When I am not writing or editing, you can find me arguing that the best Marvel superhero team is 'The Guardians of the Galaxy' and not 'The Avengers'. For an unfamiliar traveller, it is indeed a sight. Most of the Himba tribe cultures have been upheld despite western influence. Still, Who fancies coming to chase rainbows in Malawi, Za, 1-Week Post Hysterectomy [1] Otjize is considered foremost a highly desirable aesthetic beauty cosmetic, symbolizing earth's rich red color and blood, the essence of life, and is consistent with the OvaHimba ideal of beauty. [1], Women and girls tend to perform more labor-intensive work than men and boys do, such as carrying water to the village, earthen plastering the mopane wood homes with a traditional mixture of red clay soil and cow manure binding agent, collecting firewood, attending to the calabash vines used for producing and ensuring a secure supply of soured milk, cooking and serving meals, as well as artisans making handicrafts, clothing and jewelry. Going there in September, so curieus must have been so special! In recent times, the Namibian Governments plans to construct the hydroelectric Epupa dam on the Cunene River has been opposed by the Himba community, on the grounds that after the construction, their ancestral lands would get flooded, thereby destroying their pastoral way of life. Am going with a girl friend in February. . Deep in the heart of Kaokaland in the Namibian desert live the Himba people a group of semi-nomadic pastoralists who have lived there for hundreds of years. That is, a son does not inherit his fathers wealth but his maternal uncles. Newly married women wear an ornate headpiece called Erembe. As the smoke rises towards heaven, they can correspond with their ancestors through their Supreme Being, Mukuru. But our cattle were taken we think by a lion, and we could not stay.. Aside from the inheritance of wealth, moral obligations are also important within the Himba tribal structure. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. I thank you r very respected about himba woman. When the woman is ready to give birth, she is accompanied outside the village by a group of elderly women who assist her during the labour. The government of Norway and Iceland funded mobile schools for Himba children, but since Namibia took them over in 2010, they have been converted to permanent schools and are no longer mobile. Both men and women take great care in wearing their traditional attire, clothes, hairstyle, and jewelry are all of particular significance to the Himba and are part of their tradition and culture. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below and I will happily answer! This event is akin to an introduction to social life. They are gorgeous! The Himba (OvaHimba) are indigenous peoples with an estimated population of about 62,000 people living in Namibia, on the other side of the Kunene River in southern Angola, and in the Kunene Region. Location: Namibia, Angola According to Dr Michael Bollig, an anthropologist who has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Kunene region, the human-wildlife conflict compensation is a cumbersome process, whereby the conditions are nonsensical., Compensation is a tricky business, he explains, conservancy budgets are often too small to adequately compensate for lost livestock, and local communities do not have the administrative infrastructure right away to compensate for this pertinent issue how could they?, Resultantly, compensation is returned at a quarter of the market price for cattle, sometimes after far too great of a waiting time, and the management is so complicated that very few are successful., Veerii and her sisters experience supports this. The Himba people have long avoided contact with the modern world, continuing their quiet lives of pastoral cattle-herding in the barren corner of north-western Namibia for generations. As the tribe is in transition, Himba culture is not static nor homogenous, and while some aspects of their lifestyle are being left behind, new opportunities await those moving from the barren desert to towns. Living in the northern desert region of Namibia, the Himba are a semi-nomadic people whose population is estimated to be around 50,000. The Himba tribe Namibia | Culture & Traditions of these people All travel bookings booked via Trust my Travel are financially protected by them. Along with the inheritance of wealth, moral obligations are also important within the tribal structure. We explained that in England and Australia, women often married and had children at all different ages and that some never do at all. The body is buried in a plain hole in the ground, and the location can be recognized thanks to a sculpture made of piled up cow horns tied up to sticks. They really do dont they! They paint their bodies twice a day and are proud of the beautiful red glow they imbibe. As a means of livelihood, the OvaHimba are primarily livestock farmers. Ive never been to India! Most gesthouses will be able to do that for you. In the signed letter of the Himba community from Epupa, the region that would be directly affected