Linéaments d'une histoire humaine de la forêt du bassin congolais

Hunting and gathering groups are few in Africa. Other some general common features, the techniques for food appropriation have great regional diversity. The agricultural groups trained to «clearing cultures», grow starch producing plants. Between those living in the forest, those on the forest edge and those in marshy forest clear differences are noticeable in the type of plants used and in the agricultural cycle. But in all cases, the planted area is more like a garden than a field, and a large amount of food is provided by forest exploration along trails belonging to the different lineages. Then the forest is the site for social interferences between activities of both groups which are more ancient that was thought and specially explained by an acculturation process. The fact that ail the basic cultivated plants have been introduced reveals the constant and ancient existence of exchanges between forest and other societies. On the other hand, prehistoric data (mainly stone 1Ools) show there is a long history of man in the African tropical forests.Dans cette communication volontairement succincte et quelque peu schématique, nous montrerons au moyen de quelles économies les sociétés humaines vivent traditionnellement dans le bloc forestier congolais, avec une référence particulière à la zone sud de la République Centrafricaine. Ensuite, nous chercherons, en remontant le cours du temps, à jeter le trouble dans l'esprit des naturalistes, en traquant les traces de plus en plus anciennes des hommes dans la forêt dense humide