The Himba are somehow related to Herero. It’s an ancient community found in Namibia. They originated from western and Central Africa. But later, they moved to Namibia and Angola, where they have settled for years.
The Himba, also known as the OvaHimba have decided to stick with their traditions. They don’t want to adopt the western culture. Their main clothes are animal skins. They spend most of their time rubbing red ochre until their skin looks dazzling reddish. Sometimes they apply fats all over their bodies to avoid the scorching sun.
The tribe of Himba speaks in Herero dialects. They are believed to have a population of between 20,000- 50,000 citizens. Their main economic activity is pastoralism. The community mainly keeps goats and nomadic cattle.
When it comes to labor-intensive, women play a major role over men. The men will be found in judicial proceedings and political tasks. Women, on the other hand, will involve in milking cows, constructing houses, and fetching waters.
Their houses are made from mud, animal dung and covered on top with palm leaves. While burying a person, you might be able to know his or her wealth. The number of cattle he had is represented by horns around the grave.
The Himba people have exhausted any traces of German forces that invaded Namibia. Although they were treated poorly during gorilla warfare, they managed to chase away the Europeans. In 1980, there were rumors that the kingdom was coming to an end, but the surrounding people have managed to preserve their culture.
The harsh environment is easily protected by rubbing otjize and a mixture of ochre on the body. This activity was performed mainly on women. The mixture of blood and the red soil represented their lives.
The men in the community have the mandate to marry as many wives as possible. It is the role of the father to arrange the wedding gatherings. They had ceremonial festivals like the Olufuko.
Their traditional life is celebrated daily by many organizations. Due to poor rainy seasons, the Himba people have decided to shift to the urban areas. Most of them have managed to earn a living through their culture. Most tourists visiting the country are warned against taking pictures with the Himba unless they allow you. At some point, they will differ when it comes to selling their images.
Religion
Himbas mainly worshiped the god Mukuru and their ancestors. They believe that at some moments their Mukuru is busy, and so the ancestors can intervene and reach their gods quickly.
Their animals and homes stay around their ancestor’s fire. The fire is a symbol of security. The available domestic animals act as an accelerator to indulge a good connection between the living and ancestors.
Each family has to possess its fire. After every 7-8 days, the fire-keeper attends to the fire region to communicate with ancestors and the Mukuru.
Special hairstyle
Different age groups will keep different hairstyles. For those in Oruzo membership, they have to keep braids with two plaits known as Ozondata. Young girls will wear loose plaitelets wrapped on their heads while moving to puberty age.
The girls undergo a puberty rite, after which they hold an ekori festival. They get an ekeroi dress made of a tanned ship or goatskin. The dress has presence of iron beads and three leaf-shaped points on the sides.
Minor girls who are yet to achieve puberty age shave their hair except for a small portion on top. The shaved hair act like the plaitelets which are woven into the remaining air. When the girl gets married, the dress gets a replacement. They were a headdress made from goatskin. But this only takes place if the girl has bored a child.
Young boys in Himba wear a single plait called Ondata. The Himba men wear two plaits at the back of their heads. These married men will add on a scarf covering their hair, which has an ornament decoration.
As per the ancient customs, the Himba people have maintained their love for jewelry. All the genders wear necklaces and bracelets on their arms. The main raw material for the manufacture of the bracelets is ostrich eggshell, cooper, grass, and cloth. They also apply cosmetics made from iron oxide powders.
Old women wear beaded anklets intended to protect their legs from animal bites. A married woman is also supposed to wear a large white shell on their breast. The Herero and Owambo women are very respected as they have a major role to play in mentoring their girls.
Men teach their young boys how to be courageous. At some point, they will sleep in the forest hunting. By doing this, they make sure the boys shift into adulthood while being able to protect their families.
MORE:
