Identifying distinct african tribes from the Foundry african natives

[Fanis]

Greetings all,
I have a whole bunch of Foundry african natives and I was wondering if any of you lads might be in a position to please help with identifying which tribes they can be used to portray (and what shield should they be combined with to portray that tribe). I would appreciate any help as I would much prefer building up forces that are more or less historically accurate. Thank you for your time guys.
1) Archer with braided hair


2) Spearmen with braided hair (at least so they are advertised; looks more like a bowl cut to me).


3) Feathered headress.


4) I assume these last guys are just your generic natives that can be used for any tribe?


5) Finally, I have 24 of those natives in masks. Any suggestions re their use please?

[Dr Mathias]

The masked guys are the least historical of the bunch. Masks were pretty much ceremonial only, although those crazy Ruga-Ruga would do just about anything and I'm sure I've seen a pic of a Ruga wearing a mask.

The braided hair archers have Azande/Mangbettu bark loincloth, but the hair is a bit off. I use them as allied archers for both tribes though. (Yes, I have Azande and Mangbettu).

Braided hair warriors- no idea, haven't painted mine yet. I'd use them as Nyamwezi if I had a proper shield.

Tribal warriors with feather plumes I use as Congo cannibals- Tetela proxies for now. The shields they have in the pic are wrong for them IMO, I use the Congo basketwork ones. I think those peaked shields were labeled as 'Sudan style' in the old catalogue, whatever that means.

Generic tribal warriors are just that. I haven't found a pic of a group that looks like them with the savannah style shield they used to be supplied with.

Truth told, most of the DA generic stuff you show doesn't capture any specific tribe, at least that I've found. I asked Plnykes this same question a while back and as I recall he came up with the same conclusion. The 'named' miniatures that Copplestone did (Masai, Azande, Pygmies, Zanzibaris, Baluchis, etc.) are perfect.

[cram]

Dr Mathias the pic you have seen of a ruga ruga wearing a mask is probably the one in the Osprey Warrior Peoples of East Africa 1840-1900.

The feathered headress warriors are I think based on an actual tribe as I have seen an old black and white photo of warriors that look alot like them, no description as what tribe though. However the thick undergrowth in the picture would indercate a Congo/jungle tribe.

Thats all the help I can be sorry.

[inkydave]

The braided hair chappies would make passable Pedi from south Africa. The hairs right, not sure about the plug earings and maybe change the breech clouts for nappy style loin-cloths. But apart from that perfect
Feathered plumes? mmmm, Wazamboni?

[cram]

http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/photolib/people/Native%20Warriors%20Congo%20c1935.htm

The warriors with the plume headress are in the link above, no name given for the tribe other than they are Congo. One of them holds a blade that looks the same as that supplied with a few of those miniatures.

[Fanis]

Braided hair warriors- no idea, haven't painted mine yet. I'd use them as Nyamwezi if I had a proper shield.

Dr. is the shield on this auction site the proper one for Nyamwezi? http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/2709587

http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/photolib/people/Native%20Warriors%20Congo%20c1935.htm

The warriors with the plume headress are in the link above, no name given for the tribe other than they are Congo. One of them holds a blade that looks the same as that supplied with a few of those miniatures.

Wow! that pic rocks! Many thanks for posting it mate!!!  

The braided hair chappies would make passable Pedi from south Africa. The hairs right, not sure about the plug earings and maybe change the breech clouts for nappy style loin-cloths. But apart from that perfect
Feathered plumes? mmmm, Wazamboni?

Inky what sort of shields would the Pedi have?

---

I will have a scan through Peers' book to see if any of the illustrations match the feathered headress lot (and check as Inky says whether they might be Wazamboni) and post here if I find something. Same with the braided hair blokes.
In the meantime, all please accept my thanks for all your kind help.  

[Fanis]

Lads I reckon Dr. Mathias has the right of it regarding the feathered fellas. Chris Peers in his Central Africa book has a plate (no 34) which seems to portray this lot, identifying them as Tetela. Mind you, again as Dr. Mathias said, with a different shield. And it also fits in with the pic cram kindly posted about these guys being from the Congo. At least these I can paint up as proxies for a specific tribe.

As for the rest I think they might go into that generic Native villagers army list contained in the In the heart of Africa rules. I wish I had looked into all of this before I bought fussands of the buggers!

[Dr Mathias]

Dr. is the shield on this auction site the proper one for Nyamwezi? http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/2709587

Yes indeed, the shields associated with the Nyamwezi have that "eight" shape.  The side view has an interesting transverse crease where the handhold is. I want to sculpt some up and have a bunch cast. An image I have appears to be the same shield.



I'd seen that feathered headress photo before... my memory is failing me. I've pored over sooooo many pics of 19th century Africans they're all blending together  
Didn't know it was as late as 1935 though... wow.

Great thread!

[Fanis]

Cheers mate; I enjoyed it as well. :-) Darkest africa has fast become far and away my favourite period.

Dr. if you do sculpt some up and have them cast do please drop me a pm. I would be happy to pay for 50-60 of them.

Mind you upon seeing the shield it reminded me of the Mycenean 8-shield. I have a bunch of those from Foundry but doubt they would work without conversion (they are too deep for one). Will have a looksie later today. Now off to work!

p.s. as an aside I wonder if it might be a good idea pestering Mark Copplestone asking him if he modelled these figs after particular tribes?

[H.M.Stanley]

http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/photolib/people/Native%20Warriors%20Congo%20c1935.htm

The warriors with the plume headress are in the link above, no name given for the tribe other than they are Congo. One of them holds a blade that looks the same as that supplied with a few of those miniatures.

That shield certainly matches the Congo types that i was researching when doing my cannibal project. Nice picture

[Plynkes]

Tetela:
(this chicken soup collectible postcard is clearly the basis for the illustration in the Peers book)



Not really much like those feather headdress figures, unfortunately, though they would be fine for other Congo tribes and make good generic Congo types or proxies.

[Plynkes]

Inky what sort of shields would the Pedi have?

I don't think they were using shields by the time they came into conflict with the whites. You need gun-armed figures for the Pedi war. The young men of the tribe would migrate to the colonies and work for the whites (and later in the mines) until they had enough money to buy a gun, and then return to the tribe. Thus they were almost all equipped as riflemen. They also wore fur cloaks, and some wore European clothes.

The Pedi were a branch of the Basotho, though, so if any shields had been carried, they would likely (maybe?) have been of the Sotho type (which nobody makes).

Sotho-type shields:

[Fanis]

Thank you for all the excellent info Plynkes! You're a star mate.