From the elaborate collars of the Mwila to the square hats of the
Mucubai, Angola is home to some of the world's most fascinating tribes.
Photographer Eric Lafforgue travelled to the country which, until
recently, was beset by civil war, to meet some of the most colourful and
learn about their incredible traditions.
From the
elaborate collars worn by the Mwila to the square hats of the Mucubal
people, Angola is home to some of the most fascinating - and beautiful -
people on the planet.
But
thanks to a vicious civil war that ended less than a decade ago, little
is known about them. Now a new set of photos by snapper Eric Lafforgue
is set to offer a glimpse into their unusual lives and traditions.
In
Chibia on the central plain of Lubango, he met the Mwila tribe, where
women, no matter what their age, sport thick neck braces that come in
different colours depending on marital status.
Stunning: A woman of the Mwila tribe in southern
Angola wears a brightly-coloured headdress and beaded collar. The Mwila
live in the Huila region of Angola
Spectacular: A Mwila woman wears the Vilanda necklace in the Chibia area of Angola. The necklaces, once on, are never removed
Elaborate: Mwila women are also famous for their
ornate hairstyles, which are held in place using a mixture of ochre
mud, cattle dung and butter
Colourful: Most Mwila women sport beautiful
brightly coloured headdresses and jewellery constructed from beads and
painted shells
Recycling: A Mucawana woman in a traditional
Kapapo headdress made of waste materials (left), and a Mucawana girl
with a western doll on her shoulder
Striking: Dimba girls wear beaded wigs for
wedding celebrations which means they have had their first periods but
are not ready for marriage
Heavy: Mumuilas wear giant necklaces made from
smaller ones created using beads and ostrich eggs, which is covered with
a mix of mud, cow dung, and herbs
Men,
by contrast, leave jewellery and elaborate hairstyles to the women,
instead choosing to wear a simple loin cloth paired with a dagger or, in
some cases, old 1990s football jerseys.
The
jerseys are a symbol of changing times in Angola; a country where huge
oil wealth is concentrated in the hands of a privileged few while the
rest of the country struggles to come to terms with the aftermath of the
Angolan Civil War - a conflict that lasted for more than 30 years and
left the countryside littered with landmines.
Keen
to embrace a better future - and the Western luxuries that go hand in
hand with better economic fortunes - it's not uncommon to see a group of
young Mugambue girls, a tribe related to the Mwilas, wear trainers and
t-shirts depicting pop stars or Mickey Mouse.
Some,
however, stay true to tradition, with Lafforgue telling of meeting a
bare breasted 16-year-old girl wearing only a loin cloth and a shiny red
clay headdress.
Stockade: A child hides in one of the huge
wicker baskets the tribe uses to store grain - the staple food for most
people living in the region
Making an effort: A woman adorns her hair with
plastic clips and a head scarf whilst celebrating a wedding in the
village of Combelo
Unusual: A child poses with an old radio worn as a a
necklace (left) and a Mucawana girl showing off her western
doll in the village of Soba (right)
Toothless: Mucawanas remove their lower teeth,
which is done by hitting them with a stone (left). Right: A young girl
wears the traditional Vikeka mud necklaces
‘In her tribe, the tradition dictates that for two months she should be dressed, or undressed, in this way,’ explains Lafforgue. The Mucubal tribe live near the town of Virei, in the huge southern Namibe Province that borders Namibia.
There,
women wear very large square hats, called Ompotas, which are made from
gorgeously printed and decorated fabric, but eschew clothes in favour of
the Oyonduthi, a simple rope that covers their breasts.
Not
all the hats are made of cloth, however. Some of the headdresses worn
by some of the Mucubal women are made of 12 cow’s tails sewn together,
and decorated with seashells.
The
Mucubals are a subgroup of the Hereros, most of whom live in Nambia,
and speak a Nilotic language similar to Maa - no surprise given that
they are believed to be the descendants of Maasai explorers.
