HISTORICAL TRENDS IN FORAGER AND FARMER EXCHANGE IN THE ITURI RAIN-FOREST OF NORTHEASTERN ZAIRE

Using oral histories, archival materials, and observations of present behavior, a largely hypothetical historical reconstruction of the natu ral resource exploitation and subsistence practices of Lese farmers an d Efe foragers in the Ituri Forest of northeastern Zaire is presented. Distinct epochs associated with the advent of forest agriculture, Bel gian colonization, and post-independence economic collapse have result ed in changes in local population density, the range of forest resourc es exploited, and the spatial distribution and intensity of resource u se. Broadly speaking, there has been a historical trend toward sedenti sm, spatial clumping of settlements, localization of resource exploita tion, reduced importance of forest carbohydrates in the diet, and an i ncreased reliance on agricultural products. Over time the Efe and Lese exchange system has changed, in relation to the items traded and the relative dependence of each partner on the exchange relationship. Invo lvement in this alliance has had a considerable impact on Efe settleme nt pattern, diet, and probably fecundity. It ultimately placed the Les e in a position of power over the Efe, and provided the farmers with m eans to enter a transient monetary economy. By providing a retrospecti ve on Efe and Lese subsistence, we hope to demonstrate that to deciphe r the relative benefits and constraints of this contemporary exchange relationship, we must understand their historical etiology.