“Mountain thing” some South Africans call the baboon. Here at Baboon’s Armchair, we find ourselves at a point where human and animal stories intertwine. Baboons are complex adaptable beings. Their cultures have evolved closely with ours. They live in social groups like us. They behave in similar ways. Baboons have adapted to live near humans. They benefit from our environmental modifications. They often enter human spaces. This can feel unnatural to people.
The Chacma baboon is one of the few surviving wild animals left in the Western Cape. It is specifically found on the Cape Peninsula. They are a boost to tourism. Many people find an encounter with them exciting. They can be amusing and clever.
But, encounters between baboons and people are common in parts of South Africa. WhatsApp groups often share stories of baboons raiding kitchens. They steal all the food. Stories appear in the media about the torture and killing of baboons. People expand settlements into areas where baboons once lived freely. They create secure spaces. They build high walls and razor wire fences. They install security systems. They fear intruders. They take their frustration out on the baboons.
Baboons are sometimes seen as part of the occult arts. They are linked to the tokoloshe. This is a supernatural man-beast in South African folklore. Some South Africans refuse to name the baboon. They won’t utter the words used to describe it in various languages. Some adults use the euphemism selo sa thabeng. That means mountain thing.
Historically, baboons were important in the cosmology of indigenous hunter-gatherer groups. They are evident in mythic stories. These include shapeshifting between human and baboon. Oral history and rock art suggest there wasn’t inevitable hostility between baboons and humans. Some groups chose baboons as totem animals. Baboons were associated with root medicines. They cured headaches and stomach ills. They were a powerful charm against evil.
The baboon’s self-medication with plant roots was understood as a symbol of protection. The shift from hunter-gatherer life to crop farming changed things. Baboons raiding crops posed a threat to food security. They became linked with an unnatural wrongness in society. This is inherent to witchcraft. Stories tell of witches riding baboons backwards. They approach homes in reverse at night. They disrupt all that is normal. They are creatures out of place.
Young male baboons leave their troops to seek mates. Today, they end up perceived as out of place. They follow historical routes that are now human spaces. This is a challenge for a male baboon. He navigates a new world alone. It is over great distances. It is in unfamiliar landscapes. He is primed to be terrifyingly out of place.
Here at Baboon’s Armchair we must remember their story. Understanding is key to co-existence. It requires education. It requires law enforcement. It requires education about animal behavior. It requires sentience to encourage connection to the animal world. Remove the fear. You can remove the violence.