Himba tribe. Namibia

Another attraction of Namibia is the Himba tribes - these are ancient nomadic people who live mainly by cattle breeding.
They are notable for their exclusively female gender, from young to old. And all because they walk, so to speak, topless, and even covered in clay.

There are a lot of camps of these tribes there, and the closer to the main attractions, the more these tribes are aimed at tourists and organize performances.

But in the very north they are not yet so spoiled, but already close to that. When traveling to a tribe, it is recommended to stock up on all sorts of products and give them all this as a gift after visiting. No sooner said than done.

We arrived at a parking lot where residents this moment it was not enough: all the men left, half the women, including main wife leader, also went somewhere. But there was little showing off.

The parking area is surrounded by a fence

We were met by kids who were very funny.

Chegototam storage

A woman came out first. It turned out not even to be one of the leader’s wives. She was somehow dissatisfied all the time.

Other beauties joined in

And then the leader’s second wife. “What is the first one then?” - we thought.

A couple of us were told about the Himba traditions. Very interesting, by the way. All sorts of key events in life they mark the body in various ways.

For example, on these things on the ankles there are vertical stripes according to the number of children born. This one had one stripe.

This one too

In general, it became interesting to watch them when they finished the introductions and we were just walking around the camp. Some were a little embarrassed, the rest relaxed.

The children, however, didn’t bother

The guy already knows his way around the iPhone quite well

We had about the same games when we were kids :)

After some time, another girl came with a small baby. Cute.

Is this called a sling? Check out how elegant it is.

Couldn't resist taking a photo with her

Then some movement began again. They tried to pose for us again, but when you don’t take pictures of them for a while, they relax. Then you can shoot a little.

Civilization is changing the face of the Earth and the peoples living in all its corners. Thus, throughout the 20th century, most African tribes lost their identity, only pretending to observe ancient image life for the sake of tourists. But there is an exception: in the north lives the Himba tribe, over which progress and the benefits of civilization have no power.

general information

The Himba are an African tribe in Namibia, numbering no more than 50 thousand people. These people do not count years, they do not know their age and have been keeping traditions for centuries, honoring their ancestors. For a long time, the inhabitants of the tribe had no contact with white people, and few people knew about them. Since the 16th century, the Himba tribe has led a semi-nomadic existence, engaged in cattle breeding. They raise special breeds of cows that cost for a long time without water. Livestock is the main inheritance and wealth, which is not even considered as food. "They don't give me money new life"- this is what the people think African tribe Himba.

Life and traditions

The Himba tribe carefully observes, worshiping the souls and graves of their ancestors and the god Mukur. They have lived peacefully for centuries in a desert with a huge water shortage. The Himba wear loincloths made of animal skins, secured to the body with belts. Vessels hollowed out from pumpkins serve as utensils for them. The Himba people have a mass unique knowledge about man and nature, transmitted and replenished from generation to generation. They use the money from selling animals to buy corn flour, sugar and sweets for children. A small income comes from selling crafts to tourists.

Distribution of family responsibilities

The distribution of responsibilities in the Himba tribe is slightly different from those to which we are accustomed:

Appearance

Great attention is paid to appearance, because it plays a big role in the Himba tribe, indicating position in society and certain phases of life.

Some interesting examples:

married men wear a turban, and women wear crowns made from goat skins on their heads;
Women of the Himba tribe take good care of themselves, taking care of their skin and hair. They wear short skirts made of soft leather and a large number of jewelry made of copper, pearls, shells. Tall and slender, with subtle features faces, almond-shaped eyes and excellent posture, could easily work as models on the catwalks of Paris. They rub their body with a “magic” red-orange mixture that protects their skin from insects and the scorching sun. It is made from volcanic rocks, turning them into powder, and oils from cow's milk, ash, plant elixirs and ocher are also added. This leaves the Himba woman's skin incredibly soft and fragrant. They wear jewelry on their ankles, which is a kind of version of a wedding ring, and they can also be used to indicate the number of children. These centuries-old rituals allow the women of the tribe to remain the most beautiful among all African tribes. The photo below shows Himba women in all their glory.

Interesting Facts

About life unique tribe The Himba will tell you the following details:

How to visit the Himba tribe?

Anyone wishing to visit a Himba village should start from the town of Opuwo. There you need to rent an SUV for a 3-hour journey along the C 41 road. It is better to go with a local guide, who will arrange a visit with the tribal leader. The Himba people are good-natured and smiling people. They are not looking for any benefit from your visit and do not need everything that they never had.

Himba women are considered the standard of beauty on the African continent.

In our age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a corner of the globe untouched by civilization. Of course, in some places the so-called National character still remains the main attraction for tourists. But all this is mostly feigned and artificial exoticism. Take, for example, the formidable Maasai - the calling card of Kenya. Hearing the sound of an approaching bus engine, representatives of this tribe hide their TVs, phones and jeans away and urgently give themselves a primitive look. The Himba, a small tribe in northern Namibia, are a completely different matter. They have preserved the traditions of the Stone Age in their everyday life not for the sake of tourists, but because they do not want to live differently, they write with reference to Records and Facts.

