History Of Head Elongation In The Mangbetu Tribe
At the beginning of the century, “Lipombo,” which involved making the skull longer, was a sign of status among the upper classes of the Mangbetu Tribe. Later, it became a beauty ideal among the people of northeastern Congo. Later, people in the area started doing the same thing. Schildkrout and Keim both say that it lost popularity over time and was finally banned by the Belgian government in the middle of the 20th century.
Their long heads were a big part of what made the Mangbetu Tribe look different. From the time they were born, babies’ heads were tightly wrapped in cloth to make them look slim. In the 1950s, this tradition started to fade as more Europeans moved to the area and Westernization took hold. Still, Mangbetu figures in African art are easy to tell apart because they have long heads that give them a unique look.
Cranial deformation has been seen in many different cultures, like the ancient Egyptians, the Mayans, and Vanuatu. Some pictures of Queen Nefertiti and King Tutankhamen show them with what look like long skulls.
Georg Schweinfurth, a German botanist, met the Mangbetu for the first time in 1870. They live in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Schweinfurth said that the Mangbetu were aristocratic and elegant in his report of his exploration. During the first half of the 20th century, Western photographers and, later, filmmakers were fascinated by their royal courts, court dances, royal buildings, and artistic expressions.
This was especially true of the way their hairstyles were designed to make their long heads stand out. Profiles of Mangbetu women with their distinctive hairstyles became well-known pictures in the West. They were used on postcards, trade cards, postage stamps, sculptures, jewelry, bookends, and car hood ornaments, among other things. Since the late 1800s, people in the West have been interested in the haircuts of high-status Mangbetu women.
The text emphasizes that these different hairstyles come from Africa and talks about their beauty and how African folklore has influenced them. These hairstyles must have been made after a lot of study of African art and a little bit of magic.
Safety Concerns Of The Head Elongation In The Mangbetu Tribe
Even though European colonialists who moved into the area in the 1950s made it illegal, some members of the Mangbetu tribe still do it today. Keeping to the custom has led to debates and different points of view among different groups.
People who are against the practice worry about how it might affect a child’s brain growth. They fear that changing the shape of the skull could hurt the brain or stop it from growing and working as it should. But experts say that these worries are unfounded because the brain is a very flexible organ that can adapt to different head shapes without getting hurt or deformed. They say that the brain’s flexibility lets it grow and change in the room it has, making it fit the shape of the skull.
It’s important to remember, though, that while the brain can adapt to the changed shape of the skull, the changes to the skull’s appearance are lasting. Once the practice of Lipombo has made the head longer, it can’t be changed back to its original shape.
In addition to having their skulls stretched, Mangbetu tribe women also wear a unique hairstyle that makes their stretched skulls stand out even more. This hairdo shows the world who they are and how much they follow their culture’s traditions. It shows how proud they are of their heritage and makes them stand out in their neighborhood.
The fact that the Mangbetu people still lengthen their skulls and wear long hair shows how important it is to them to keep their culture alive. Even though outside forces and social norms are changing, they choose to keep their customs and show who they are through these unique physical traits.
History Of The Mangbetu Tribe
The Mangbetu were one of many small groups that moved to the northern edge of the Zaire jungle at the start of the 19th century. During this time, their leader, Nabiembali, gathered a group of fighters and led them north across the upper Bomokandi River to conquer the communities of the Mangbele and Mabisanga.
In time, Nabiembali grew the power of the Mangbetu by taking over nearby tribes like the Madi, Bangba, Mayogo, Mayvu, Makango, and Barambo. These victories were important because they brought people who didn’t speak Kere into the Mangbetu country. This was the first-time territorial power was used.
At its core, the Mangbetu society was based on a patrilineal framework, but maternal uncles were very important. It wasn’t unusual for a smart nephew to become the leader of his mother’s family, and his son would then take over his father’s position. Along with these customs, there was also the habit of giving women to different groups or trading with them.
This practice was common in the area as a way to build peace and alliances, but Nabiembali and his followers changed it into a way to control the different ethnic groups that made up their subjects. This was helpful because it gave weaker groups more power through maternal ties. But Nabiembali used this technique in the opposite way.
He chose to marry more than one woman in order to increase his output, show off his wealth, have many sons, and give his conquests more legitimacy, which helped him expand his rule. This plan worked, and some of his children were seen as leaders by their mothers.
Still, as Nabiembali’s sons tried to grow their own power and the impact of their mothers’ clans, they questioned their father’s authority. This made centralized power and Mangbetu rule weaken over time.
Two ideas, nataate and nakira, gave the Mangbetu the right to be in charge. “Nataate” meant that a person could act and have good social skills, while “nakira” meant knowledge, technical skill, and mental acuity, especially in dancing, singing, and speaking in public. The way the Mangbetu decided who would rule next was based on both family history and an individual’s ability.
The king’s superiors, Nataate and Nakira, were very important in choosing the next ruler. So, an eldest son who wasn’t very good could be passed over in favor of a younger brother who was better. In real life, this vague way of transferring power causes a lot of problems.
Early European travelers noticed that the Mangbetu were very advanced in both technology and material goods. In 1870, Georg Schweinfurth, the first European to reach the area, met a Mangbetu leader named Mbunza. Schweinfurth talked about Mbunza’s court, which was made up of hundreds of nobles and courtiers and thousands of people who were his followers.
