The Batwa People of Uganda
A Culture Lost to the Modern World
The Echuya Batwa—often known as “keepers of the forest”—are an endangered tribe of forest-dwelling hunter-gatherer people.
They lived peacefully off their land without any outside influence until 1991, when they were tragically evicted from the forest.
Suddenly, the native tribe was trapped in a world unfamiliar to them, and their fight for survival had begun.
This is their story.
Their Land
The Batwa people, sometimes referred to as the “Twa” people, have lived in the lush rainforests of South-Western Uganda for thousands of years—and are said to be direct descendants of the first homo sapiens of the area.
The Landscape
The Albertine Rift region, where they predominately reside, is a beautiful forest dominated by a series of snowcapped mountains, serene lakes and stunning greenery.
But, with a landscape like that, the Batwa people are certainly not the only inhabitants.
The Mountain Gorillas
In addition to typical rainforest wildlife, the Albertine Rift region is home to one of the world’s greatest endemic species—the critically endangered mountain gorillas.
And their harmonious relationship dates far back.
Their History
The Batwa people are the original people of the Uganda and Rwanda rainforest. For millennia they lived as the only humans in the forest, in harmony with nature and all of its creatures.