by the dam, the traditional leaders explain that any consent form signed by a former chief as a result of bribery was not valid, as they remain opposed to the dam. Their main occupation is livestock farming, often involving breeding of fat-tailed sheep and goats. Unlike anywhere Ive ever been, totally surreal. The origin of the Himba tribe can be traced back to the early 16th century after they crossed the Angolan border. In the area of Kamanjab, tourists can visit a Himba village set up on a farm. As part of her ' Wild Born' project, Alegra Ally spent four years travelling to remote corners of the world where she lived with isolated tribes. Image source: Face2Face Africa. The Himba tribe is a monotheistic people. I have been living in Namibia for the past year, and I can definitely say that my visits to the Opuwo area were certainly highlights. After the child is born, the mother and child spend a week inside a special shelter, used solely for the occasion. The Himba use this red clay (otjize) in their hair, which is . According to tradition, when a woman desires to have a baby, she goes off the village and sits under a tree by herself, and she keeps silent until she can hear the birth song, or the song of the child. The world for the Himba people is changing. a loss of indigenous knowledge as Himba people move to towns, with cosmopolitan Himbas experiencing a reduced ability to focus during optical tests than their pastoral counterparts (much like urban people who also exhibit this reduced ability to focus). They cover their bodies with otjize, a mixture of animal fat and ochre which gives their skin and hair a reddish hue. ceo@africageographic.com, Travel & conservation company, since 1991, , If you are familiar with any of Africas tribal groups, it is probably the Himba. As such, the OvaHimba have worked with international activists to block a proposed hydroelectric dam along the Kunene River that would have flooded their ancestral lands,[20] when, in 2011, Namibia announced its new plan to build a dam in Orokawe, in the Baynes Mountains. In February 2012, traditional Himba chiefs[23] issued two separate declarations[24][25] to the African Union and to the OHCHR of the United Nations.The first, titled "Declaration of the most affected Ovahimba, Ovatwa, Ovatjimba and Ovazemba against the Orokawe Dam in the Baynes Mountains"[21] outlines the objections from regional Himba chiefs and communities that reside near the Kunene River. They will put some smouldering charcoal into a little bowl of herbs (mostly leaves and little branches of Commiphora trees) and wait for the smoke to ascend. I just love the whole of Africa! Name: Himba If you are familiar with any of Africa's tribal groups, it is probably the Himba. Some were good, dont get me wrong, but others felt contrived or exploitative and there often seemed to be a bit of a conflict between the guides who took us there and the tribes themselves no doubt these arguments were over money. Traveling abroad to meet different cultures is definitely one of the main aspects of international tourism. As global temperatures are set to rise further in the coming decades, the situation in Kunene reflects the general global trend of climate change impacting socio-economically vulnerable groups, from countries that have contributed the least to global emissions. The OvaHimba are a semi-nomadic, pastoralist people who are culturally different from the Herero . I love tribes too and I only photograp them every where,india especially.eliane. But I now visit villages that are run completely by the tribes themselves, on their own terms. I went with Absolute Africa, but it would be fine to go alone! They were really chatty, just so cute and lively! Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. One Month with the Himba - Africa Geographic document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi, I'm Helen, For travellers hoping to experience the traditional culture of the Himba people, Omarunga Epupa-Falls Camp hosts guided visits to a Himba village in the Epupa area (proceeds contribute to care packages for the village). [1] The responsibility for milking the cows and goats also lies with the women and girls. [12] OvaHimba living over the border in Angola were occasionally victims of kidnapping during the South African Border war, either taken as hostages or abducted to join the Angolan branch of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN, army of SWAPO). I love to learn about different cultures! The mens shoes are made from old car tires. Namibia, Himba Tribe - Atlas Of Humanity by ALEGRA ALLY 10 October, 2014 Pin Email LinkedIn I studied nature conservation in South Africa and then went away for 13 years, but the vast landscapes, extraordinary wildlife and ancient cultures drew me back. But some of the tribal visits I did in my early travel days, werent that great. [4][5] Widowed men will remove their cap or head-wrap and expose un-braided hair. Networking & debating APP subscribers only, TRUSTED CONSERVATION PROJECTS I havent visited any tribes yet and Namibia is just on the top of my bucket list! We will make you live