Dag 9 – Visiting the Himba

Today we visit a Himba village.

The Himba is a population that lives in the northwest of Namibia after descending from Angola 300 years ago. Upon arrival we are welcomed with the typical Himba handshake.

They are nomadic people and their lifestyle is timeless. They travel with their cows and goats through the country.These cows and goats represent their wealth. Furthermore, they grow corn to make corn porridge.The Himba's food consists mainly of milk with flour in it; If there is vegetable they will eat that too. As it is about noon, the milk is already simmering in the cooking pot on the fire outside. One of the women is stirring firmly in the cooking pot.

The smaller children eat it with a big smile on their face.

Occasionally they slaughter a goat. They eat each part of it. Cows are only slaughtered on special occasions, for example for a wedding, but also for a funeral. In principle, the cow is only used for milk. The Himba live in simple round huts that are used only for cooking and sleeping. These huts stand around a central enclosure where the animals stay.

We don’t see many men today. They have left for the day to let the animals graze. The women take care of the meals in the village and take care of the children. The smallest baby we see today is 2 months old and is laying outside for the hut on her mother's lap.

Another woman keeps the cooking fire warm by throwing extra wood on it.

For Himba, their appearance is very important. Their appearance says something about their place in the group and the stage of their lives.

When they become ten years old, girls wear their hair in two braids over their forehead; In puberty they braid their hair into small tails that are lubricated with goat fat and ocher. Married women carry a small crown of goat skin on their heads.

Himba women never wash themselves, they smear themselves with otjize, a mixture of goat fat, herbs and ocher. Due to the former, women get the typical red color. They also perfume themselves by letting the skin smoke .One of the younger women demonstrates this. The mixture protects them from the sun. Jewelry is also important for the Himba. They make them from shells, leather and copper. The main jewel for the Himba women is the ohumba, a shell hanging on a chain around their neck. Both men and women wear few clothes; The traditional clothing is made from the skins of slaughtered animals.

Polygamy is allowed for those who can pay for it. After all, for every woman a 5 cow dowry must be paid. In this village only the chief has several women: 3 to be exact.

For the Himba,  lineage is important. Therefore, only cousins ​​ marry each other to keep the bloodline clean. Unbelievable but true, they all bring normal children to the world. They are all as playful as ours.

After a little hour, we leave the village and its unique atmosphere. Another experience under the belt.

The Himba have their own metaphor for time which is different from our Western world thinking. They see the time as a river flowing by. The future lies behind them, because this part of the river has not flowed yet. The past lies before them, because this is the river that is flowing visibly in front of them …