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- Different insects are also eaten depending on the season. Edible insects include:
crickets, grasshoppers, termites, and palm grubs. Here, is a
batch of palm grubs awaiting the frying pan. Palm grubs are often prepared by frying
with salt and hot peppers called "pili-pili". Farmers attract the
adult female beetles to felled palm trees by cutting a hole in the trunk and filling it
with salted water. Lured by the salt, the adult beetle lays its eggs in the
palm tree. As the grubs develop, the farmer checks the readiness of the grubs by
listening to the sound their mandibles make when crunching through and eating the palm
tree fibers. Once the sound is right, the farmer cuts open the tree with a machete
and harvests the grubs.
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Hunting
is another way to supplement the diet with animal protein. Antelope and duiker are
found in the forests of Bandundu. Here Tata Mukobo has shot a small
duiker. Customs require that the head and a leg of the animal be given to the
village chief. The hunter and his family share the rest of the animal. |
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Another species of antelope found more in savannah habitat . |
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Another forest animal that is hunted and trapped is the
"simbriki" or cane rat. An animal which lives in forest/swampy areas.
Field rats are also eaten. These rats are harvested by setting fire to
savanna grass. As rats run out of the burning and smoking grass, they are trapped. |
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These
youngsters killed a "kihuta" and are showing it off. The second boy from
the right is holding a weaver bird nest. Weaver birds are harvested and eaten.
The birds build nests on the ends of palm fronds. Kids climb up the palm trees and
with a long hooked stick, they pull the fronds towards the trunk where they can then pick
the small birds out of the nests. |
