Bwiti tribe is a spiritual tribe of the forest-dwelling Babongo and Mitsogo peoples of Gabon and by the Fang people of Gabon and Cameroon.
The Babongo of Gabon used to be known, as pygmies. Babongo have unique knowledge of the forests and using of Iboga, but they are still treated as second-class citizens by their neighbours.
There are probably about 12,000 forest people, but without birth certificates or identity cards, it's hard to know for definite. Due to government 'resettlement programmes', most of the Babongo have moved from their traditional camps into villages along the major logging roads. There are still groups living entirely in the forest, but their numbers are dwindling.
Babongo camps are made up of six to eight huts, housing up to 20 people at any one time. The traditional huts are called tudi, and made entirely from material gathered from the forest. The men's hut is central to the Babongo's beliefs. Only initiated men can go there. Its structure stands for the human body, with a carved pole at the front representing the physical parts of man, the screened area at the back the spiritual. The entrance is intentionally low, so that you bow your head as you enter.