Jean-Pierre Hallet
Encyclopedia
Jean-Pierre Hallet was a Belgian (born in Africa) ethnologist, naturalist
, and humanitarian best known for his extensive work with the Efé
(Bambuti) pygmies of the Ituri Rainforest
. He wrote the 1964 autobiographical book
, Congo Kitabu, the 1973 ethnologic book Pygmy Kitabu (a more detailed description of life with the Efé and neighboring pygmies), and the 1968 book Animal Kitabu, which details his extraordinary collection of animals in the Congo and in Kenya. He founded the Pygmy Fund for the benefit of the Efé.
Jean-Pierre's father was André Hallet
, the famous African painter. Both the art works of André Hallet and many pieces from Jean-Pierre Hallet's African art
collections have been sold at international art auctions. Jean-Pierre donated much of his Central Africa
n art collection to the UCLA African Art exhibit of the Museum of Cultural History (later renamed the Fowler Museum), which was part of the impetus for its creation.
Dr. Hallet and his family owned one of the largest authentic Central African art shops in the United States at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California
, near Los Angeles, until the late 1990s. The shop was managed with his wife Liane Hallet, and two of his stepchildren, Janou Lightning and Kristina Hill. Proceeds from these art sales were used to benefit the Efé
pygmies.
He made many visits to the Eastern Congo region to visit the Efé (and other friends he had made over several decades) and to further his goals of securing land and protection for the Efé. In one instance he was captured by rebel forces in Eastern Congo during the First Congo War
and detained until Congolese troops were able to free him.
(now the Democratic Republic of the Congo
) for his efforts on behalf of the Efé.
During 1987, Jean-Pierre Hallet won the US Presidential End Hunger Award, and by 1994 the Pygmy Fund had reached 46% of their goal of securing 500 acres (2 km²) of good farming land for the pygmies in the Congo.
He has received over 100 awards and honors and has been a featured speaker internationally, including at the famous and exclusive Explorer's Club. He met with Dwight D. Eisenhower and for his humanitarian efforts has been described as the Abe Lincoln of the Congo.
He was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize for his work with the Pygmies.
, lived on the shore of Lake Kivu
, in modern Rwanda
. Jean-Pierre, born in Africa, spent his early childhood there. He was then sent to Belgium with relatives for his "formal" education, which included the study of agronomy and sociology at the University of Brussels
(1945–1946) and at the Sorbonne
(1947–1948).
During 1948 he returned to Central Africa to work as an agronomist
with the Belgian Ministry of Colonies. It was in this capacity that he initially traveled throughout central Africa, interacting with various cultures and tribes.
from 1948 through 1960. In it he documents interactions with multiple isolated cultures throughout the Congo
, Rwanda
and Burundi
regions. His accounts provide a unique anthropological source of information of the valley of the River Congo during that period.
He wrote about in detail of his encounters with the Baluba
, the Bakuba
Kingdom (Home of the Divine Nyimi Bushongo, God on Earth), the Balega (in the historically cannibalistic areas of Maniema, including the Bwame secret society), the Efe
Pygmies of the Ituri forest and the neighboring Balese, the Tutsi
of Rwanda, the Maasai of Kenya, the Bagoma, and the pygmoid Bamosso of Burundi. He also had encounters with multiple other cultures, including the Balamba (near Zambia), the Bahutu (Rwanda), Bahunde
, the Bambuba, the Batalinga, and the pygmoid Batwa
of Rwanda.
Dr. Hallet's accounts include those of extensive personal participation with cultural activities of the region, including secretive and forbidden (by the Belgian colonial government) practices. In several chapters of the book are described some of his first encounters with the Efe pygmies of the Ituri forest.
Jean-Pierre was an avid collector of art and lover of animals as well, and the book is documented liberally with photographs from the period.
The collection of art that he collected during the described journeys in the book eventually became a large portion of the UCLA African Art premier exhibit in 1963 - 1965, when Dr. Hallet donated much of it to the university. This collection is now part of the UCLA Fowler museum.
Dr. Hallet also sold additional artifacts that he collected on the travels described in the book (and during many subsequent return visits to the Congo) and used the proceeds to help protect the Efé
. He describes the events related to multiple significant artifacts, giving the reader a vivid background to their origin.
from 1948 through 1960 and his extensive interactions with the isolated Efé
Pygmies of the Congo
. It was first published during 1973, and was cowritten by Alex Pelle. Unlike his prior book, Congo Kitabu, which chronicled his contacts and investigations into multiple groups in the Congo and nearby regions, Pygmy Kitabu is a detailed observational study primarily of the Efe Pygmies. Great detail and scientific observational method was used in the writing of the book.