The climate of the Kunene province, where the Himba roam, cannot be called mild. During the day, the thermometer inexorably tends to the +60° mark; at night, frost sometimes falls. The breath of the oldest desert on the planet - the Namib - takes its toll.

The Himba moved to northern Namibia about several hundred years ago from East Africa. It was once a large tribe, but in the mid-19th century it split. Most of it migrated south, to an area richer in water. The people who broke away from the Himba became known as the Herero. They came into contact with Europeans, which ultimately killed them.

Several decades ago, Namibia realized that there were only a few indigenous people left who had preserved the way of life and beliefs of their ancestors. In general, they decided to leave the Himba alone and let them live the way they want. Any laws of Namibia on their territory come into force only after the approval of the tribal leader, who is called the king.

Like hundreds of years ago, the tribe leads a semi-nomadic life. The main occupation is breeding cows, goats and sheep. The number of cows determines social status, while cows also serve as a means of payment. The Himba are practically not interested in money, because they do not use any industrial goods in everyday life. The exception is plastic canisters for storing and carrying water and various small items that accidentally fall into your hands.

The Himba live in kraals that have a circular layout. In the middle is a barnyard surrounded by a wicker fence. There are round or square huts around. They are built from poles dug into the ground and secured with leather straps. The frame is coated with clay, and the roof is covered with straw or reeds. The huts have earthen floors and no furniture. The Himba sleep on mattresses stuffed with straw. At the entrance to the hut there is a fireplace, which is heated in black.

As the pastures become depleted, they dismantle the huts and migrate. The Himba used to extract water by digging deep holes in the sand, and found suitable places for this in one way they knew. They never place the kraal close to the source, so that outsiders cannot see where the water comes from. Not long ago, by order of the government, artesian wells were dug along nomadic routes. But the aborigines do not drink this water, except to feed their flocks with it.

In the old-fashioned way, life-giving moisture can only be obtained for one’s own use, and even then only in short supply. There is no question of washing. A magic ointment helps, to which the Himba owe their red skin tint. This is a mixture of butter whipped from cow's milk, various plant elixirs and bright red volcanic pumice crushed into the finest powder. It is mined in one and only place - on a mountain on the border of the plateau occupied by the Himba. The mountain, naturally, is considered sacred, and they do not reveal the recipe for the ointment to anyone.

Himba women apply this mixture to their entire body and hair several times a day. The ointment protects against sunburn and insect bites. In addition, when the ointment is scraped off in the evening, the dirt comes off with it, which is strange, but effective means personal hygiene. Surprisingly, Himba women have perfect skin. Using the same ointment, they make a traditional hairstyle: someone else's hair - usually a man's, most often from the father of the family - is woven into their own, creating “dreadlocks” on the head.

As a rule, one kraal is occupied by one family, but there are larger settlements. Almost all Himba can read, count, write their name and know a few phrases in English. This is thanks to the mobile schools that almost all the children of the tribe attend. But only a few graduate from more than two or three classes; to continue their education, they need to go to the city.

Only women work in the kraals. They carry water, care for livestock, churn butter, sew and mend simple clothes. In addition, the weaker sex is engaged in gathering, so that the diet of the tribe consists not only of dairy products. Of course, women are also involved in raising children. By the way, children are not divided into friends and strangers.

Old people and teenagers graze the cattle. Himba men do not overwork themselves. Assembling and dismantling the kraal - that, by and large, is all they do. Hunting is not one of the regular activities of the tribe; it is rather a hobby of Himba men. The constant duty of the representatives of the stronger sex is the extraction of that very reddish rock that is used to prepare body paint. However, the composition is also made by women.

The weaker sex is also a kind of engine of progress. If tourists want to buy some souvenir from the tribe, they only have to bargain with women. IN last years Bright plastic bags began to enjoy unprecedented popularity among the people of the tribe. The Himba are ready to give their last for them. After all, these bags are so convenient to store your modest belongings, jewelry and, of course, scallops. With the help of the latter it is very convenient to create fantastic hairstyles for which Himba women are famous. They, by the way, are considered the standard of beauty on the African continent.

By the age of 12-14, every Himba is missing four lower teeth. This is a consequence of the initiation rite. Teeth are knocked out with a stone. If you want to be an adult, be patient. By the age of 14, Himba are allowed to marry, but weddings do not happen often, since a large bride price must be paid for the bride.

The wedding ceremony is very original. The newlyweds spend the night in the bride's family's hut. In the morning they, accompanied by friends of their future wife, leave parents' house, getting out into the street without fail on all fours. Then everyone rises to their feet and, taking each other by the loincloths, head towards the “sacred fire”, where the leader is already waiting for the newlyweds to perform the ceremony. If someone from the procession stumbles, the ritual will have to be repeated, but not earlier than in a few weeks.

The ceremony participants sit around the fire, and the leader is presented with three vessels of milk - one each from the huts of the groom, the bride and the leader himself. He takes a sample, after which the rest of the tribe members take turns applying it to the vessels. After this, everyone present heads to the leader’s hut, where the newlyweds will spend three days. To be the first the wedding night was successful, in front of the hut the bride and groom again get down on all fours and walk around the house counterclockwise.

Even if a Himba man and woman are married, they are not obliged to observe marital fidelity. Each Himba can have as many wives as he can support. You can change wives, and if a man goes on a long journey, he arranges for his wife to live with someone he knows.

This freedom of morals worries local authorities. More than 20% of the Namibian population has AIDS, so the Himba are a kind of risk group. However, the tribe takes a philosophical approach to medical problems. The gods give life, but they can also take it away, the Himba say. In general, they are long-livers: almost all live up to 70 years, and some up to a hundred.

The Himba justice system is also interesting. If, for example, a husband kills his wife or one of her relatives, he must pay compensation of 45 cows. If a wife or one of her relatives kills her husband, then no ransom is provided. The Namibian authorities do not punish the Himba in any way, considering all this to be their internal matter.

The Himba believe that their tribe descended from the ancestor Mukuru, who, along with his wife, emerged from the sacred Omumborombongo tree. Mukuru created all things and endowed the souls of the deceased Himba ancestors supernatural powers. But then the enemies drove the tribe from its ancestral lands and captured the tree. Someday the Himba will return there. By the way, without any idea of geography, any head of the clan will point with his hand in the direction where to look for Omumborombongo.

In the middle of the 19th century, the Himba almost disappeared from the face of the earth. They were attacked by the largest and most powerful tribe in Namibia - the Nama. As a result of brutal raids, the Himba lost all their herds and fled to the mountains. There they had to hunt, but they did not like such a life, and they went north to Angola.

For some time it was believed that the Himba had died out or mixed with other tribes, when they suddenly reappeared in their old place. This happened in 1903, when the Nama rebelled against the German colonialists. European troops quickly defeated the Nama and the Herero allies, after which they committed a real genocide. As a result, both tribes practically ceased to exist. The Germans and Himba did not ignore them. Almost all the Himba were killed or captured and sent to camps for blacks. Fortunately, after the First World War the colonies were taken away from Germany. And if the Herero and Nama never recovered from the blow, the Himba “rose up” like a phoenix from the ashes.

The third time they were considered extinct was in the mid-1980s. A terrible multi-year drought destroyed 90% of the livestock, and in 1988 the last outbreak in the last Himba kraal went out. The remaining people of the tribe were resettled in the city of Opuwo as refugees. But in the early 1990s, the Himbas returned. Now they number just under 50 thousand, and the population is growing. At the same time, they live exactly the same as their ancestors hundreds of years ago.

Namibia is a comfortable holiday destination. But she is multifaceted. There are such wild corners in it, once in which even modern man realizes how small and weak he is before the great forces of nature. Humanity probably felt this way only at the dawn of civilization, when people invented gods for themselves and sought their protection and help. Absolutely virgin, fantastically beautiful, extremely dangerous and unfriendly to humans places - the Namib Desert, the Skeleton Coast and the Cunene River, which has become the natural border of the country with Angola. middle part its current passes through particularly inaccessible places. This is where the vast territory of Kaokoland begins. This northwestern region of the country has almost no paved roads and is practically uninhabited: one person per two square kilometers. But it is the home of the Himba people.

One Namibia - one nation

This wonderful motto was chosen by the country after achieving independence. And there are successes on this path. Indeed, despite the diverse national composition, today a sense of solidarity has already developed among the peoples of Namibia.

Nowadays, a multicultural nation is made up of a complex interweaving of 11 major national groups and many small ethnic groups, each with its own history, language and traditions. However, the people, although less noticeable in cities but clearly visible in rural areas, still follow their traditional way of life and are very different in appearance due to their heterogeneous cultural backgrounds.

A striking example of this is the Herero people, whose women cannot be confused with anyone in the crowd. No less characteristic, but literally opposite, is the closely related Himba people. Historical Himba etiquette requires women to bare their breasts, which is the complete antithesis of the appearance of Herero women, securely packed in dozens of meters of fabric.

Cousins of the picturesque Herero

Which women are the most photographed? Socialites? Models? Film actresses? Of course, but not only - very often the lenses of cinema and cameras are aimed at women of the Himba people. You've probably seen them - in photos in magazines or in travel brochures about Africa.

The Himba tribe is the most popular and recognizable ethnic group Namibia. These tall and sculptural beauty of women in necklaces and bracelets with skin of a pleasant reddish tint and long tight dreadlocks who walk topless in short skirt made of goatskin, difficult to confuse with anyone else.

Their image is often used as a symbol of the country, a real Namibian exoticism, but the number of Himbas in the entire Namibian population is simply tiny - less than two percent.

Five interesting facts about the Himba

Who are they and how many are there?

The Himba are an ethnic group numbering, according to various estimates, from 20 to 50 thousand people. They are a semi-nomadic pastoral people whose entire existence revolves around herds of cows, goats and sheep. From the Himba point of view, this is an unimaginable value that determines a person’s social status, and, moreover, the source of all material wealth.

True, the appearance of the tribe’s precious cows bears little resemblance to the appearance of the luxurious Simmentals common in Russia, and they cannot boast of milk yield, but the skinny local cattle have incomparably more significant qualities here - vitality and unpretentiousness.

What are they eating.

The basis of the universe is the Himba cow. She provides the tribe with milk, an extremely important product. The milk is used for daily nutrition and for the production of cosmetic cream for local ladies. Meat is rarely eaten in the tribe - this happens only at tribal holidays; in the diet it is the exception rather than the rule.

Natural conditions, rocky and infertile buds, and a lack of water do not allow the Himba to diversify their diet with grown vegetables; much more often, collected wild herbs, edible roots and fruits provide vitamin support.

However, sometimes women plant corn and millet, which are undemanding to the soil, near the village. The tribe's daily diet is porridge made from corn or millet flour. The preparation of the dish is simple: heat water in the morning and evening, pour flour into it, add a little butter, cook for a short time and - bon appetit.

Interestingly, both of these cultures are now at the peak of popularity in Europe as healthy eating. And in our country we have always loved boiled young cobs with salt and millet porridge.

How they live.

The tribe's settlement, the kraal, is a circular collection of cone-shaped huts coated with a mixture of clay and dung. In the center of the kraal, behind a wicker fence, the main thing is a cattle pen.

Opposite the entrance to it is the hut of an elder - usually an elderly and respected person. A sacred fire burns in front of her day and night. All important Himba rites related to births, weddings, ceremonies related to the stages of growing up take place here - when those who have reached adolescence Tribe members have their 4 lower teeth knocked out.

What do they believe?

Missionaries have a lot of patience. The Himba resisted their activities for more than 150 years. In the end, unable to clothe these stubborn pagans and finding no response to the Word of God in their hearts, the messengers of the church retreated.

The Himba remained animists. The smoke of the sacred fire rises to the heavens, allowing them to ritually communicate with their ancestors, who, in turn, are in direct contact with the invisible supreme being who rules everything in this world.

About their hygiene.

Proudly beautiful Himba women devote several hours every morning to caring for themselves. True, they never wash themselves - water is too valuable a resource. However, they came up with a number of hygiene procedures and invented a wonderful cream that allow them to be, even in the sophisticated eyes of Europeans, exceptionally attractive people with excellent skin.

The composition of the cream is not a production secret; anyone can observe its preparation: to the bright red hematite ground into the finest powder, milk fat, ash and, as an aromatic fragrance, the resin of the omumbiri bush (Commiphora wildii), called Namibian myrrh, which grows here, are added.

The mixture gives the body an intense golden-reddish shine, which, firstly, corresponds to the Himba ideal of beauty and, secondly, protects the skin from the merciless sun, insect bites and to some extent blocks the growth of body hair.

What appears to be red-orange clay on the head is actually the same mixture. Himba people cover their originally styled hair with this product during complex hairdressing procedures.

Women also take a cleansing smoke bath every day. A smoldering ember heats a small bowl of herbs, leaves and twigs from Commiphora trees until aromatic smoke begins to smoke. The ladies lean over him, covering themselves with blankets for maximum effect to get a good sweat.

When the pores of the steamed skin open, they clean it with special flat sticks, then again smear themselves with a portion of fresh miracle cream. Then, fragrant and beautiful, they can again reveal themselves to the admiring world.

On the way to Etosha

By four o'clock we were already approaching the Namibian town of Kamanjab - six thousand inhabitants, a store, a gas station, a post office. He is the intermediate point in our journey, the goal of which was now National Park Etosha. The tiny town not only provides travelers with relaxation, but also provides several pleasant and tempting opportunities for tourists:

first, get to know the Himba tribe,
secondly, 24 kilometers from Kamanjab there is Cheetah Farm - a cheetah farm.

Cheetahs are special animals. While running, these graceful and swift felines can reach speeds of one hundred kilometers per hour, but this is not the most amazing thing. They will never attack a person, not like lions or tigers. The king of animals cannot be kept at home, this usually ends badly - cases are known, but there is no need to be afraid of the cheetah.

Since time immemorial, cheetahs have been domesticated and kept in or around the house for hunting. In our country, cheetahs have been known since Kievan Rus, then they were called pardus. Historians say that the Indian Mughal ruler Akbar the Great kept a thousand cheetahs in his court.

