elephant hunter and his senior close relatives don't eat any portion of the huge game, because if they eat the meat of an elephant killed by the hunter, he is believed to be incapable of catching any elephant as game thereafter. Besides elephants, there are many kinds of game which certain people should avoid eating. The game includes "anomalous", "unusual", or valueless game for food, which the previous studies on food taboos have so far considered to be susceptible to avoidance. On the other hand, an elephant is not "anomalous", "unusual", or valueless. Unlike the elephant hunter and his senior relatives, most of those who are required to avoid the game are the people at momentous stages of life such as pregnant women, new-born babies, etc. These differences suggest that the above custom of food restriction on elephants has different meanings from the ones interpreted in the previous studies concerning food taboos. I think that this custom is part of the leveling mechanism of the Baka society. Although experienced Baka elephant hunters are held in esteem, they don't have social or political power. It is possible that sharing such an enormous amount of meat as an elephant has makes receivers feel a psychological burden and helps centralize prestige on givers. But, there is not such centralization of prestige in the Baka society. I consider that it is partly because elephant hunters control themselves and partly because they can have no right to the meat under the above custom and therefore meat receivers do not need to feel obliged to the hunters. The egalitarian society of the Baka could be maintained by the leveling mechanisim including thorough sharing, the restrained attitude of elephant hunters, food restriction on elephants and so on.