The
Baka people, known in the Congo as
Bayaka (
Bebayaka, Bebayaga, Bibaya), are an
ethnic group inhabiting the southeastern rain forests of
Cameroon, northern
Republic of Congo, northern
Gabon, and southwestern
Central African Republic. They are sometimes called a subgroup of the
Twa, but the two peoples are not closely related. Likewise, the name "Baka" is sometimes mistakenly applied to other peoples of the area who, like the Baka and Twa, have been historically called
pygmies, a term that is no longer considered respectful.