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The following activities will prepare students to study the Baka,
the people of the rain forest of central Africa:
Establish what students know and what they want to know about. Many
students will have knowledge about the rain forest from previous
environmental and biome study. Invite students to share what they
know about the rain forest and the people who live there, and chart
their responses in a KWL Chart, what they "K"now,
"W"hat they would like to find out, and, at the conclusion
of the lesson, what they have "L"earned. Students may know
some things about the rain forest but they often know little about
its inhabitants.
Students with adequate reading ability who require further information
can be invited to read the Rain Forest Fact Sheet, www.ran.org/info_center/factsheets/s3.html
by the Rain Forest Action Network, to enhance their knowledge. The
site provides a printer friendly version. Use the following Glossary
words from RAN site to enhance the discussion of characteristics
of the rain forest.
| Culture: |
the total aspects of a group of people's lives, such as art,
music and food, that make the group unique. |
| Ecology: |
the study of the relationships between living things and
their environments. |
| Exploit: |
to use something, especially for profit, without considering
the consequences or damaging results. |
| Indigenous: |
the first, or original living things (people, animals, plants)
of a certain area, prior to its transformation by civilization.
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| Sustainable: |
using products of the forest in a way that does not permanently
destroy them, so that people in the future can also use them.
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Discuss the definition of "culture." Ask how the environment is reflected
in the culture of the community. How specifically are sounds reflected?
What sounds might be unique to the rainforest community?
Have students speculate about the people of the rain forest. What
might they be like? How and where might they live? Are these people
indigenous?
Compare and contrast "exploit" and "sustain." How do these words relate
to the study of the rain forest and the people who live there?
Start tape at beginning.
Provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking
them to listen for facts about the rain forest and its inhabitants.
See how many they can find. PLAY. As music starts, PAUSE
at the words, "...this is the place the Baka call home."
CHECK for student comprehension by asking the following questions:
What is the size of the rainforest? (Mexico.)
How many Africans live in the rainforest? (3 million.)
How long have people lived in the rainforest? (No one knows, maybe
2000 B.C.)
What are they called by the Egyptians? (People of the trees.)
What are they called by Europeans? (Pygmies.)
What do they call themselves? (Baka.)
What does Baka mean? (Free like a bird; they believe they thrown
out of heaven for their noise and laughter, being too noisy and
sent to live in the rainforest.)
Discuss students' answers to questions and ask what else students
know about rain forests (of central Africa and rain forests in general)
to add to the KWL chart.
Provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking
them to identify what changes have occurred in the life of the Baka.
Listen carefully to the sounds of the rainforest. START. PAUSE
at the words, "...it seemed like a good deal." CHECK for understanding.
What changes occurred it the life of the Baka? (Cameroonian government
moved them out in the 1960's to roadside villages.)
Provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking
them to think about whether the move to the roadside villages was
"a good deal" as they watch the next segment. START the tape,
and PAUSE when she finishes talking. The caption will say,
"Now we stay here for 2 to 3 months at a time." CHECK for comprehension.
What was it like to live in the rainforest "before the red dirt highway?"
Why did moving to the roadside villages seem like a good idea, was
it the best of both worlds? (They gained access to schools, medical
care and a chance to trade.) Discuss the life in the rainforest for
the Baka of today. What do you think they have gained and what have
they lost? (Answers may vary.)
Provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking
them to watch for evidence of the "old ways living on." START
with music at the river. PAUSE after laughing. How do the Baka
still use the environment of the rainforest? (By washing at the river.)
What other ways were mentioned, or do students think the Baka may
still keep the "old ways?" (Answers may vary but will include hunting,
fishing, using leaves to build shelter.)
The Africa series companion Web site
www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/index.html is rich in resources for
students to explore. Using the Student Web Organizer, students will
examine the relationship between the everyday life of the Baka and
their music.
Explain to students they will explore the Web sites to find examples
of how the Baka use music and to learn about the instruments that
create the sounds of the rain forest. They will also locate images
that show the how the Baka live, both in the rain forest and the
roadside villages.
Look at Life in the Rain Forest
Ask students to log on to the Web site Baka Pygmies - Music and
Dances at
www.maurocampagnoli.com/baka/music.html. Provide students with
a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking them to cooperatively
complete the "Looking" Student Organizer, in which they will provide
them with the opportunity to look through a picture gallery of all
aspects of Baka life and descriptions of the music and dance to
accompany each event. (Descriptive text may require explanation.)
Scroll right to view all columns. Pictures may benefit from large
screen projection. Identify everyday and special events for which
the Baka use music. Who participates in making the music? What purpose
does it serve? How do the Baka use the resources of the rain forest
in their lives and music? Look for instruments that were constructed
from materials found in the rainforest.
Listen to the Sounds of the Rain Forest
The following sites provide sound files of Baka instruments and
songs. Share these sites with the whole class using a large screen
monitor or LCD projection device that provides sound output. Do
not display the accompanying picture (TURN VIDEO OFF) until
the students have had a chance to hear each sound.
We are going to listen to several instruments and songs of the Baka.
As each sound file is played provide a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION,
by asking student to listen and describe each sound. Does it sound
like an instrument you know? How do you think the sound is being
produced?
