Namibia is well-known for its breathtaking landscapes, diverse wildlife, and vibrant culture. The Himba people are one of the most fascinating and distinct cultural groups in the country. The Himba tribe, located in the north-western part of Namibia, in the Kunene Region (formerly Kaokoland) and on the other side of the Kunene River in southern Angola is one of the most isolated and culturally rich tribes in the world. With a population of around 50,000, the Himba people have managed to preserve their traditional way of life while facing the challenges of modernity. Their unique customs and beliefs have attracted the attention of many travelers and researchers, making them a fascinating subject of study.
If you are familiar with any of Africa’s tribal groups, it is probably the Himba. The tribe are renowned for their unique adornments and their continued adherence to tradition. Today, they are one of the most fascinating, studied and instantly recognizable tribes on the African continent.
A visit to a Himba community should definitely be on your itinerary if you're planning a Namibian safari. A visit to the Himba people and Namibia is a must for those looking for a unique and authentic cultural experience, as well as the opportunity to explore some of the world's most breathtaking landscapes. On this luxury flying safari in Namibia and discover the captivating wilderness the country has to offer.
The Himba people are a semi-nomadic tribe who have lived in northern Namibia for centuries. The Himba people have a unique relationship with their environment and are skilled in agriculture, animal husbandry, and hunting.
The Himba tribe is believed to have migrated to Namibia from Angola in the 16th century. Around the 16th century, the Himba people crossed to Namibia from Angola, settling in Kaokoland (Kunene) as part of the Herero tribe. They are closely related to other traditional groups, including the Herero and Tjimba tribes. The Himba people are semi-nomadic, which means they move from one place to another in search of water and grazing land for their livestock.
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Living as their descendants did, there are few modern influences on their lives and they choose to remain living in small hamlets in the isolated areas of northern Namibia and southern Angola. 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.
The Himba tribe in Namibia by ilay avnin
Traditional Life and Customs
The Himba people have a rich cultural heritage that is deeply rooted in their traditions and customs. The women, in particular, are known for their distinctive hairstyles, which are created using a mixture of red ochre, butter, and animal fat. Their traditional clothing and unique appearance make them stand out from other tribes.
The Himba tribe is perhaps best known for coloring their hair and bodies with a red color paste (otjize), which is considered a sign of beauty. The Himba language is descended off Bantu with a similarity to the Namibian Herero tribe using a few of the click sounds similar to that of the San in neighbouring Botswana.
The Himba People are a monotheistic and they have a strong spiritual connection to nature and believe in a higher power known as Mukuru. They also believe in ancestral spirits that play a crucial role in their daily lives.
Himba woman preparing incense.
Appearance and Adornment
Himba people, especially women, are famous for covering themselves with otjize paste, a cosmetic mixture of butterfat and ochre pigment. They can be recognised at best as the ‘red’ people - with their naked upper bodies tinted with a mix of animal fat and ochre powder. Women of the tribe are bare-breasted and heavily decorated with symbolic jewellery.
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The women are striking with their red hued skin. The purpose is mostly cosmetic as the Himba believe red to be the colour of beauty but it does also provide moisture to their skin which protects it from the dry air and harsh African sun. It also keeps skin clean and moist and is known to block hair growth. In addition, the minerals in the mixture keep the skin supple and healthy giving them the smooth, red hued look they’ve become famous for.
Otjize cleanses the skin over long periods due to water scarcity and protects from the hot and dry climate of the Kaokoland, as well as from insect bites. The tribe also breeds fat-tailed sheep and will occasionally cattle - a significant sign of their wealth. The livestock provides milk and meat which is consumed together with the rain-fed maize and millet they farm. The OvaHimba diet also includes chicken eggs, wild herbs, and honey.
Beauty is further enhanced in both men and women by adorning jewellery made out of metals, animal hide and shells gathered along the coast. They commonly use the old brass shell casings, remnant of the border war, which are fashioned into bracelets and other jewellery items. Ostrich shells are carved down into round beads and the cowrie shells from the coast are highly prized and used as focal points in accessories depicting status.
Clothing and Hairstyles
Both the Himba men and women are accustomed to wearing traditional clothing that befits their living environment in the Kaokoland and the hot semi-arid climate of their area. Clothing is limited to a skirt-like covering made from animal hides and a kaross (shawl) for warmth in winter. In most occurrences this consists simply of skirt-like clothing made from calfskins and sheep skin or, increasingly, from more modern textiles, and occasionally sandals for footwear. Women's sandals are made from cows' skin while men's are made from old car tires. Women who have given birth wear a small backpack of skin attached to their traditional outfit.
Age plays a large role in their appearance with different hairstyles and accessories applicable to children, teenagers and those who are married. One of the most striking features of the Himba tribe is their traditional hairstyles, which hold great significance in their culture. All OvaHimba start life with bald heads and will regularly have their heads entirely shaved or sometimes a small patch on the crown is allowed to grow.
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A young girl typically has two plaits of braided hair (ozondato), the form of which is decided by the clan she descended on her father’s side. At puberty, girls will start adding otjize-textured hair plaits that can be arranged to veil the girl’s face. Hair plaits can also be tied together and held parted back from the face. 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.
The Erembe style of headdress is only worn by girls or women who have been married for approximately a year or who have had a child. The Erembe is sculptured from sheepskin and many plaits of hair, all colored and held in place by otjize. Married women and those who have borne a child, wear an ‘Erembe’ - this is an ornate head piece made of sheepskin through which their coloured braids are woven.
Himba girl with traditional hairstyle.
