READ WHY THE PEOPLE OF MANGBETU,ELONGATED THEIR HEADS IN THE PAST.

                                                       The  Mangbetu people live in Central Africa,in northeastern Congo.The Mangbetu people stood out to European explorers because of their elongated heads.When a child is born,the child's head is wrapped tightly with cloth in order to give them this distinctive appearance.The practice of the head elongation is called ''Lipombo'' and the culture started dying out in the 1950s with the arrival of more Europeans and Westernization.Because of this distinctive elongated look,it is easy to recognize Mangbetu figures in African art.By the early 18th century the Mangbetu had consisted of s number of small clans who form southward migrations,had come in contact with a number of northward migrating Bantu speaking tribes among whom they lived interspersed.The head elongation looks was a status symbol among the Mangbetu ruling classes,it denoted majesty,beauty,power and higher intelligence.Deformation usually begin just a month after birth for the next couple of years until the desired shape has been reached or the child rejects it.Around the 1950's the Belgium government outlawed the practice.The deformation usaually didn't affect the brains,as long as intracranial pressure remains the same as with a normal person,the brain should be able to adapt and grow into the new shape of the skull,resulting in no damage beyond cosmetic changes.The name Mangbetu refers only acristocracy,which in the 19th century established a number of powerful kingdoms.More photos below.