Himba
The nomadic Himba people are one of the most fascinating in Africa. Making their homes in the forlorn landscapes of the Kaokoland, these cattle and goat herders have an intriguing culture, not to mention their survival techniques. The tribe lives a nomadic life dependent on the availability of grazing in the area. The men are responsible for herding as well as the "political stance" of the tribe members while the women look after the children and prepare meals. Their huts are constructed of mopane poles covered with mud and dung. One family will have various villages all over the Kaokoland in order to trek between grazing areas. The Himba beliefs settle around a deity as well as an ancestral fire, or "okuruwo". The fire forms a link between them and their ancestors. The women are of particular interest due to their chosen fashion sense. Their intricate beadwork and head dresses are curiously designed, each representing something with regards to the life and status of the bearer. The Himba’s logic of beauty revolves around the mixture of ochre and fat they rub their bodies with, it taints their skin with an earthly rich red color. The Himba’s have been successful in guarding their traditional ways due to the extremities of their environment. Many abandoned these ways when the rinderpest disease broke out in the 1980, killing thousands of cattle. There are many families still living in the Kaokoland and you may happen upon two or three leisurely walking in a seemingly deserted landscape.
