Domestic scene among Mbuti people, Epulu, Ituri Forest, Congo (Democratic Republic)

"The importance of women in the subsistence economy of the Mbuti and Efe is often overlooked. Hunting is an unpredictable source of food. In contrast, plant food, within the rain-forest, is generally more abundant and usually provides more calories to the diet than animal food. Woman the gatherer, therefore, contributes more to her families food supply, on a daily basis, than man the hunter." [Wilkie, D. S., 1988: Hunters and Farmers of the African Forest. University of California Press, Berkeley]. During his trip to Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Elisofon visited the Mbuti people at Epulu, South East Ituri Forest region. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for National Geographic Film and traveled to Africa from January 19, 1972 to mid April 1972.