ABSTRACT
Lele had little direct contact with Europeans. Luba and Chokwe servants were preferred for domestic work. Lele were regarded as more simple and honest, but too inexperienced to employ in the house. They sometimes got jobs as gardeners. One Lele woman thanked me for coming to live with them, ‘So that we can see for ourselves that what they say about the Europeans is true’. She added that many Lele doubted whether Europeans had teeth or eyebrows, since they usually received only a blurred impression of pale, featureless faces. In spite of this lack of personal contact the Europeans made a tremendous impact which shook the society to its roots.
