Handa people are artisans and farmers, settled at the heart of the Huila Plateau (Angola).
In the past, they used to decorate the facades of their homes with geometrical patterns that inspired the Portuguese settlers in the design of the ‘Nyaneka’ sheets, today one of Angola’s cultural icons. Handa live near important urban centers, and this has had an important impact in the new generations, which are fast abandoning the old ways. Nowadays, only older women can be seen wearing the impressive white beads collars around their necks.
Handa speak Nyaneka language.
Photo © Jordi Zaragozà Anglès