The Cubal are a semi-nomadic tribe of Angola whose economy is based on livestock and, since the 1990s, on farming as well. Their territory is wide, but it is concentrated mainly in the Namib Desert, between the mountains of the Serra da Chela and the Cunene River. They were the last people to submit to the Portuguese in colonial times. Cubal women wear an original and unique headdress called the ompota, and bind their chests with cords called oyonduthi, which serve as a bra.
Location of the Cubal tribe in the territory of Angola.
Population and ecosystem of the Cubal
Around 70,000 Cubal live in a wide area between the slopes of the Serra da Chela (to the north), Chiange (to the east) and the Cunene River (to the south).
Landscape inhabited by the Cubal in the Namib Desert, Angola.
Economy and social organisation
The Cubal are semi-nomadic herders. They often steal cattle from the neighbouring Gambue and Mountain Muila. Farming was introduced in the 1990s and is still very rudimentary. Cattle are the true basis of their livelihood: the more cattle a Cubal man owns, the richer and more important he is. They are organised in clans, led by the eldest man.
Visit to a Cubal community during a trip to Angola.
Meeting a Cubal woman wearing the traditional headdress, during a trip to Angola.
Aesthetics: headdresses, ornaments and mupeque oil
Cubal women wear a cord around their chest, called the oyonduthi, as a bra. Together with it, they wear a unique headdress called the ompota: a wicker frame traditionally filled with tied cow tails and decorated with buttons, shells, zips and beads.
Meeting a Cubal woman wearing the traditional bra, during a trip to Angola.
As a form of beautification, Cubal women rub their necks and bodies with mupeque oil, a reddish oil obtained from a crushed nut found in the desert. Married or not, all women can wear jewellery: girls and adult women wear iron anklets (othivela) and armlets (othingo). Women smoke tobacco in pipes called opessi and keep it in a snuffbox, the boceta.
Cubal child in a traditional leather baby carrier.
Art, architecture and beliefs
The Cubal are skilled leatherworkers: they make sandals, baby carriers and tobacco pouches, both for their own use and to sell to other tribes. Although they wear beautiful bracelets and anklets, they are not a blacksmithing people and buy them from the tribes of the Huila Plateau.
Visit to a Cubal cemetery with cow skulls during a trip to Angola.
Their houses are small, nomadic, pyramid-shaped structures made of wood and covered with fine mud. Some houses, as well as the graves in their cemeteries, are decorated with cow horns: the number of cows sacrificed reflects the importance of the deceased.
Example of Cubal vernacular architecture.
The Cubal are deeply animist. They worship the spirits of their ancestors, the Oyo Handi, who are considered inferior to their supreme deity, Huku. Divination plays a very important role in their culture.
Wooden amulet to protect Cubal babies from disease.
Challenges facing the Cubal
Government pressure to settle them and compulsory schooling for children are a serious threat to their culture. Together with the severe drought in the Iona region, these are the greatest challenges facing the Cubal, one of the most isolated ethnic groups in Angola.
Cubal woman smoking a traditional wooden pipe.
Would you like to meet the Cubal?
The Cubal live in the Namib Desert, in the south-west of the country. If you are planning to travel to Angola, our destination page has our upcoming departures, what to see in the country and useful information to help you plan your trip.
Discover the tribes of Angola with the book "Last Tribes of Angola"
If you would like to learn more about these peoples of the south before you travel, you can read Last Tribes of Angola, the result of the joint work of the anthropologist Joan Riera and the ethnophotographer Aníbal Bueno. Written in English and Spanish (a bilingual edition), and with a wealth of photographs, illustrations and maps, the book is a visual guide to the most remote tribes of south-western Angola.
► For delivery to the Iberian Peninsula and islands: buy the book from Exlibric.
► For delivery to the rest of the world: buy the book on Amazon.
You can learn more about the Cubal at www.101lasttribes.com.
© Photographs by Aníbal Bueno, taken during our trips to Angola.
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