: : :I've met people that are this petty and nasty, but somehow I expected more from a diety!
: -Floyd
interesting post, Floyd, and undeniably true. However, I've read that the Pygmies, unlike the San, have no remaining language of their own; they have adopted the language of whatever "Bantu" tribe lives in the region where they live. (Lingala, Lese, Bassa, Sango, etc.)Of course, many of THESE languages have no written forms. Let's also agree that not having a written language does NOT mean that these tribes do not have religions, traditions, mythologies, ethical systems, philosophies, or systematized knowledge of the natural world. Most religions, empirical herbal pharmacology, epic poetry, etc. existed in oral form long before it was written down.
On a related note, a friend of a friend of mine has a degree in Linguistics, and plans to become a missionary; his first project is to go to a tribe in the remote deserts of Chad and translate the Bible for them.