text: The great majority of the Negroes, whether by choice or force of circumstances, live in the forest or forested zones of the continent where agriculture is rather easy and animal breeding somewhat difficult. Only in east and southeast Africa where, as we shall learn later, Hamitic influence is strong and the environment is suitable, have Negroes taken to cattle breeding to any appreciable extent.  
  The Hamites, on the other hand, occupy predominantly those regions, such as the Sudan or northeast Africa, which are arid or semi-arid, and where the average rainfall is insufficient for agricultural activities but sufficient to guarantee a normal growth of grass for cattle or camels. That Hamites have taken to agriculture wherever possible goes without saying.  
  The historical interpretation of the culture of the three ethnic groups of Africa does not preclude an interpretation based on environmental factors or the reverse. As long as the archaeological evidence is as inadequate as it is now, many questions about early African cultures must remain unanswered, and as long as the lack of historical evidence is so prominent, no conclusive solutions can be offered, thus opening a wide field of speculations, of which there have been many.  
  ![img-3.jpeg](img_ref_4)  
  Fig. 4. Wooden stool of the Warua, Southeastern parts of the Belgian Congo. (height 41.5 cm .)
  ![img-4.jpeg](img_ref_5)  
  Fig. 5. Wooden figurine of the Baluba, Southeastern section of the Belgian Congo. (height 33 cm .)