African Tribes Photos

Native Cultures of Africa

As seen in the above photo of a Nyangatom (or Nyangotam) tribe woman and her infant, the native tribes of Africa are among the most photogenic indigenous people in the world.  The Nyangatom tribe (sometimes called the Inyangatom people) are a group of pastoralists from Eastern Sudan and Southwestern Ethiopia living in the Ilemi Triangle region. The Nyangatom speak an Eastern Nilotic language in the Nilo-Saharan language family that is related to the language of the Toposa tribe. The Nyangatom are famous for their fearless warriors and have been involved in disputes with neighboring African tribes such as the Suri (Surma) and Turkana in the Lower Omo Valley of Ethiopia.  The Nyangatom tribe is currently being displaced from their traditional lands in the Omo National Park.  With the lose of their lands, the Nyangatom may soon no longer exist as a people.  African tribes photos and videos have a long tradition in visual anthropology, a subfield of cultural anthropology that uses images and videos of indigenous people as a primary tool of investigation.  Photos of African tribes represent a permanent record of the native cultures of Africa even long after these same cultures no longer exist.  In addition, African tribes photos allow one to experience the native cultures of Africa without having to travel there.  However, even those who are planning a journey to Africa to visit the indigenous people there can learn from African tribes photos and use that information to help them plan their adventure in Africa.