|
Tribe Snapshots Manja |
| Location: |
Northern Congo
(Zaire) |
| Population: |
24,000 |
| Language: |
Manja (Equatorial Bantu) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Ngbandi, Ngbaka |
| Types
of Art: |
There is not an abundance of Manja art in museum
collections, and those objects that exist are
believed to represent the ancestors. Their style
is very similar to the Ngbaka and Ngbandi, although
Manja figures usually do not have the thick scarification
patterns that typify their neighbors. |
| History: |
Although little is known about the history of
the Manja, linguistic evidence suggests that during
the past 2,000 years they migrated into their
current homeland from the northeast, displacing
the groups of nomadic hunters who previously lived
in the area. Their oral history corroborates this
evidence, indicating that they originally migrated
from the area around Lake Chad to the north with
their current neighbors, the Ngbaka and Gbaya
peoples, to escape slave traders. Their migration
was complete by the time Europeans arrived in
the late 19th century. |
| Economy: |
The Manja are primarily an agrarian people,
growing sorghum, maize, and manioc as staple crops
amid the dripping rain forest that surrounds them.
Bananas, taro, and yams are also important to
the daily diet. The raising of livestock contributes
relatively little to the local economy. Men fish
in the local rivers and manage to snare the occasional
meal through sporadic hunting. Regional trade
is carried out along the major rivers. Men are
responsible for clearing the land using slash
and burn techniques, while the remainder of the
farming work is done by the women. |
| Political
Systems: |
The Manja live in small clusters of houses which
remain relatively isolated and independent of
one another. The eldest male member of each extended
family is recognized as the leader among them.
Men often marry several wives, each of whom is
given her own house where she can raise her own
children. The first wife is honored and often
has significant influence over her husband. Low
population density and the thickness of the surrounding
forest requires each small community to be self-sufficient.
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| Religion: |
Manja religion centers around the ancestors.
Important ancestral figures are represented in
figures to which offerings are made in hope of
receiving their blessings. One particular ancestor,
Ngakola, once lived on among the Manja with his
wife, Ngandala, and daughter, Yamisi. He had the
power to give and take life. This great power
is very much revered by the Manja, and he is represented
in several sculptures found in museum collections.
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