The Efé
Pygmies have been shown to be one of the oldest intact cultures
on Earth by dNA studies, and this book is one of the few in-depth works detailing their extraordinary culture.
The book Pygmy Kitabu was reviewed by another expert on Mbuti pygmy culture, Colin Turnbull
, and its contribution to knowledge of the pygmy culture acknowledged. It has also been used as a reference in a linguistics textbook. It has been referenced in multiple scholarly books, journals, and symposia.
During 1960, due to the increasing ethnic conflicts in the area, he was forced to take drastic measures on behalf of his beloved animals when he escaped to Kenya. There he faced new challenges and enlisted the aid of sympathetic allies to help care for his extended "family." His amusing observations of animals (such as that of smartest cat—- the leopard) and man in Kenya and Uganda and some serendipitous nature photographs were published in magazines in Central Africa.
Filmed during 1972 on location, the film was originally titled "Pygmies—An Epic of the Golden Age" and previewed at the Academy Award Theater in Los Angeles. However, the film was rejected by major distributors for lack of commercial appeal and was limited to a small run by a local theater circuit in San Francisco, California
(sponsored by the California Academy of Sciences
and the San Francisco Zoologic Society).
It is listed in several movie databases and has been reviewed by the New York Times.
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
, and humanitarian best known for his extensive work with the Efé
Efé
The Efé are a group of part-time hunter-gatherer people living in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the depths of the forest they do not wear much clothing, using only leaf huts as shelter for their bodies in the intense heat. The Efé are Pygmies, and one of the shortest...
(Bambuti) pygmies of the Ituri Rainforest
Ituri Rainforest
The Ituri Rainforest is a rainforest located in the Ituri region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo formerly called Zaire. The forest's name derives from the nearby Ituri River which flows through the rainforest, connecting firstly to the Aruwimi River and finally into the Congo.-...
. He wrote the 1964 autobiographical book
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Congo Kitabu, the 1973 ethnologic book Pygmy Kitabu (a more detailed description of life with the Efé and neighboring pygmies), and the 1968 book Animal Kitabu, which details his extraordinary collection of animals in the Congo and in Kenya. He founded the Pygmy Fund for the benefit of the Efé.
Jean-Pierre's father was André Hallet
André Hallet
André Hallet was a Belgian post-impressionist painter whose paintings have been exhibited at more than 60 museums worldwide, including the Louvre in Paris, France....
, the famous African painter. Both the art works of André Hallet and many pieces from Jean-Pierre Hallet's African art
African art
African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth. Though many casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is full of people, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual special culture. The definition also includes the art of the African...
collections have been sold at international art auctions. Jean-Pierre donated much of his Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
n art collection to the UCLA African Art exhibit of the Museum of Cultural History (later renamed the Fowler Museum), which was part of the impetus for its creation.
Dr. Hallet and his family owned one of the largest authentic Central African art shops in the United States at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, near Los Angeles, until the late 1990s. The shop was managed with his wife Liane Hallet, and two of his stepchildren, Janou Lightning and Kristina Hill. Proceeds from these art sales were used to benefit the Efé
Efé
The Efé are a group of part-time hunter-gatherer people living in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the depths of the forest they do not wear much clothing, using only leaf huts as shelter for their bodies in the intense heat. The Efé are Pygmies, and one of the shortest...
pygmies.
He made many visits to the Eastern Congo region to visit the Efé (and other friends he had made over several decades) and to further his goals of securing land and protection for the Efé. In one instance he was captured by rebel forces in Eastern Congo during the First Congo War
First Congo War
The First Congo War was a revolution in Zaire that replaced President Mobutu Sésé Seko, a decades-long dictator, with rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Destabilization in eastern Zaire that resulted from the Rwandan genocide was the final factor that caused numerous internal and external actors...
and detained until Congolese troops were able to free him.
Awards and International Recognition
Hallet was awarded the Order of the Leopard in ZaireZaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
(now the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
) for his efforts on behalf of the Efé.
During 1987, Jean-Pierre Hallet won the US Presidential End Hunger Award, and by 1994 the Pygmy Fund had reached 46% of their goal of securing 500 acres (2 km²) of good farming land for the pygmies in the Congo.
He has received over 100 awards and honors and has been a featured speaker internationally, including at the famous and exclusive Explorer's Club. He met with Dwight D. Eisenhower and for his humanitarian efforts has been described as the Abe Lincoln of the Congo.
