MEN OF THE TREES 



beyond the price paid by gourmets at the Ritz for the 

 rarest of deUcacies out of season. In his turn, the African 

 must have his yam. From its harvesting he measures 

 time, and each day of its marketing records another 

 week in the progress of the season. 



At the Forest Market one becomes aware of the hu- 

 man Hfe which at other times is hidden. As the sun 

 mounts high, the women folk gather from all directions 

 to display their yams to prospective buyers. They sit by 

 their loads under a crazy booth made from a few palm 

 leaves and begin to trade. Of course there are other ar- 

 ticles of commerce exchanged. Just as in other parts of 

 the world today business magnates sit serene behind ma- 

 hogany desks weighing the pros and cons of purchase 

 and sale, so these children of nature, under the shade of 

 the growing mahogany, demonstrate according to their 

 environment the same capacity for barter. Here in the 

 tropic bush are displayed the usual attributes for busi- 

 ness — judgment as to values, and an unconsciously dra- 

 matic sense of enjoyment in bargaining, and decisions 

 in purchase which display the subtleties of an almost un- 

 canny craft. This is the social life of the women who 

 travel with their weighty wares astonishingly long dis- 

 tances, often bearing a baby on their backs while fol- 

 lowed by quite young children. 



The fixed site for the Forest Market in any given area 

 may be several miles from the nearest village, and the 

 animated scene that presents itself during the appointed 



1 68 



