The molimo, which the Pygmies say is a large animal, is in fact just the instrument that is a part of the molimo ritual. The noise that it produces makes them sacred; in and of itself, the instrument itself is not sacred.
The molimo of the Pygmies is not concerned with ritual or magic. It is devoid of any ritual and is instead expressed in actions or words.
At night the women and children shut themselves up in their huts while the men sit around the kumamolimo, where they sing, dance, and eat.
While the women and children are thought to believe that the molimo is a large animal of the forest and are meant to hear the noises it makes, it is in fact just the molimo trumpets making the noises.
Whenever there is trouble in life, the Pygmies call out the molimo, and things always get better.
The forest is like a father and mother to the Pygmies; it is good, and nothing bad is in it. Not only this, but the forest is their god.
*Observations*
As children of the forest, the Pygmies believe that the forest is both a mother and father to them. As such, it provides for them and it is good; in fact, it is their god. To show their pleasure and thanks, the men perform the molimo ritual each night to sing and dance for the forest. The molimo instrument used to make animal noises is not sacred in and of itself, but rather the noise that it produces is what makes it so. The women and children are shut up inside at night while the men perform the molimo; the noises that the trumpets make are to let the women and children believe that there is an animal out there. The molimo is called out to whenever there is trouble or distress in life, and everything always gets better afterwards.
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