He was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize for his work with the Pygmies.
Education and upbringing
Jean-Pierre's Belgian father, André HalletAndré Hallet
André Hallet was a Belgian post-impressionist painter whose paintings have been exhibited at more than 60 museums worldwide, including the Louvre in Paris, France....
, lived on the shore of Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu
Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, a part of the Great Rift Valley. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika...
, in modern Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. Jean-Pierre, born in Africa, spent his early childhood there. He was then sent to Belgium with relatives for his "formal" education, which included the study of agronomy and sociology at the University of Brussels
Free University of Brussels
The Free University of Brussels was a university in Brussels, Belgium. In 1969, it split into the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel....
(1945–1946) and at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
(1947–1948).
During 1948 he returned to Central Africa to work as an agronomist
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
with the Belgian Ministry of Colonies. It was in this capacity that he initially traveled throughout central Africa, interacting with various cultures and tribes.
Significant books
Congo Kitabu, Pygmy Kitabu, and Animal Kitabu have been translated into 21 languages, including Chinese and Russian, and a Reader's Digest version of Congo Kitabu was also released. The word kitabu means bible, or book, in Swahili.Congo Kitabu
Congo Kitabu is an auto-biographical book about the travels of Jean-Pierre Hallet through central AfricaCentral Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
from 1948 through 1960. In it he documents interactions with multiple isolated cultures throughout the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
regions. His accounts provide a unique anthropological source of information of the valley of the River Congo during that period.
He wrote about in detail of his encounters with the Baluba
Luba people
The Luba are one of the Bantu peoples of Central Africa. They are indigenous to the Katanga, Kasai, and Maniema regions which were historic provinces of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, the Bakuba
Kuba Kingdom
The Kuba Kingdom was a pre-colonial Central African state bordered by the Sankuru, Lulua, and Kasai rivers in the southeast of what is today the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
Kingdom (Home of the Divine Nyimi Bushongo, God on Earth), the Balega (in the historically cannibalistic areas of Maniema, including the Bwame secret society), the Efe
Efé
The Efé are a group of part-time hunter-gatherer people living in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the depths of the forest they do not wear much clothing, using only leaf huts as shelter for their bodies in the intense heat. The Efé are Pygmies, and one of the shortest...
Pygmies of the Ituri forest and the neighboring Balese, the Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
of Rwanda, the Maasai of Kenya, the Bagoma, and the pygmoid Bamosso of Burundi. He also had encounters with multiple other cultures, including the Balamba (near Zambia), the Bahutu (Rwanda), Bahunde
Hunde
The Hunde are an ethnolinguistic group of about 200,000 people located in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Hunde live in the province of Nord-Kivu and the regions of Masisi and Rutshuru. The language of the Hunde is Kihunde, and alternate names are Kobi and Rukobi...
, the Bambuba, the Batalinga, and the pygmoid Batwa
Great Lakes Twa
The Great Lakes Twa, also known as Abatwa or Ge-Sera, or in English Batwa, are a pygmy people who are generally assumed to be the oldest surviving population of the Great Lakes region of central Africa, though currently they live as a Bantu caste...
of Rwanda.
Dr. Hallet's accounts include those of extensive personal participation with cultural activities of the region, including secretive and forbidden (by the Belgian colonial government) practices. In several chapters of the book are described some of his first encounters with the Efe pygmies of the Ituri forest.
Jean-Pierre was an avid collector of art and lover of animals as well, and the book is documented liberally with photographs from the period.
The collection of art that he collected during the described journeys in the book eventually became a large portion of the UCLA African Art premier exhibit in 1963 - 1965, when Dr. Hallet donated much of it to the university. This collection is now part of the UCLA Fowler museum.
Dr. Hallet also sold additional artifacts that he collected on the travels described in the book (and during many subsequent return visits to the Congo) and used the proceeds to help protect the Efé
Efé
The Efé are a group of part-time hunter-gatherer people living in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the depths of the forest they do not wear much clothing, using only leaf huts as shelter for their bodies in the intense heat. The Efé are Pygmies, and one of the shortest...
. He describes the events related to multiple significant artifacts, giving the reader a vivid background to their origin.
Pygmy Kitabu
Pygmy Kitabu is based on the travels of Jean-Pierre Hallet through central AfricaCentral Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
from 1948 through 1960 and his extensive interactions with the isolated Efé
Efé
The Efé are a group of part-time hunter-gatherer people living in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the depths of the forest they do not wear much clothing, using only leaf huts as shelter for their bodies in the intense heat. The Efé are Pygmies, and one of the shortest...