At the Otjitotongwe farm you can see and photograph both the animals themselves and how they are fed. You can also pet them and even make them joint photo“me and chita.” Like in Thailand, unforgettable! The most interesting thing is how, like domestic cats, they sleep sweetly in an embrace, tenderly lick each other, meow with their relatives and purr, and so loudly, as if they have running motors inside them.

This is our chance! I want to see a real cheetah, be close to this powerful animal, I want to touch it and remember the feeling of its fur! What is it like: hard or silky?

We stopped at the Oppi-Koppi campsite on the edge of town, whose nursery rhyme The name in Afrikaans means simple-minded - “on a small hill” and this is exactly true.

On the slope of a small hill

Oppi-Koppi is located right on the edge of town. There is a large area, the entrance is topped with a large thatched roof, and inside there are cute little yellow bungalows scattered - wood, stone and black thatch.

The owner of the campsite is a native of the prosperous kingdom of Belgium, who was so fascinated by Namibia that he moved here to live. He is still quite a young man, but, like him, many Europeans are looking for a cozy place in this country to meet old age here calmly, in comfort and prosperity.

We liked the Belgian's: the cicadas are chirping, the house is cozy, the food in the restaurant is delicious. But I got ahead of myself; the first thing we did from the road was run to the shower. Namibia is hot, dry and dusty. On a car trip, no matter how you hide, dust gets into your nose, saturates every centimeter of your skin and clothes, every strand of hair smells of it.

And in the soul... In the middle of Namibia, in a fragrant soap cloud, like a foam-born Aphrodite, a Russian girl stood and almost cried. The water in the shower let me down. No, she was. And she was hot, but...

The main problem of the arid country is the lack of water. There are few constantly flowing rivers; salvation comes from moisture reserves accumulated from ephemeral rivers, from underground water resources and reclaimed wastewater. What did you think? It is the reused water that goes through many levels of purification at special stations and meets the highest standards.

But the composition of natural waters in different places in Namibia is very diverse, as is their quality. In large Namibian cities the water is quite normal, but who can guarantee that it is everywhere like a spring tear? Our ex-European at his campsite took care of all levels of cleaning it. He proudly told us new arrivals that his water could be drunk straight from the tap.

It may be possible to drink, I haven’t tried it, but under the shower streams the soap didn’t want to wash off - the water turned out to be too soft. It seems that there is not a single small molecule of calcium and magnesium salts left in it, so that the rigidity they impart would allow the invisible slippery film to be removed from the hair and body. I say exactly: if hard water is bad, then very soft water is no good.

To see the recluses of harsh landscapes

Having suffered what was due in the fight against soap and instead of getting hair, I got stubborn fluff on my head that just didn’t want to settle, we went to a restaurant. The menu was extensive, offering dishes from kudu, zebra and even giraffe. We ordered wine, salad and oryx chops. The kind hostess came to talk to us and noted that there were many birds in their garden, and in the evenings you could watch porcupines eat. But we were interested in the most spectacular Namibian Himba women.

When we decided to go to Africa, there were many things we would like to do there. For example, visit this tribe. But the fact is that it’s not so easy to get to the Himbas’ village. There are certain rules for this:

You can’t just barge into a village without first obtaining permission from the elder.
A certain monetary contribution is made to the benefit of the community. Additionally, food offerings to the tribe are allowed in the form of corn flour, sugar, containers of water, and vegetable oil. Gifts are shared among the entire village.
Arriving in the village, you find yourself in someone else's house - so be respectful.
But just in case, so that no one wanders around the settlement wherever they please, the group is accompanied by a special comrade who kind words prompts: don’t go there, go here. But from him there is also practical use: in the event of an intimate conversation with beautiful savages, he can help tourists with translation.

And the kind hostess used her mobile phone to book us a visit to the village of the backward Himba tribe for tomorrow morning.

Yes! Here's another - knowledgeable people It is advised to obtain permission from the subject before shooting. Now everyone is ready to meet!

In Otjikandero - Himba village

We try not to talk about the upcoming meeting with the tribe, so as not to jinx it. I have a piece of paper on my knees, on it is a stock of basic and operational words in the Himba language (what if there is a meaningful conversation!): “hello” is “Moro”, “how are you” - “perivi”, “everything is fine” - “Nava” .

Twenty minutes of driving, another twenty minutes of wandering along the paths in search of the entrance to the village, and now we park at local school. Hmmm... School... It looks like the state doesn't spend much on it: an adobe house, posters on the walls, plastic tables and chairs.

The entrance to the village is blocked by crooked fence stakes and a barrier - you have to wait for a guide. There was no one around... A quarter of an hour later another car arrived with a Spanish couple, who also wanted to get acquainted with the life of the tribe.

We got bored together, and finally the long-awaited guide, an African in modern, but well-worn clothes, appeared and slowly led us into the village, telling us about life here.