Most
spend their time taking care of their cattle and planting maize or
sorghum, with most of the planting done by the women. The female half of
the tribe is considered particularly important in Mucubal culture,
particularly in matters of family and lineage.
Marriages
begin young, with the wife-to-be is introduced to the husband during
the Efico ceremony, when she’s about 14 years old, close to the time
when she has her first period.
Formidable: Mucubal boys and men usually wear a
simple loincloth, which they then accessorise with the traditional huge
Omotungo knives
Unique: Mucubal women wear a headdress called
the Ompota, made from a wicker framework and filled with tied cow tails,
decorated with buttons, shells and beads
Simple: Mucubal women are famous for the rope
they tie around their breasts. The Oyonduthi is usually worn alone but
sometimes under tops
Bejeweled: All women wear jewellery - among them iron anklets known as Othivela and armlets, which are called Othingo
Thanks to the young age of the bride, the couple will wait a few years before
having sexual relations. Later, the husband will usually take several more wives
that he can sell or exchange for cattle.
‘The
Soba - the chief costumer and administrator, bragged about having
swapped one of his wives for two cows with a friend,’ says Lafforgue. ‘A
real deal! It has nothing to do with looks or feelings, but just
workforce.’
Remarkably,
couples do not speak to each other in public before they’ve had their
first child – though this period rarely lasts for long.
Another
tribe living in the area is the Muhimba, who are richer than the other
communities and, as such, are permitted to sleep as late as they like.
Like their Namibian relations, the Himba, the Muhimba are obsessed with
their cows and as a result, their language includes 500 different words
to describe them.
‘As
for the Mwila, the Muhimba headdress indicates their social status,’
explains Lafforgue. ‘In men, a long braid enveloped in tissue and
pointing up behind their heads (the Ondatu) signifies a young man
looking for a young woman.
Married life: A Mucubal man with his two wives. A
married couple is not allowed to talk to each other in public, as long
as the wife hasn't had children
Variety: Angola has huge cultural diversity, as
demonstrated by this Mwila woman in her a colourful toga (left) and
Mucubal woman in a traditional Ompota (right)
Tradition: A Mugambue girl is in traditional dress (centre) surrounded by her friends who wear more typically Western clothes
Looking for love: A young boy sporting the
Ondatu hairstyle which indicates that he is a single man and on the look
out for a suitable wife
Moving forward: Modern life is slowly but surely
changing Angola's tribes - in this unusual image, the woman wears a bra
because she has been evangelised
‘Married
men wrap their hair in a sort of bandana and protect it by sleeping on a
wooden pillow, often covered in a leather cushion, rare sign of comfort
for a tribe.
‘Little
girls have two braids on their foreheads, little boys have one behind
their head, but if you see a child with one single braid on their
forehead, it means that they’re one of a set of twins. Pubescent girls
wear long dreadlocks, made from their own hair but also their brothers’
and sisters’ hair.’
Near
the towns, merchants have detected the demand, and sell hair extensions
from India. The women cover their bodies in otijze, a mixture of ash,
butter and ochre that gives them the unique copper colour.
In
the village of Oncocua, the Muhimbas live alongside the Mucawanas.
Girls wear a pungent mixture of earth, black oil, dried cow dung and
perfumed with herbs, while married women wear aluminium dreadlocks known
as kapapo.
‘The
Mucawana children offered us fruit from the baobabs and said they
sometimes see cars containing strangers pass by, but they never stop,’
says Lafforgue.
‘The
women are very coquettish. They asked me to take pictures of their
posteriors, which are decorated with pearl necklaces, just to check that
everything is in order. They don’t own any mirrors and quickly
understood the uses of a digital camera.'
Stunning: Despite Angola's reputation for
strife, this photo of a young boy covered with sand at the Pediva hot
springs shows just how beautiful it is
Beautiful: A Mucawana girl called Fernanda from
the village of Soba shows off her elaborate hairstye and wonderful
beaded collars
Changing times: Although this Mucawana woman has
retained her traditional clothing, her husband has chosen to wear a
Juventus jersey
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