Local gathering, Malawi, ca.1911

Group portrait showing people sitting and standing in a wide half circle around two men, who appear to be performing a ritual or dance. One of the men has a bell tied to his waist, bells around his ankle and a maraca in his hand, the other wears multiple necklaces and bracelets. There are thatched huts in the background and a few very large clay pots on the image. The heads of two European men can be partially seen behind the crowd to the right of the image. ❧ From a Photograph Album of the Blantyre Mission, Nyasaland [Malawi] and the Mihecani Mission, Portuguese East Africa [Mozambique].