The Baka believe that the forest is their good parent and that it looks after them. Indeed it does. It provides all their needs – food, clothing, shelter and tools. Like a good parent it is vigilant in watching over them, but like a human being it has lapses.
Just as when the Baka are asleep sometimes things go wrong for them – the camp is invaded by army ants or a leopard steals a dog – things that they could have prevented if they were awake – they believe that if something bad happens to them such as bad hunting or an illness it must be that the forest is sleeping. They then use music and song to make things better again – to wake up the forest and make it happy. If things have been going well they will also sing, to share their happiness with each other and with the forest.