or "Baaka") language. However, this split was only reconstructed to the 15th century, so there is no reason to think that it is ancient. Roger Blench (1999) argues that the Pygmies are not descended from residual hunter-gatherer groups, but rather are offshoots of larger neighboring ethnolinguistic groups that had adopted forest subsistence strategies. None of the Pygmy peoples live in the deep forest without trade with agricultural 'patrons'. Blench argues that Pygmies are a deeply established caste, like blacksmiths, and that there was no original Pygmy race or language. Peoples and languages There are over a dozen attested Pygmy peoples numbering at least 350,000 in the Congo Basin. The best known are the Mbenga (Aka and Baka) of the western Congo basin who speak Bantu and Ubangian languages; the Mbuti (Efe et al.) of the Ituri Rainforest, who speak Bantu and Central Sudanic languages, and the Twa of the Great Lakes, who speak Bantu Rwanda-Rundi. All attested Pygmy peoples speak languages from these three language families, and only three peoples, the Aka, Baka, and Asua, have their own language. Bedzan Medzan (Bedzan) live in Cameroon not far from the Nigerian border. They speak a dialect of Tikar, a Bantoid language. Population: 400 Mbenga The Aka of the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo speak Aka (Yaka) which is a Bantu language close to Lingala. The Benzele Aka are well known for their music. Population: 30–50,000 Miyaka (N Gabon, Bantu), Luma (N Gabon, Bantu) appear to be Aka (Benzele) groups. The Baka ( Ngombe) of Cameroon and Gabon speak closely related Ubangian languages of the Ngbaka branch: Baka proper, Ganzi, and Gundi Ngondi. Population: 30–40,000 In the Central African Republic north of the Aka are a group who speak the language of their neighbors, Bofi, which is a language of the Gbaya branch. Population: 3,000 The Gyele (a.k.a. Kola or Koya) are the westernmost Pygmies, living in southern Cameroon near the coast, and in Equatorial Guinea on the coast. They speak two dialects of the Bantu Mvumbo language. Population: 4,000 The Kola (a.k.a. Koya) of Congo and northwestern Gabon speak a Bantu language, Ngom. Population: 2,600 Bongo, or Akoa, of southern Gabon speak several Bantu languages, including Tsogo, Nzebi, West Teke, Punu, Lumbu, Myene, Kaningi, and perhaps others such as Yasa. The Punu dialect of the Irimba, however, may have a non-Bantu core. Population: 3,000 Mbuti The Efé speak