Efe

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Efe (zeybek)

The Efe were the leaders of Turkish irregular soldiers and guerillas from the Aegean Region of Anatolia, called the Zeybeks and Kızan. There are many theories about the origins of the word Efe.

The organization of the Efe and Zeybeks were first seen in the 16th century during the Jelali revolts which dismantled power throughout the Ottoman Empire. After that time, men who rebelled against local pressures and injustices and settled in the mountains were called Efe or Zeybek. The Efe were distinctive in their attire, weapons and general appearance, which were created for survival and to best suit the life of an Efe. For example, they wore shorter trousers than were common at the time, and a yataghan with only one side with a sharpened point which was useful in mêlée combat.

After the World War I Efes were known for leading their bands of Zeybeks in guerrilla strikes against the Greek forces during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), before voluntarily joining the newly formed national army in the Turkish War of Independence. After the declaration of the Republic, Efe groups were awarded with The Medallion of Independence for their participation in the war. Most Efe leaders received military ranks and pensions for their services. When they retired after the foundation of the new Turkish Republic in 1923, they resettled in the cities of western Anatolia.

Efé people

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 peoples in the world. The men grow to an average height of 142 cm (4 ft. 8 in.), and women tend to be about 5 cm (2 in.) shorter.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Hallet was very involved with the Efé, from raising awareness to the plight of the tribe, to the introduction of new foods and methods previously unknown (such as a legume called the "winged bean" of New Guinea). He also introduced new methods of farming to the Efé, who likely had been a hunter-gatherer society for many thousands of years.

Origins

The Efe pygmies are considered by mitochondrial DNA haplotype analysis to be one of the oldest races on earth. The Semliki harpoon, 90,000 years old, is one of the oldest tools known to mankind and occurs in the natural range of the Efe pygmies. This suggests an initial aquatic civilisation based on fishing. Jean-Pierre Hallet promoted the establishment of a sanctuary for the Efe along the Semliki River near Virunga National Park, and also lobbied heavily for the rights of the semi-nomadic pygmies to continue living in the protected Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Ituri Forest.