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8 Questions about the Himba Tribe and the Answers
May 27, 2011 | 
Author You’ve seen them in travel magazines and maybe even at an African craft market: beautiful women with braided hair, bare chests and ochre coloured skin. I recently had the chance to visit a Himba village and answer some of my questions about these fascinating people.
Who are the Himba Tribe?
This ethnic group is the last half nomadic tribe in Namibia. Most of the Himba tribe are hunter-gatherers and they breed cattle and goats.
Why is their skin red?
Himba people attach great importance to their unique body paintings and headdresses. Outstandingly eye-catching is the otjize, a fatty mixture of butter fat and ochre. The nomadic people use it to cover themselves. The otjize gives their skin a reddish tinge. It works like sunscreen in the hot and dry climate of the Kaokoveld und keeps the biting midges away.
Where do they live?
This ethnic group is constantly moving between the Kaokoveld Region in Namibia and the Kunene Region in Southern Angola,. They build little villages with round shacks made of clay and soil.
What does “Himba” mean?
The tribe was always very poor. 100 years ago ,when the Himba got attacked and robbed by the belligerent Nama, they had to beg for alms from their neighbours. That´s why they´re called “Himba”. The word comes from Ovahimba which literally means beggar.
Why do they braid their hair?
The unique hair dress informs you about the social status of the person. Pubertal girls wear their hair with long ropes of pearls fringed falling towards her face to adorn her. Adult women braid each other´s hair and cover it in ochre mixture. Married women present themselves wearing their hair shoulder long braided in ochre and decorated with a little bonnet made of fur.
What is the population of the Himba?
The population of Namibian Himba is estimated to be ca. 7000 People. Most of the Himba live without a birth certificate or ID in very poor circumstances and try to survive in this very Europeanised country.
Do the Himba like tourists?
Unexpectedly this tribe we were visiting was very used to tourists and turned out to be very excited about sharing their lifestyle with us. We brought some fruit and organic toys for the children. They were totally crazy about it. One of the women invited us into her round hut. She disclosed the secret of their beauty and showed us how to paint one´s face. The people in the tribe were very open minded and glad to tell tourists about their unique culture.
Who is the most frightening enemy of the Himba tribe?
Can you imagine that their biggest enemy is the aggressive elephant, who destroys their villages? Because the elephants don’t like sharing the little waterholes with the human beings, they can get very protective when their babies are around.
All in all it was a great experience I don´t want to miss! I can definitely recommend getting in touch with one of the last nomadic tribes in Southern Africa and learning more about their cultural habits.
Posted in Cultural Experience
