Since its first appearance in the Fantastic Four #52 and the first live appearance in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther has become an important figure in the Marvel Universe. Black Panther is the mantle given to the ruler of an imaginary African country called Wakanda. It is one of the most technologically developed cities in the world. and remains hidden with the help of their masking by advanced technology. Their many technologies are the result of an indestructible extraterrestrial element called Vibranium.
…And when the time of man came, five tribes settled there and called it Wakanda. The tribes lived in constant war against each other until a warrior shaman received a vision of the panther goddess Bast… the warrior became king and the first Black Panther – the protector of Wakanda.
They do this to protect themselves, their culture and their people from the evils of the rest of the world. In the MCU, Wakanda consists of five tribes, four of which are united under the rule of the first Black Panther 10,000 years ago. In Wakanda, there are five tribes – border, merchant, mining, river and Jabari. Their main deities are Hanuman, for the Jabari, and Bast, for everyone else. The lords of each tribe sit on the king’s council and assist the king in the political affairs of the country. In the comics, the royal family was considered part of “The Panther Tribe” or “The Golden Tribe”. But that’s not the case with MCU.
Let’s examine them one by one.
1. The River Tribe
River Tribe of Wakanda wear their signature green crocodile skin clothing, with some men wearing lip plates – a disc inserted into a hole drilled in the enlarged lower lip. They worship the panther goddess – Bast. The River Tribe was one of five tribes that fought against each other after the Vibranium meteorite fell in what became Wakanda. To finish, Bashenga- the first Black Panther, ended the conflict between them and united them into one.
2. The Miners’ Tribe
Mining Tribe is in charge of extracting, storing and using vibranium from the Wakandan underground. They wear traditional dresses of red and orange color with large headdresses. They also worship the panther god – Raffia. For the comics, The Mining Tribe seemed to have influences from the Himba and Maasai East African people.
3. The Merchant Tribe
The Merchant Tribe of Wakanda is responsible for crafts and arts and crafts, clothing, and artwork. They also wear veils over their faces while trading to maintain anonymity and are also sometimes called – The Masu. They also worship the panther god – Bast. In Wakanda’s prehistory, as the comics tell, the ancestors of the merchant tribe fought for possession of the land against other tribes for many years. The tribe eventually merged with another tribe and formed the larger Masu people. Their traditional color is purple. They are based on the Tuareg peoples of the Saharan and Sahelian regions of Africa.
4. The Border Tribe
Border Tribe stands on the outskirts of the Wakanda border. They mainly present themselves as farmers in order to deceive outsiders about the wealth of Wakanda as well as their talent for breeding white rhinos for many purposes. This tribe also acts as the nation’s shield against foreign threats, ensuring that no intruder enters Wakanda uninvited. They, too, worship the panther god – Bast.
Their people possess vibranium-based cloaks with protective and camouflage functions. Their traditional color is blue. In addition, some members of this tribe practice scarification that is, adorning their faces with various scars and marks. One of the members of this tribe W’Kabi (Phil Morris) was introduced as a close friend and advisor to T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) in the movie Black Panther.
5. The Jabari Tribe
Jabari Tribe (or J’Abari or Mountain Tribe) follows the worship of the white gorilla of the god Hanuman. They are very staunch traditionalists and live in the mountains of Wakanda, isolated from the rest of the tribe and the Black Panther royal council. They follow a more primitive lifestyle and wear brown and white colors in honor of the white monkey.
This tribe has a strong tradition of woodworking and agriculture. The language they speak, as seen in the MCU, is in a Yoruba dialect. As other tribes and the royal family talk in the xhosa dialect. They are inspired by Karo tribe of Ethiopia and the Dogon Malian people.
Their leader M’Baku (Duke Winston), initially opposed Black Panther and his rule over Wakanda, however, he later joined forces with T’Challa to defeat N’Jadaka aka Eric Killmonger. (Michale B. Jordan). He also participated with his tribe in the Battle of Wakanda against Thanos’ army.
There is one more movie – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and two series – Wakanda and Okoyewho could elaborate more on the cultures and meaning of these tribes in Wakanda and MCU.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases worldwide on November 11, 2022.
