Research on the Efe and Lese populations of the Ituri forest, Zaire

Abstract Since 1980, as part of the Ituri Project, researchers have been studying numerous aspects of the biology, health, economy, and social relations of Efe (Pygmies) and Lese villagers living in the Ituri Forest region of north‐eastern Zaire. The Efe are seminomadic people who hunt and gather forest resources for their own consumption and for exchange with sedentary subsistence farmers. The Lese are Sudanic‐speaking subsistence farmers who practice shifting slash‐and‐burn horticulture and live in semipermanent villages. Relations between the Efe and Lese have been close for many generations and extend beyond economic exchange to include most aspects of ritual and social life. This paper serves as an introduction to five subsequent papers that report findings from research on these two forest‐living populations. It provides background information concerning the ecology and history of human occupation of the Ituri region of central Africa; it describes the study area and the study populations; it discusses how the annual subsistence cycles of the Efe and Lese relate to rainfall and food availability; and it provides further information concerning Ituri Project research during the last 7 years.