Himba in real life focus

It is rare that a settlement of the Himba - a semi-nomadic people - exists for a long time in its place. This village is not quite typical. The tribe moved to this place about ten years ago, taking with them a bunch of children, as we would say - from dysfunctional families, from fellow tribesmen who drank themselves to death.

That's why there are a lot of children here, but almost no men at all. Their job is to herd cattle, so they go far and long with their herds. In recent years, men have also begun to go outside in search of work. The members of the tribe who were influenced by him can be easily recognized by their Western style of clothing. Here we took a closer look at our guide. Yes, he is also a Himba.

We entered the village, looking around the family's circle of thatched mud huts with the packed earth in front of them. Children run and crawl, goats and chickens roam, housewives prepare breakfast. Morning is the busiest time for Himba women. They have a lot of daily chores: in the morning they need to milk the cows, beat butter in a vessel from a dried pumpkin, clean the house, go for water, cook food, and they need to devote a couple of hours to taking care of their beauty.

It is clear, of course, that if a village is open to everyday visits from unfamiliar, and not always sensitive, people, then this was done with the intention of making money. But how much of what is presented is real and how much is a show for tourists? Amazingly, while talking and observing the Himbas, we came to the conclusion that there was no smell of any kind of staging here.

Women don't pay any attention to us. One, a Namibian Madonna with long braided hair, glowing with a red-brown hue, feeds an infant in the shade of her hut. A tiny boy holds on to her with his hand, two more children play nearby.

Usually, babies' heads are shaved, but in older children, a tuft of hair is left to grow on the head.

For boys, this bun is braided into one braid going to the back. Girls have two braids, they are directed towards the face. Thick pigtails hang over the eyes, making it difficult to look, but there are no girls with sideways hair.

The mother wears her own headdress - something similar to a crown. This decoration is called Erembe, it is made from a piece of leather and symbolizes... Guess it? Well, of course, the horns of a cow are the most valuable and beautiful creature in the eyes of hereditary cattle breeders.

For women, both life itself and its way of life are no different from the ancient ones that their great-great-grandmothers led, except that modern knives and accessories made from plastic bottles have been added. Their clothes have not changed either: they still go to short skirts made of soft leather and countless decorations on necks, wrists, belts and ankles.

The jewelry on the ankles of Himba women is a kind of version of a wedding ring, which can even tell about the number of children she has. Representatives of the fair half of all ages, without exception, wear heavy weights of bracelets and necklaces made of iron and copper, countless beads made of glass, beads, wires, seeds, pendants with stones and shells, and some dry fruits on straps.

The older kids are dressed in jeans and T-shirts, the little ones are covered with pieces of skin on a tight strap around the waist, and for those even younger, the entire outfit is made up of the favorite national paste, otjize, the color of red ocher.

Where to find a society of free and progressive people

The guide, smiling friendly from ear to ear (and he doesn’t have four lower teeth!), noted that clothing is everyone’s business. Whoever wants to do so can go. “Here he is,” he powerfully pokes himself in the chest, “Walks in modern clothes. But during holidays or for rituals, he wears Himba clothes.”

“We, the Himba, are the most free people on the ground! - he proudly declares, introducing us to the elder. - So, to come here you need a passport, and visas, and permits, and you have to pay money, but the Himba stood up, collected what he needed in a bag and went. And at the border no one will ask him anything. I don't have a passport! We are Himba, we are free people!”

The elder nods significantly and introduces us to his wife, sitting next to the hut. The eye catches on the colorful skirt of the neighboring shack. I almost gasped out loud: “Well, that’s right: Herero! Where?" Sanya voices our surprise.

The elder turns his face in her direction, thinks and seriously, as good teacher, answers that the Himba people are not only free, but also progressive, for equality. “This woman married a man from the Himba tribe. So what should she do? Becoming a Himba? No. She lived as she lived. And the children, when initiated, will decide for themselves who they want to be - a Himba or a Herero.” And he cleverly narrows his eyes at me.

And I look at a woman in fluffy Herero clothing in the company of her half-naked friends. And I remember the day when, after getting a tattoo, I came to work. A ten square centimeter patch of skin caused so many comments, discussions, condemnations, and sidelong glances! And here - thick multi-layered clothes, an incorrect headdress, unoiled body and hair... There are not even bracelets on the legs! But it doesn’t bother anyone... Yeah.

Boom-boom-boom, - a metallic ringing rushed through the village. The kids raised their heads and again each went about their business. “Rpopropopopo!” - Our escort jokingly shouted to one of them. The boy shrugged his shoulders in response and continued to sit in the dust.

“Everyone is invited to the school,” the guide explained to us. But the children don’t really want to go, and it’s not really necessary for life here.” Alas, the desire for knowledge has not yet seized the younger generation of Himbas; they still have dreams of a better career than a shepherd.

We were invited to enter the house, where a girl, whose name we would never be able to repeat due to its complete unpronounceability for a Russian person, showed all the intricacies of applying the famous paste to female body and all the subtleties of the procedure for giving it pleasant aromas.