Pygmies of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
. It was first published during 1973, and was cowritten by Alex Pelle. Unlike his prior book, Congo Kitabu, which chronicled his contacts and investigations into multiple groups in the Congo and nearby regions, Pygmy Kitabu is a detailed observational study primarily of the Efe Pygmies. Great detail and scientific observational method was used in the writing of the book.
The Efé
Efé
The Efé are a group of part-time hunter-gatherer people living in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the depths of the forest they do not wear much clothing, using only leaf huts as shelter for their bodies in the intense heat. The Efé are Pygmies, and one of the shortest...
Pygmies have been shown to be one of the oldest intact cultures
Recent African origin of modern humans
In paleoanthropology, the recent African origin of modern humans is the most widely accepted model describing the origin and early dispersal of anatomically modern humans...
on Earth by dNA studies, and this book is one of the few in-depth works detailing their extraordinary culture.
The book Pygmy Kitabu was reviewed by another expert on Mbuti pygmy culture, Colin Turnbull
Colin Turnbull
Colin Macmillan Turnbull was a British-American anthropologist who came to public attention with the popular books The Forest People and The Mountain People , and one of the first anthropologists to work in the field of ethnomusicology.-Early life:Turnbull was born in London and...
, and its contribution to knowledge of the pygmy culture acknowledged. It has also been used as a reference in a linguistics textbook. It has been referenced in multiple scholarly books, journals, and symposia.
Animal Kitabu
Jean-Pierre raised multiple animals while living in Ruanda-Burundi, near the border of the Congo. He trained a lion, played ball with a rhino, and watched the courtship of his rhino and elephant. His extensive menagerie allowed him an insight into animal behaviour that is further explored in Animal Kitabu.During 1960, due to the increasing ethnic conflicts in the area, he was forced to take drastic measures on behalf of his beloved animals when he escaped to Kenya. There he faced new challenges and enlisted the aid of sympathetic allies to help care for his extended "family." His amusing observations of animals (such as that of smartest cat—- the leopard) and man in Kenya and Uganda and some serendipitous nature photographs were published in magazines in Central Africa.
Pygmies (1973)
During 1973, Jean-Pierre filmed a documentary called Pygmies that is one of the few films that documents the customs of this disappearing culture. It was released simultaneously with the book Pygmy Kitabu.Filmed during 1972 on location, the film was originally titled "Pygmies—An Epic of the Golden Age" and previewed at the Academy Award Theater in Los Angeles. However, the film was rejected by major distributors for lack of commercial appeal and was limited to a small run by a local theater circuit in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
(sponsored by the California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
and the San Francisco Zoologic Society).
It is listed in several movie databases and has been reviewed by the New York Times.
The Pygmies of the Ituri Forest (1975)
Produced by Jean-Pierre Hallet Productions (Belgium) in 1975 and distributed by the Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation, The Pygmies of the Ituri Forest is the educational counterpart to the film Pygmies. It is available in libraries internationally.Over the Edge—People in Extraordinary Situations (1989)
Jean-Pierre appeared in the third episode of this ABC 1989 documentary series of people who go to unexpected extremes in amazing circumstances.Upcoming Films
A movie version based on the events from his books and films was in pre-production during 2009.Significant Music Ethnologies
- Echoes of the Forest: Music of the Central African Pygmies (The Musical Expeditions Series/Book and Compact Disc) (Audio CD and book, March 1995)
- This 18-track CD includes 7 tracks compiled from Jean-Pierre's collection of musical recordings of the Efe Pygmies plus Colin Turnbull's groundbreaking and original recordings of the pygmies and Louis Sarno's own recordings of the Ba-benzele pygmies (BayakaAka (Pygmy tribe)The Aka or Bayaka are a nomadic Mbenga pygmy people who live by hunting. Although the Aka people call themselves BiAka, they are also known as Babenzele in Western Central African Republic and Northwest Congo ....
-- another of the oldest civilizations on Earth). The accompanying book by Louis Sarno explores the music from his collection, with an interesting side story of his life among them. The music is worthwhile on its own, both for its beauty as well as ethnologic significance, while the Kurtzian story related in the book by Sarno has been received with mixed feelings regarding the conflicts described by the author.
External links
- Pygmy Fund Official Website
- African Art, Etc. -- a website dedicated to Jean-Pierre by his stepchildren
- African Pygmies Culture, music and rites, with photos and soundscapes