The Adouma are an ethnic group

Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...

 of Gabon

Gabon

Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...

, in western Africa. They primarily live on the south bank of the upper Ogooué River

Ogooué River

The Ogooué , some 1,200 km long, is the principal river of Gabon in west central Africa. Its watershed drains nearly the entire country of Gabon, with some tributaries reaching into the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea....

, in the vicinity of Lastoursville

Lastoursville

Lastoursville or Mandji is a city in central Gabon, lying on the River Ogooué, the Trans-Gabon Railway and the N3 road. It was founded as a slave depot named Mandji, renamed Maadiville in 1883 and finally took its current name for François Rigail de Lastours in 1886...

 (originally an Adouma village), and are known as expert canoe

Canoe

A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...

ists.

Their traditions hold that they arrived from the east or southeast, coming down the Sebe River

Sebe River

The Sébé River is a river which flows in Gabon.It is a tributary of the Ogooue River, and passes through Okondja, Haut-Ogooué. Its own tributaries are the Loula River and the Lebiri River.- References :...

 to the Ogowe, and thence to the Doumé rapids. They made canoes of okoumé

Okoume

Okoumé may refer to:* Okoumé, a Quebec band active from 1995-2002* Okoumé, an alternate name for Aucoumea klaineana, an African hardwood...

, and sold slave

Slavery

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

s to the Okandé, receiving European products such as guns and cloth in exchange. The SHO

Sho

Sho can refer to:* Sho , a Tibetan board game with dices* Sho , a Tibetan currency unit * Shodo, a Japanese calligraphy* Sho , a letter of the Greek alphabet as used to write Bactrian...

 established a post at Lastoursville and engaged the Adouma in trade for rubber

Rubber

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...

, ivory

Ivory trade

The ivory trade is the commercial, often illegal trade in the ivory tusks of the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, mammoth, and most commonly, Asian and African elephants....

, and ebony

Ebony

Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...

.

During the 1970s and 80s, many Adouma moved down the Ogowe, towards Port-Gentil

Port-Gentil

Port-Gentil or Mandji is the second-largest city of Gabon and a leading seaport. It is the center of Gabon's petroleum and timber industries. Although it lies inshore, the nearby mainland is a remote forest area and it is not connected by road to the rest of the nation...

.