The Himba monastery is clean and practically empty - only a few utensils. The skins or rugs that people sleep on at night were all taken away. During the lesson, the hostess and I sat together on the earthen floor, smooth as the bottom of a pot. The girl sat somehow especially deftly, it was clear that she was comfortable. And I was on pins and needles.

And yes - sit hard. But what was more important was that the cramped space of the home forced me to communicate at a distance that was too close, and therefore uncomfortable for me. And, to be completely honest, I confess to you, my friends, that a feeling of disgust unworthy of a true traveler prevented me from fully enjoying the lecture. But what can you do - we are all human.

Although there are no complaints about the girl herself. Sweet, natural, smiling. We showed her the photographs we took. She was delighted with the way she looked on screen and demonstrated it so directly.

At the end of the tour, we were invited to a platform in the center of the village, where Himba women sat in a semicircle and laid out bracelets, toys, beads and other crafts in front of them. Nothing in common with the image of noisy traders - embodied sedate dignity, friendly smiles. If you want it, buy it, if you want it, don’t.

But it’s hard to resist buying a small souvenir. We bought a pendant - wooden birds on a string and a bunch of bracelets for gifts.

From the Himba tribe, in a childlike state of expectation of happiness, they went to a cheetah farm. But here we were miraculously unlucky: the farm worked on a limited schedule, which in no way correlated with our plans. We quickly held a military council, added the cheetah farm to our list of must-see attractions for our next trip to the country, and moved on.

Advanced or untamed Himba?

One of my friends wrinkled her nose: “If only you could visit such Himbas who don’t even know what country they live in, and so…”. It's clear what we're talking about. About the authenticity of a tribe, which is disrupted by contact with the civilized world.

Nowadays the whole world is obsessed with authenticity in different areas culture - from food to furniture. The tourism industry is not far behind, with the trend now being to travel to exotic and secluded places and communities that are still supposedly uncorrupted by modernity. The search for such authenticity often leads to Kaokoland, where the Himba people live in almost primitive conditions.

Needless to say, it would be much more interesting to see absolutely untamed Himba... But... And there are too many of these “buts”.

In this remote northwestern part of the country, where there are no roads, travel is only possible in four-wheel drive vehicles with self-sufficient fuel and food supplies.
The arid terrain and harsh climate affected by the proximity of the Namib Desert require a knowledgeable guide.
And the few people of the tribe do not live compactly on the territory.
Moreover, they are not tied to any specific location, so searching for them may take a while. For a long time. Or even for a very long time.

So such a task already entails organizing a serious expedition, large financial costs and a decent amount of time on hand. This is clearly not our case.

Yes, here's another one. Almost the main sign of authenticity is considered to be true “simplicity” - the poverty and primitivism of primitive tribes, contrasted with the wealth and materialism of the modern world.

The simplicity and poverty that reigned in the tribe in real life brought tears to my eyes. The porridge for the children was cooked in some tin can, the mother picked it with a stick picked up from the ground, and the children then dragged the slightly cooled brew into their mouths by the handful, doing without a spoon. The appearance of the village inhabitants is at the proper level, observance of customs - everything is as taught.

In short, we are unshakably confident that the place we visited meets the strictest criteria for authenticity of the Himba people in all respects. Whoever doesn’t think so is his business, there’s Kaokoland - it’s nearby, look for suitable ones...

About the inevitability of coming changes

The Himba have jealously guarded their customs and traditions for centuries, but now the time is coming when they must abandon some of their cultural practices. First of all, from the customs of polygamy and widespread extramarital affairs, in order to curb the HIV and AIDS epidemic raging in the tribe.

It is very possible that a change in the way of life that they have stubbornly maintained for so long will be brought about by government policies that provide Himba children, even in the most remote corners, with the opportunity to study in unique mobile free schools.

At school, the younger generation of the tribe is taught not only to read and write. There they also learn about the existence of another world. And it is quite possible that one day they will want to abandon their kraals with cows in this practically isolated region and go to live in the city for a while. And then completely different Himbas will return home.

The popularity of the tribe that appeared on television and became the hero of many documentaries, became a source for its members permanent income. More and more of its members are starting to work as tour guides, translators, and creating campsites for tourists, providing so-called “Himba tours.”

The growing influx of tourists, photographers and filmmakers disrupts the daily life of the tribe and, unwittingly, they are gradually losing those features that once made them so attractive in the eyes of foreign visitors and the media.

Ancient and amazing tribe Himba with its elusive authenticity... But, if you think about it, the culture of the people is not a given, it changes over time, it is changed by contacts with other cultures. Therefore, perhaps authenticity should be considered not as something immutable, frozen in the past, but as a property that is dynamic?

