Conflict and Costume: The Herero Tribe of Namibia
Photographer: Jim Naughten
Introduction: Lutz Marten
Publisher: Merrell Publishers (February 19, 2013)
ISBN-10: 185894600X
ISBN-13: 978-1858946009
It’s always interesting to learn about cultures and people from far away lands. That’s one of the reasons I read so much and I am well used to being swept away in time or place, but not as stunningly as with Conflict and Costume: The Herero Tribe of Nambia. I must confess, the images were so stunning – bright colors against a pale sky and desert sand; that I just had to pore over them for hours before I read the introduction or any of the text. The most striking and what keep me gazing into the photographs, were the faces. Such strength and history in the expressions. It moved me profoundly and I found myself wanting to go to Namibia and meet these people.
When I finally got to the text, once again I was moved. Being a Chicana, I know personally what it is like to don the conquering culture’s trappings of fashion and language, but desperately try to keep my own culture alive. The Herero were nearly wiped out by the Germans, and yet here they stand, dressed in uniforms and outfits in Germanic 1900’s style, as well as that of Victorian missionaries, yet keeping their own culture alive and strong. The cow horn headdresses and other modifications to costume are a bright testament to their endurance of self.
Maybe that is what moved me too – that sense of clinging to what was; what is in the blood, the history and the memory of ancestors. It is perfectly personified and makes an indelible impression through the riveting and evocative photos of Jim Naughton.
Merrell Publishers did an incredible job. The pages are thick and a pleasure to turn. The typeset is spare, pale and compliments the photos perfectly. It’s not often I talk typeset, fonts and letting in a post about a book, but here, it is completely appropriate and necessary.
Lovers of history, art, culture and costume will love this book, but then so would anyone with an eye for gorgeous photography. Just buy it.
The publisher was kind enough to furnish AmoXcalli readers with some of the interior images from the book and I’ve enclosed them below in a gallery.
You can find Merrell Publishers on Facebook, or on their website. Jim Naughten can be found on his website and more stunning photos of the Hereros on his Facebook page for the book.
About the Author
JIM NAUGHTEN is an award-winning portrait photographer based in London. He has exhibited his work internationally, and his book Re-enactors was published in 2009.
LUTZ MARTEN is Reader in General and African Linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Book Description from the publisher:
The magnificent traditional costume of the Herero of Namibia, southern Africa, is a stark reminder of the country’s tumultuous past. In the late 19th century, the influence of missionaries and traders in German Southwest Africa led to the adoption by the Herero of the European dress of the day. Over time, the voluminous gowns, completed by a cattle-horn-shaped headdress, came to represent the cultural identity of the Herero women. The men’s ceremonial dress also harks back to colonial times: following the brutal war of 1904, the Herero adapted the uniforms of German soldiers for their own Otruppe (‘troops’) movement. In Conflict and Costume, acclaimed photographer Jim Naughten captures the colorful Herero attire in a series of spectacular portraits. Set against the Namibian landscape, these dramatic images show the striking costumes and their proud owners to full effect: men in elaborate, home-made paramilitary uniforms, and women in spectacular floor-length frocks with matching horns. Dr Lutz Marten contributes an insightful text that places the dress in its historical context.
Disclosure: A free copy of this book was furnished by the publisher for review via the publisher, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.