Social Structure and Family Life
The Himba people have a patriarchal social structure, with men being the head of the family and decision-makers. Under bilateral descent, every tribe member belongs to two clans: one through the father (a patriclan, called oruzo) and another through the mother (a matriclan, called eanda). Himba clans are led by the eldest male in the clan.
Women, on the other hand, are responsible for household chores, such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children. 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. The responsibility for milking the cows and goats also lies with the women and girls. Women and girls take care of the children, and one woman or girl will take care of another woman's children.
However, women also play a significant role in the economic activities of the tribe, such as milking and herding the livestock. Members of a single extended family typically dwell in a homestead (onganda), a small family-village, consisting of a circular hamlet of huts and work shelters that surround an okuruwo (sacred ancestral fire) and a kraal for the sacred livestock. Himba homes are simple huts made from earth and cattle dung. They contain little beyond a bed and a collection of useful implements such as kitchen tools.
Sons live with their father's clan, and when daughters marry, they go to live with the clan of their husband. However, inheritance of wealth does not follow the patriclan but is determined by the matriclan, that is, a son does not inherit his father's cattle but his maternal uncle's instead. Along with the inheritance of wealth, moral obligations are also important within the tribal structure. When a person dies, the OvaHimba evaluate the care of those who are left behind, such as orphans and widows.
Marriage and Relationships
Marriage is an essential part of Himba culture, and there are specific customs and traditions associated with it. Traditionally, marriages in the Himba tribe are arranged by the elders of the community. Young Himba girls are married to male partners chosen by their fathers. The OvaHimba are polygamous, with the average Himba man being husband to two wives at the same time. They also practice early arranged marriages. This happens from the onset of puberty, which may mean that girls aged 10 or below are married off.
The marriage ceremony in the Himba tribe is a significant event, involving various rituals and ceremonies. On the wedding day, the bride will be adorned with traditional jewelry and dressed in a formal attire made of animal skin.
Among the Himba people, it is customary as a rite of passage to circumcise boys before puberty. Upon marriage, a Himba boy is considered a man. Marriage among the OvaHimba involves transactions of cattle, which are the source of their economy. Bridewealth is involved in these transactions; this can be negotiable between the groom's family and the bride's father, depending on the relative poverty of the families involved. In order for the bride's family to accept the bridewealth, the cattle must appear of high quality.
Religion and Beliefs
The OvaHimba are a monotheistic people who worship the god Mukuru, as well as their clan's ancestors (ancestor reverence). The OvaHimba are monotheistic animists and their God Mukuru, the sacred ancestral fire (okuruwo) and their sacred livestock completes the Trinity at the center of each family’s universe. Mukuru only blesses, while the ancestors can bless and curse.
Each family has its own sacred ancestral fire, which is kept by the fire-keeper. On behalf of the family, the fire-keeper will approach the sacred ancestral fire around once a week to communicate with Mukuru and the ancestors who act as Mukuru’s representatives when the God himself is otherwise occupied. Communication happens through the smoke, transported on the holy fire rising into the heavens.
Kalunga, the god of rain, is worshiped during periods of drought, while Himba women pray to the goddess of fertility for healthy pregnancies and safe childbirth.
The OvaHimba are also strong believers in omiti - what we loosely understand under the definition of witchcraft.
Challenges and Modernity
As with many indigenous communities, the Himba tribe faces various challenges, including lack of resources, access to education, and displacement from their land. Whilst presented as isolated from the modern world, in reality, many Himba people are now moving towards modernity. Despite the fact that a majority of OvaHimba live a distinct cultural lifestyle in their remote rural environment and homesteads, they are socially dynamic, and not all are isolated from the trends of local urban cultures. The OvaHimba coexist and interact with members of their country's other ethnic groups and the social trends of urban townsfolk.
In recent years, there have been efforts to preserve their traditional way of life by promoting eco-tourism and cultural tourism in the region. Because of the harsh desert climate in the region where they live and their seclusion from outside influences, the OvaHimba have managed to maintain and preserve much of their traditional lifestyle.
For those members of the tribe keen to take the plunge, the nearest town is Opuwo, the capital of the Kunene region. For an unfamiliar traveller, it is indeed a sight. The town is a melting pot of Namibia’s other tribes too, and large groups converge on the streets of Opuwo, drinking beer, chatting on mobile phones, and gathering in their dozens.
However, the world for the Himba people is changing. The loss of cattle makes it practically impossible for traditional life to continue, as cattle are the basis for subsistence; the need to graze cattle has dictated the Himba’s nomadic way of life for hundreds of years.
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. The tribe was subjected to the last century’s first attempt at racial extermination between 1904-1908 when the German Empire under Lothar von Trotha attempted to commit genocide against the Ovaherero, the Nama and the San.
Visiting the Himba People
To see the Himba, travellers need to explore the northern Namibian territories or southern Angola - both of which are not easily accessible. A visit to a Himba community is a truly unforgettable experience. You'll be welcomed into the heart of the tribe and have the opportunity to learn about their way of life and beliefs. You'll witness traditional practices such as the making of ochre body paint and jewelry, as well as the tending of their livestock.
Lodges are found on the Kunene River and Damaraland region and due to the rough terrain and lack of infrastructure, they are largely isolated. Stanley Safaris’ preferred lodges and camps where you have the best opportunity to meet Himba tribes:
- Serra Cafema Camp
- Okahirongo Elephant Camp
- Okahirongo River Camp
All the guides at Okahirongo River camp are Himbas, so the Himba experience here is true and authentic.
Okahirongo River Camp.