In the north of Namibia, in the inaccessible areas of the Kaokoland plateau, there lives a unique people - the Himba. Himba women wear only loincloths and cover their bodies with dark ocher paint. It is prepared from stone quarried on the mountain, past which the only road to the Himba country passes. The Himba have always led a semi-nomadic lifestyle and even today they are not very willing to make contact with whites. Therefore, neither Christian missionaries nor the colonial administration managed to change their way of life. The main difference between the Himba and other peoples of Namibia is that they still retain the full weight of their traditions and beliefs. Christianity had no influence on the life of this people. The life of the Himba, their customs have hardly changed. Today there are no more than 10 thousand of them.

Like any people, the Himba have a myth about their origin. A long-standing legend among some Himba states that the ancestor of the people, Mukuru, and his wife, along with their cattle, emerged from the sacred Omumborombongo tree. In other legends, Mukuru is identified with the creator god, the creator of all things, who endowed the souls of deceased ancestors with supernatural abilities. The Himba make men's and women's legguards from the skins of antelopes, gazelles, but more often from the skins of domestic animals - goats and cows. This is probably the correct name for this item. national costume. A legguard for men is a rectangular piece of tanned skin, secured to the body with a belt.

Women wear their legguards in approximately the same way. Women also prepare body paint. They grind soft stones mined at Sacred Mountain, into powder and mix it with animal fat. You have to stock up a lot of paint. Every self-respecting Himba begins the morning by covering her entire body with it. This, firstly, is beautiful, secondly, it saves the skin from the rays of the scorching sun, and thirdly, it is hygienic. Paint replaces soap for the aborigines. When it is scraped off the body, the dirt comes off with it. In my opinion, a very useful invention in conditions of constant water shortage.

Warrior dance.

They have their own language, they don’t speak any other language, but people from this tribe who live in civilization can be used as translators - they already speak excellent English...

The Himba have this rule - if a husband kills his wife, this happens in family life, then he pays compensation to his wife’s family in the amount of 45 cows. If a wife kills her husband, this also happens, then nothing goes to the husband’s family. The authorities do not punish those responsible for the incidents or put them in prison. They believe that this is an internal matter for the Himba and do not interfere. Even when a man and woman are married, they are not obliged to observe marital fidelity. The Himba still have a custom of exchanging wives during holidays. This kind of moral freedom worries the government. After achieving independence, the Namibian authorities launched an offensive against Himba customs. Officials are calling on people to abandon ancient traditions due to the threat of AIDS. The Himba believe that their ancestors were distinguished by enviable health because they religiously observed traditions. And it is not good to abandon traditions, although each time has its own dictates.

Himby's bride. You can tell a boy from a girl by their hairstyle. Girls wear two pigtails hanging over their eyes. Boys - alone, in the back, or do without her at all. A girl who has reached the age of 14 is considered a bride. As a sign of this, she has many braids braided so that they almost completely cover her face. U married women the hairstyle is the same, but the face is open. The hair is supported by an intricate headdress made of leather.

In fact, such a way of life is almost impossible to find in modern Africa: a completely primitive way of life remained natural for these people, not at all ostentatious. These are not the East African Maasai, who for many decades have practically lived on extortions from passing tourists as their main livelihood, and rush headlong to change into “primitive” clothes as soon as they see the sweet dust from under the wheels of a tourist bus on the horizon. And the Himba are like that in reality: they lead a semi-sedentary, semi-nomadic tribal existence in zones of almost completely lifeless desert, in conditions of severe water shortage. Not because they “failed to break through to civilization,” but because even today they prefer to live this way and do not need almost anything that they do not have and never had. The Himba live by raising cattle. In essence, the only thing they have is skinny, but very unpretentious and tenacious cows of a special breed, ready, almost like camels, to go without water for weeks. Selling in rare and special cases these cattle, the Himba get some money. Well, frequent guests will sometimes buy some simple souvenirs and crafts. And then they come to the city - for cornmeal, sugar, some delicacies for the children. They don't need any clothes, other than plastic flip-flops, which will come in handy in this rocky desert. They do not use any utensils - except for gourd vessels, sometimes replaced with large plastic drinking water bottles. And in general, it seems that they do not suffer at all from the lack of all these attributes of civilization. There could be dozens of new Naomi Campbells out of Himba girls. And where do modeling agencies look?..

Madonna Himba

This is a typical landscape of the Himba tribe.

The Himba's worst problem is AIDS. In Namibia, almost 20 percent of the population is infected with AIDS, and the Himba have a purely philosophical attitude towards the danger of becoming infected: God gave, God takes away. Of course, they are not talking about any kind of prevention. But if you’re lucky and don’t catch AIDS in childhood or youth, the Himba live for quite a long time: often longer than 70 years, and sometimes they live up to 100.

The Himba live in small clans or even families apart from each other, because... They are pastoralists and livestock need a lot of space to graze in conditions of severe shortage of water and, as a result, grass. About 150 people gathered here, because... My colleagues and I brought them a bull, which they ate, and two tons of flour, which we distributed to everyone. It took almost 7 months to organize this event...