“Conflict and Costume in Namibia” by Jim Naughten – Design You Trust

“Conflict and Costume in Namibia” by Jim Naughten

“Each image, a portrait of Herero tribe members of Namibia, reveals a material culture that harkens the region’s tumultuous past: residents wear Victorian era dresses and paramilitary costume as a direct result and documentation of its early 20th century German colonization”. Photos by Jim Naughten, courtesy of Klompching Gallery, New York.

Here: Herero Woman in Blue Dress, 2012.

Herero Cadet Saluting, 2012.

An elderly Herero woman in patchwork dress and pale scarf, 2012. As Herero women get older, the “horns” of their headdresses get smaller. According to some accounts, this is to symbolize their loss of fertility.

The tradition of wearing formal attire is maintained by most Herero elders, such as this man in a yellow double-breasted suit and check trilby. It is, however, noticeably in decline among younger Herero man, who tend to favor jeans and a t-shirt.

The red features of the uniform worn by this Otruppe cavalryman signal his membership in the Otjiserandu section.

Herero Women in Patchwork Dresses, 2012.

A Herero man holds the head of a freshly butchered cow, killed to supply meat for a funeral, 2012.

Herero Woman in Patchwork Dress 2, 2012.

Herero cadet with blue hat, 2012.

Herero Woman in Pink and Pattern Dress, 2012.

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Oh, Design You Trust,' our brand new Facebook page! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

Gorgeous Fine Art Portrait Photography By Alexandra Bochkareva
Amazing Rare Photographs of The Romanovs’ Final Ball In Color, St Petersburg, Russia 1903
Daredevil Photographer And A Storm Chaser Captures Stunning Pictures Of Natural Disasters
The First Class On Air France In 1957, By Eugene Louis Kammerman
Rare And Beautiful Portrait Photography Of Marilyn Monroe From The 1950s
Paragliding Photographer Captures Stunning Landscape Images From High In The Air
Photographer Mayan Toledano Captures Daily Routines Of Female Israeli Soldiers
Photographer Exposes The Truth Behind His 'Perfect' Photos
German Woman Shows The Reality Of Perfect Instagram Photos And The Result Is A Lot Of Fun
Photograher Captures Photos From The Highest Places In Tokyo Show The Beauty Of The City
Stunning Painting-Like Photography Shows Off The Beauty Of Rainy Season In Japan
Hong Kong In The 1950s Captured By A Teenager
Two Look Books, Two Countries, Two Minds: Akomplice in Brazil Summer Lookbook
Breathtaking Color Photographs Of The American South Taken By William Eggleston In The Late 1960s And Early 1970s
UK Army Photographic Competition
Salma Hayek for Vogue Germany, September 2012
Neil Zeller's Snaps Were Taken Across Canada, Where He Photographs The Northern Lights Dancing Across A Dark Night Sky
Photographer’s Stunning Shots of Gorgeous Mountain Temple Look Straight out Of an Anime
Photographer Captures Minimal Architecture Photos Sprinkled With Tiny Humans
31 Stunning Black And White Photos Of Europe In The Fifties Through A Soldier‘s Lens
Photos Of Tokyo In The 1970s Seen Through The Eyes Of A Canadian Who Moved There At The Time
Hong Kong Streets In Neon – The Haunting Photographs Of Zaki Abdelmounim
This Photographer Captures Love Just As It Is
Photographer Immortalizes the Beauty of a Lions From Every Angle