JEAN-DOMINIQUE BURTON: Les chasseurs Nagô

The Nagô Hunters of the Bantè Kingdom, established in the fourteenth century, form a brotherhood of hunters, placed under the authority of a traditional King. The Kingdom is located in the heart of Benin, in the Bantè forest, the Collines Department. The 27 villages of the Kingdom comprise Chiefs Hunters. At the expense of hunting great game, now abandoned, the Hunters have become the essential players in the conservation of their environment, through defending the Bantè Forest on one hand and through protecting their cultural heritage on the other. Guardians of a rich tradition intimately linked with the forest, the Nagô Hunters notably conserve an exceptional knowledge of treatments based on the use of medicinal plants.