Black Panther's Wakanda is made up of six tribes, each with an important role to play in the workings of the technologically advanced nation. Though Chadwick Boseman debuted as T'Challa, the Prince of Wakanda, in Captain America: Civil War, it wasn't until 2018's Black Panther when audiences got an in-depth look at the fictional African nation. The opening moments of Black Panther featured an animated montage detailing a brief history of Wakanda, designed by visual effects studio Perception. The sequence introduced Wakanda's five tribes, but it has since been revealed that the country actually houses six different tribes.
Though some of Wakanda's tribes have seen more development in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever than others, each one has an important role to play in the economy, security, and spirituality of Wakanda. While Wakanda is formed of five primary tribes, only four became united under the rule of Bashenga, the first Black Panther, and worship the panther god Bast. Each of the main characters from Ryan Coogler's Black Panther franchise belong to one of Wakanda's tribes, with the sixth tribe being a bit more elusive, but perhaps the most important of all.
River Tribe
Loosely based on the Suri and Mursi Tribes of Ethiopia, Wakanda's River Tribe is perhaps the most unknown of all, as it's not entirely clear what purpose this tribe serves in Wakanda. However, the River Tribe name suggests that they tend to, maintain, and supply water from the river that runs through the center of Wakanda's capital city, Birnin Zana, a.k.a. the Golden City. All of Wakanda's tribes are associated with a different color, with the River Tribe usually dressing in green clothes made from crocodile skins and leather, usually with shell-based textures on the fabrics to reflect their home by the river.
In the Black Panther franchise, Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong'o, is a notable member of Wakanda's River Tribe. Nakia sparks a romance with T'Challa during Black Panther, and is revealed to have mothered a son with the late King of Wakanda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, though she now resides in Haiti to keep Toussaint, a.k.a. Prince T'Challa, away from the pressures of the Wakandan throne. The River Tribe Elder, played by Isaach De Bankolé in Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, is a member of the Wakandan Tribal Council, and wears a traditional lip plate.
Mining Tribe
Wakanda's Mining Tribe took inspiration from the Himba and Maasai People of East Africa, incorporating reds and oranges into their extravagant costumes. The Mining Tribe is responsible for mining Wakanda's resources, including the huge deposits of vibranium beneath the nation, which is perhaps one of the most important roles in Wakanda's development. The Mining Tribe mine and store Wakanda's vibranium safely, allowing it to be used to advance the nation in extraordinary ways, and enabling the development of apparatus such as the Dora Milaje's vibranium spears and the Black Panther's vibranium suit.
The leader of the Mining Tribe, Zawavari, was originally a member of the Wakandan Tribal Council in Black Panther. However, after Zuri's death at the hands of Killmonger in Black Panther, Zawavari, portrayed by Connie Chiume, ascended to the role of Wakanda's Elder Statesman. In Marvel Comics, Zawavari, depicted as male, is a practitioner of voodoo magic, and has granted himself a massively elongated lifespan, though this hasn't been focused on during the character's MCU appearances.
Merchant Tribe
During the initial war over vibranium, detailed in Black Panther, between Wakanda's tribes, the Merchant Tribe joined with another to form the larger group of Masu People, though they still went by the name of the Merchant Tribe. This faction of Wakanda is based on the Tuareg People of the Saharan and Sahelian regions of Africa, usually donning purple clothing to represent an air of richness. The Merchant Tribe are responsible for all of Wakanda's trade, crafts, clothing, artifacts, and artwork, often wearing veils during trades with the outside world to uphold anonymity.
The late Dorothy Steel portrayed the Elder of the Merchant Tribe in both Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, prior to her death in 2021. As the Elder of the Merchant Tribe, Steel's character attended many meetings with the Wakandan royal family in the Golden City's Citadel, and was a permanent member of the Wakandan Tribal Council. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was Steel's last film, released posthumously and dedicated to both her memory and that of the late Chadwick Boseman.
Border Tribe
The Border Tribe contains some of the main characters in the Black Panther franchise. Wakanda's Border Tribe was based on the people of Lesotho, a small country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa, whose clothing and traditional huts are reminiscent of the Border Tribe. Members of Wakanda's Border Tribe reside in small huts and unassuming villages on the border of Wakanda's holographic shield, with the purpose to deceive foreigners and keep up the appearance of a poor Third World country. As security for Wakanda's walls, the Border Tribe's cloaks act as vibranium shields when necessary, to push back invaders. Okoye and W'Kabi both come from Wakanda's Border Tribe.
During Black Panther, the majority of Killmonger's army consisted of Border Tribe members, who battled the Dora Milaje and T'Challa's Black Panther after swearing allegiance to the new King. These actions landed many of the Border Tribe, including W'Kabi, in prison, though several of the tribe also aided in the battle against Thanos and his army in Avengers: Infinity War. The leader of the Border Tribe is Danny Sapani's M'Kathu, a member of the Wakandan Tribal Council who had adorned his face with various scars. The Border Tribe are also known for breeding the White Rhinoceros for a variety of purposes, including for battle.
Jabari Tribe
Black Panther's opening scene revealed that the Jabari Tribe was the only one to renounce the rule of the first Black Panther, effectively exiling themselves from the main nation of Wakanda for centuries. Instead of worshiping Bast, the Jabari worship the gorilla god Hanuman, and have altogether rejected the use of vibranium in battle, preferring to reap the benefits of a more primitive lifestyle, and they are powerful warriors nonetheless. Initially staunchly against T'Challa's rule, the Jabari leader M'Baku, played by Winston Duke, challenges T'Challa for the throne of Wakanda, and eventually integrates the Jabari into Wakanda after losing but gaining respect for the new Wakandan King.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever revealed the M'Baku had been given a seat on the Wakandan Tribal Council following Thanos' attack on Wakanda and the death of King T'Challa. The ending of the Phase 4 film even hinted at M'Baku's possible future as King of Wakanda, as he challenged for the throne once again, without Shuri there to compete. Inspired by the Karo Tribe of Ethiopia and the Dogon People of Mali, the Jabari speak the Igbo language, as opposed to the Xhosa favored by the other Wakandan tribes. The Jabari have become more and more prominent in recent MCU projects, and will surely continue to expand.
Golden Tribe
Wakanda's Golden Tribe is often neglected from discussions of Wakanda's inner workings, as it isn't one of the five primary tribes that initially formed Wakanda. Instead, the Golden Tribe refers to the descendants of Bashenga himself, meaning the Golden Tribe consists of the Wakandan royal family, Kings, Queens, and those with a blood relation to Wakanda's first King. Sometimes referred to as the Panther Tribe, the Golden Tribe's associated color is black, relating to the suit of the Black Panther, and notable members include the late T'Chaka, T'Challa, Queen Ramonda, Shuri, and N'Jadaka, a.k.a. Killmonger.
Descended from the first Black Panther, each member of the Golden Tribe has a spiritual connection to Bast, and an immunity to the toxic elements of the heart-shaped herb that gifts the Black Panther their powers. This allows the moniker of Black Panther to be passed down through the generations of the Golden Tribe, and while it may be possible for someone from another tribe to become Black Panther, their rates of immunity would be much lower. Members of the Golden Tribe have also intermarried with members of the other tribes over generations, meaning everyone in Wakanda is kin to the Golden Tribe and the royal family.
0 Comments