an unforgettable experience! The Role of Time in Himba Valuations of Cattle. Himba, Heroro, Ovambo.: 10 Namibian Tribes You Should Know About And why shouldnt they enter the modern world? [1] Non-farming businesses, wages and salaries, pensions, and other cash remittances make up a very small portion of the OvaHimba livelihood, which is gained chiefly from their work in conservancies, old-age pensions, and drought relief aid from the government of Namibia. [30], In March 2014, OvaHimba from both countries, Angola and Namibia, marched again in protest against the dam's construction plans and against the government attempt to bribe their regional Himba chief. They do not subscribe to western cultures. We will be driving on our own and my having visited several tribes in Ethiopia would love to visit the Himba. A Curious Culture: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Himba Tribe The Himba Tribe - History and Culture Published on February 9th 2017 by staff under Tribe Facts Inhabiting the Kunene region (previously Kaokoland), and Damaraland of northern Namibia and the other side of the Kunene River in Angola, the Himba are a semi-nomadic, pastoral tribe that speak the language, OtjiHimba. I found this slightly strange and I wondered if the women dressed this way by choice, or whether they were made to dress this way for tourists. no direct Western influence until well into the 20th century. The tribe are renowned for their unique adornments and their continued adherence to tradition. To get protection from the sun, women use butter, ochre, and mud to prepare a paste (otjize) that on being applied to the skin, gives them a reddish hue, symbolizing the significant unification of the earths red color and blood. Young Himba girls are married to male partners chosen by their fathers. Mr Ondoba now owns a small garden in Opuwo to harvest maize and other plants. The OvaHimba submitted in February 2012 their protest declaration against the hydroelectric dam to the United Nations, the African Union and to the Government of Namibia.[21]. Both the fire and the livestock are closely tied to their veneration of the dead, the sacred fire representing ancestral protection and the sacred livestock allowing "proper relations between human and ancestor". You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Anthropologist and conservation pioneer Margie Jacobson, who has spent decades conducting fieldwork with the Himba tribe, explains how this move is impacting the group. Hey Gretta, best way to see the Himba independently is to stay in Opuwo. HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC: Izzy Sasada is an investigative journalist and anthropologist. It is built to the side of the headmans hut, near the sacred fire, under the special protection of the ancestral spirits. In his view, the lack of recognition of traditional chiefs, in accordance with Namibian law, relates to a lack of recognition of the minority indigenous tribes' communal lands. [12] A severe drought killed 90% of their livestock, and many gave up their herds and became refugees in the town of Opuwo living in slums on international humanitarian aid, or joined Koevoet paramilitary units to cope with the livestock losses and widespread famine. app@africageographic.com representing a forgotten or ancient age of Africa. To see images of Himba culture, view a photo series captured by travel photographer Matthieu Rivart. When a woman has been married for a year or has had a child, she will wear the erembe headdress on top of her head. Thank you for the tip! What I did find strange, was that the men that were there were not in traditional dress, preferring to wear more western attire such as shorts and football shirts. Most times, the payment is done with cattle, since the major source of their economy is the rearing of cattle. From pubescence, boys continue to have one braided plait, while girls will have many otjize-textured hair plaits, some arranged to veil the girl's face. Research has shown that the OvaHimba use four color names. We sat and talked with the Himba women for some time through our translator. Compared to traditional living, life in towns such as Opuwo may seem more convenient, but in reality, there are more push than pull factors causing people to move from rural homesteads. Besides this, they also mix otjize with local plants and shrubs to make a refreshing perfume. And yes, I always get the, 29 and no kids AND no husband? I agree that its kind of weird that the women are in traditional dress and the men arent, but I think your decision not to ask was the right one. Nevertheless, the Himba people are not the most isolated tribe in the world today. Its a sensitive topic and so easy to offend without meaning to. Himba people - Wikipedia Thus, early in the 16th century, when, after crossing the Angolan borders, they decided to settle in Kaokoland, the name Himba had not been coined yet. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. From documenting traditional medicine in Zambia, to investigating crimes against indigenous groups in Namibia, Izzy aims to amplify social issues through her work.