Back: divided. Mint Photogr. C. Zagourski, Léopoldville
Mangbetu people live in Central Africa, in northeastern Congo. Their elongated heads gave them a distinctive look.
There is a tribe deep in the center of Africa that was once famous for its hair styles that defied nature. They practiced Lipombo’ – the art of head elongation that denoted majesty and status…the Mangbetu. An amalgam of linguistically- and culturally-related peoples of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Mangbetu refers to a large people group of the northeastern...
Mangbetu people live in Central Africa, in northeastern Congo. Their elongated heads gave them a distinctive look.
The Mangbetu people had a distinctive look and this was partly due to their elongated heads. At birth, the heads of babies’ were tightly wrapped with cloth in order to…
The Mangbetu people had a distinctive look and this was partly due to their elongated heads. At birth, the heads of babies’ were tightly wrapped with cloth in order to…
Photographer: Herbert Lang (1879-1957). Mangbetu woman photographed in Chief Okondo's village, Congo, May 1913. Biography: Herbert Lang
History Of Head Elongation In The Mangbetu Tribe At the beginning of the century, “Lipombo,” which involved making the skull longer, was a...
There is a tribe deep in the center of Africa that was once famous for its hair styles that defied nature. They practiced Lipombo’ – the art of head elongation that denoted majesty and status…the Mangbetu. An amalgam of linguistically- and culturally-related peoples of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Mangbetu refers to a large people group of the northeastern...
The Mangbetu people had a distinctive look and this was partly due to their elongated heads. At birth, the heads of babies’ were tightly wrapped with cloth in order to…
Mangbetu people live in Central Africa, in northeastern Congo. The name Mangbetu refers, strictly speaking, only to the aristocracy, which in the 19th century established a number of powerful kingdoms; in looser usage it denotes the whole amalgam of people they ruled.The Mangbetu impressed early travelers with their political institutions and their arts, especially their remarkable skill as builders, potters, and sculptors. They became renowned also for their supposed cannibalism and for their practice of deforming the heads of babies. ‘Lipombo’, the custom of skull elongation, which was a status symbol among the Mangbetu ruling classes at the beginning of the century and was later emulated by neighboring groups, evolved into a common ideal of beauty among the peoples of the northeastern Congo. The tradition survived until the middle of this century, when it was outlawed by the Belgian government. The Mangbetu had a distinctive look and this was partly due to their elongated heads. At birth the heads of babies’ were tightly wrapped with cloth in order to give their heads the streamlined look. The practice began dying out in the 1950s with the arrival of more Europeans and westernization. Because of this distinctive look, it is easy to recognize Mangbetu figures in African art.