The capital had big buildings, smaller huts with animal skins, feathered headdresses, and necklaces, and an armory with iron spears, lots of knives, and many shiny copper lances. There were musicians, eunuchs, jesters, ballad singers, dancers, and bodyguards in Mbunza’s home. Large fields and orchards with oil palms and other trees were farmed around the capital (Schweinfurth, 1874).
Even though many parts of the Mangbetu’s material culture were likely taken from the cultures they conquered, the Mangbetu tribe actively supported the artistic growth of all the groups they ruled. Their work included intricately forged chains and knives with carved ivory handles, geometric designs on bodies, pottery, mats, and homes, hairstyles that made heads look longer than they were, finely carved stools, dishes, gongs, trumpets, and canoes, and intricately made clay and wood human heads.
Religion Of The Mangbetu Tribe
The Mangbetu people believe that a god named Kilima or Noro made them. Within the framework of their religion, they also believe in other spirits. Ara was a god of water, and people knew that he could change into a scary animal. The Mangbetu also thought that human souls could come back to life as animals.
In Mangbetu culture, ancestors were very important, and the royal family expected respect for their ancestors. If you didn’t pay attention to what evil powers called Likundu told you to do, you would get sick and have bad luck. Witches could send these spirits to people, and Mangbetu tribe diviners were very important in figuring out what these witches were doing and stopping them.
The Mangbetu’s religious views are also shown in the things they make and use. The “great rulers” had a lot of money, and it included special things that showed how close they were to God. The king was the only one who could use sacred things like leopard skins, tails, teeth, and claws.
The king was also the only one who could use the nekire (a whistle) and the bangbwa (a war drum), which were used to protect the people, bring good luck, and keep control. Also, people thought the king had the power to control the rain, which he didn’t do to help farmers but to make outdoor meetings easier and as a weapon in times of war.
In the 19th century, a magical force called nebeli made its way into Mangbetu culture. People think that this force came from a secret group that was against colonialism and may have started as early as the 1850s. At first, people thought that nebeli was a medicine that lured animals into traps and tamed scary ones.
Later, people started to use it to beat enemies as well. Eventually, Nebeli traditions became part of a secret society with the same name. This society’s goal was to protect the community as a whole and its cultural history. In the 20th century, most Mangbetu tribe chiefs were members of the Nebeli. They used this group to strengthen their control over their people.
At the start of the 20th century, Belgian colonialism caused big changes in Mangbetu culture. Even though the Mangbetu mostly accepted Belgian rule, they did not fully work with the Belgian government or take part in its governance system. The Mangbetu slowly became Christians, and they only sent a few of their children to schools in Europe.
Their cash crops were not as good as those in other parts of the Belgian colony, and it was harder to get them out of the ground. As governmental and business centers grew, fewer Mangbetu took part than other ethnic groups, like the Budu, who worked as clerks, servants, drivers, laborers, vendors, and students.
One of the most common reasons why the Budu did better than the Mangbetu (in comparison) is that the Mangbetu were attacking the Budu at the time of colonial contact, which made them want to follow European rules in order to stay safe. On the other hand, the proud Mangbetu retreated in rebellion. They remembered their past glory and hoped to get back in charge. Mangbetu status was hurt by the loss of slaves, the end of raiding, the shame of being defeated, and other humiliations.
Also, colonial policies slowed the growth of the Mangbetu tribe by making it illegal for lineages to start businesses, lowering the status of the Mangbetu court, regulating succession, and giving the “great rulers” more power to keep their people under control. So, the colonizers were able to put an end to the Mangbetu tribe society.
Art Of The Mangbetu Tribe
The Mangbetu people had their own style of art. Most of their art was kept for the ruling class and was mostly not religious. Wooden figures, which people thought were images of their ancestors, were a form of art that stood out.
These figures looked like important ancestors and were very important to the culture and religion of the people. Also, harps and trumpets used by court singers had human heads sculpted on them. This showed how good the Mangbetu tribe craftsmen were at art and how much they paid attention to detail.
The Mangbetu tribe had highly decorated thrones and knives that were used by their kings. Not only were these things useful, but they were also signs of power and status. The skill of Mangbetu artists was shown by how well these things were made and how intricately they were designed.
Craftsmanship was highly respected when making household items, and it is said that the careful attention to how they looked was meant to show off their beauty and the intelligence of the people who made them. Even everyday things like tools and dishes were made with care and an eye for beauty.
In Mangbetu culture, many utilitarian items were both useful tools and pretty decorations. For example, brooms were first used as props in dances, where they were held in the air like wands, before they were used to sweep. People would show off their wealth and social status by decorating their useful things with beautiful designs.
The fact that spears, knives, and even shields were worn or used as decorations shows how skilled the Mangbetu tribe were at making things and making them look good. Copper wire was sometimes used to decorate toothbrushes and drinking straws, giving them a bit of elegance and sophistication. Flying whisks were usually used by people of high rank. They had handles made of carved wood or ivory and were decorated with copper, brass, or iron wire, showing how important beauty and artistic expression were.
The Mangbetu tribe didn’t just make art for looks; they also made useful things that were beautiful and had cultural meaning. The high quality of their work showed how much they cared about making things that were both beautiful and useful. This reflected the rich cultural history and artistic sensibilities of the Mangbetu community.
Also Read: Who Are The Unknown Indian Diaspora Living in East Africa And How did They get there?