Have students log on to Rain Forest Music at
www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/rainforest/ rainforest_music.html.
Click on the link for the water drums. In the video scene at the
river, previously shown, Baka youth are playing water drums while
the women wash clothes. (You may want to provide student with the
opportunity to REPLAY the video segment to see the technique
used to create this "instrument.")
Click on the link for the limbindi. The limbindi is created from
materials found in the rain forest. What will the Baka do if these
natural resources are no longer available? How might their song
change?
Click on the links for the Yelli and Abale songs. Yelli and Abale
songs are said to create sounds that imitate nature. What sounds
can you hear in the music? Why do you think these songs are used
for the events that are described?
The next site has picture and sound files of string instruments
that have evolved as the lives of the Baka have changed. Once again
provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, asking
them to consider how the sound is produced and if it sounds like
a known instrument. Visit Instruments of the Baka Forest People
at www.baka.co.uk/baka/instr.htm.
Click on the link for the earth bow (angbindi). Click on the link
for the sound of limbindi. How are these two instruments the same?
How are they different?
Click on the link for the sound of ngombi. How does this instrument
compare to the others? (These may sound more modern due to use of
conventional wire for strings.) Instructions are available for creating
a ngombi for older students.
Click on the link for the sound of the ieta. The ieta is not a native
Baka instrument. Point out to students what the text accompanying
the picture says about the ieta and the materials used to make it.
Why do you think the Baka might have adopted this instrument as
their own?
Review the pictures of all the instruments asking students to take
note of the materials used. What do they have in common? (Materials
come from the resources of the rain forest.) How have the instruments
changed? (More and more materials of the "modern" world, tin cans,
wire, are being used.)
CREATE MUSIC
After exploring the culture of the Baka and its rich musical interpretation,
it's time for students to create their own music in the style of
the Baka.
INTERNET ACTIVITY
Direct students to the Africa for Kids Web site
http://pbskids.org/africa (This site requires the Flash 5 plugin)
and click on "African Finger Piano." Provide a FOCUS FOR MEDIA
INTERACTION by asking students to try some thumb piano tunes
using this digital version of an African instrument played by the
Baka. They can both listen to and make music. After they explore
the site and listen to the songs, they may choose to compose music
of their own. Enlist the support of music teachers to assist students
in the composition of original music in the style of the Baka. Given
adequate traditional instrumental resources, student can create
their own music in the style of the Baka to represent the struggle
to reclaim the rainforest. This may be as simple as using the rhythms
created with everyday objects or as sophisticated as using midi
keyboards.
HANDS-ON ACTIVITY:
Students can create their own African finger piano using the materials
listed at left.
Use these directions to make one of your own for students to model,
and provide them to your students.
Constructing a Finger Piano
- Sand side and edges of wood block to remove rough edges
- Glue down the nails leaving about 1 in. space from the end
of the wood on either side of the pre-drilled holes.
- Cut the bobby pins (3 in. long) in half. Flatten, file and
sand smooth.
- Lay the bobby pins across the nails so that they are balanced
and evenly spaced.
- Drop the eyebolts into the holes on the same side as the nails
and secure with the nuts on the back of the wood base.
- Arrange the bobby pins as shown on the digital version of the
finger piano, with one centered and extending farther down the
wood base that the rest.
- Arrange the bobby pins to produce a range of tones. Students
will discover the farther the strip protrudes, the lower the tone,
the shorter the strip, the higher the tone. Students will need
patience and quiet to hear the differences.
- Mounting the wood base on a box will amplify the sound and
improve the quality. Hot glue the finger piano to a small box
and cut a sound hole on top.
You may want to create a poster listing these steps for students to
follow. Consider having students work as partners or in teams, as
age appropriate.
SCIENCE
Explore the cycle of life from the floor of the rainforest to the
canopy. (Use video segment on monkeys and gorillas after water music
and the scenes after the hunt, which show how nothing is wasted
in the rainforest.) How will the changes the Baka have experienced
affect the life cycle of the rain forest?
HISTORY/MUSIC
View the video segments which chronicle the Baka's struggle with
the destruction of their rainforest and their efforts to take control
over the activities of the loggers. What musical representations
of social or political struggles can students find in their own
contemporary music or the music of their parents?
SOCIAL STUDIES
Send students outside of the school to listen to the sounds of the
environment. They may record them and/or journal the sounds they
hear. In class discuss definition of "culture." Ask how the environment
is reflected in the culture of the community. How specifically are
sounds reflected? Are some sounds unique to certain segments of
their own community?
"Become an Activist" Multimedia Activity
Students will become grant seekers creating a persuasive presentation
for the preservation of both the culture and environment that are
threatened by the destruction of the rainforests of central Africa.
Their presentation to will convince "funders" to support programs
to help the Baka. Have students revisit the Web sites to collect
pictures, sounds, and information that can be assembled into an
informative multimedia presentation reflecting the culture of the
Baka and the importance of its preservation. The focus of the presentation
should be support for the Baka, their way of life, and the protection
of the rainforest. Programs like Hyperstudio and Power Point can
be used.
Remind students of their obligation to observe copyright restrictions
and to cite their sources in the creation of their presentation.
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