Angola women of the Mwila Tribe decorate their hair – using a mixture of oil, crushed tree bark, butter, dried cow dung and herbs. The They live in sparsely populated Huila province in southern Angola, where they live a traditional lifestyle. Their Women are best-known for the elaborate beads they wear around their necks, symbolising stages of their life.
Among the most striking of all Angola’s remote tribes, the Mwila people are known for their elaborate dresses, jewellery and hairstyles.
Adult women are expected to style their hair using a mixture of oil, crushed tree bark, butter, dried cow dung and herbs in order to shape it into thick dreadlocks which are then dyed using oncula, a type of crushed rock.
These dreads are then embellished using shells, beads and sometimes dried food to make them even more elaborate and eye-catching.
The Mwila tribe live in the sparsely populated Huila province of southern Angola and are well-known for their elaborate styles of dress, their hair decoration, and necklaces
Women use a mixture of oil, crushed tree bark, butter, dried cow dung and herbs to shape their hair into thick dreadlocks, typically numbering between four and six, though there can be more
Adult women also wear large necklaces which at first appear to be made of strings of beads but are actually large collars of mud with beads embedded in them
The Mwila are also known for their dresses, which feature loud colour schemes and eye-catching patterns. They are either tied around the waist or around the shoulders
While the fashions of the Mwila are meant to be striking, they also serve important symbolic purposes, indicating the difference between girls and women
The women are also expected to wear huge necklaces, made from a mixture of mud and beads, which they keep on at all times – including while sleeping.
While Mwila styles are designed to be striking, the dress codes also act as important symbols, telling viewers about the women and their lives.