In 2011 Jim Naughten spent four months photographing the Herero tribe of Namibia. The London-based photographer drove thousands of miles throughout the desert, meeting and negotiating with folks, camping and continuously cleaning the dust outside of his camera equipment. His resulting book, Conflict and Costume, is surely an in-depth look at the bold and gorgeous costumes that have visit represent the cultural identity in the Herero people.
The form of dress was introduced over the German/Herero conflict in early twentieth century, when nearly 80 percent of the Herero population was erased. The attire was originally forced upon the Herero people, it's since be a tradition and point of pride. “If your warrior killed a German soldier yet take and wear their uniform as being a badge of honor, in order to ‘take’ or appropriate their power,” Naughten explained in an email. “A version of those uniforms is worn by Herero men today at festivals and ceremonies, to honour the fallen ancestors and to maintain the memories alive.”
The Herero women adopted the German missionaries’ Victorian-style floor length gowns, nonetheless they eventually incorporated the vivid colors and cow-horn-shaped headdress (to represent the Herero’s respect for cattle) you see today. From woman is married, she actually is likely to make the vast majority of her dresses, often in the offcuts of other garments. These voluminous, patchwork outfits are considered every-day attire, while dresses constructed from an individual material are restricted to special occasions. Within the book’s introduction, Lutz Martin writes: “Rounded to resemble healthy cows, the dresses contain around 10 metres of cloth, despite summer temperatures reaching 50 degrees celsius.”
To have his portraits, Naughten immersed himself in Herero culture. He with his fantastic guide traveled from village to village, asking permission with the elders to photograph. Consequently, yet be invited to weddings, funerals and ceremonies where would he create his equipment and snap shots of passersby against the Namibian landscape. Naughten said he lost an eye on the quantity of people he photographed (it had been a great deal), but he is doing recall that a majority of everyone was excited to demonstrate off their garb. “The man from the yellow suit has to be a popular,” Naughten wrote. “For walking before the camera/lighting established without saying anything, posing so perfectly for starters shot, and then walking off smiling.”
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