African tribe Himba. The amazing Himba tribe with its elusive authenticity

The Himba tribe is one of the few in modern Africa where they continue to lead a traditional way of life. They don't enjoy the benefits modern civilization and are in no hurry to leave their homes for the sake of life in the city, and the women of this people are rightfully considered the most beautiful in the world. African continent.

The Himba, who number less than 50,000 people, are the hallmark of Namibia's tourism industry. Living in the arid regions of the country, the Himba people earn their living by raising cattle and gathering. Just like their ancestors hundreds of years ago, the Himba raise goats and cows. Their pets are not very well-fed: the lack of succulent food affects them. But lean goats and cows provide the tribe with nutritious milk, which, along with plant foods, forms the basis of the Himba diet. They eat meat extremely rarely, only on major holidays. The Himba people are busy with physical labor all day long: men herd cattle, walking several kilometers from the village every day, repair and build huts, women raise children, cook food and devote time to handicrafts.

Their traditional home- This is an ordinary clay hut, sometimes covered with thatch. The food is cooked over fires, and the little ones eat the porridge with their hands straight from common boiler. Traditionally, the tribe practiced polygamy, but today this custom is often abandoned. The Himba actively communicate with neighboring tribes and can enter into alliances not only with representatives of their own people.

Interestingly, numerous missionaries tried to convert the Himba people to Christianity. For more than 150 years, their tribes were constantly visited by white people, but the Himbas remained with their traditional values. They believe in nature spirits just like their ancestors.

It is noteworthy that the Himbas still prefer traditional clothing, which is especially noticeable for women. A goatskin skirt, lots of bracelets and a gorgeous hairstyle - these are the... external signs, by which you can easily recognize the women of this tribe. Among other African peoples, most of whom wear short hair, the Himba are distinguished by their long hair. Such beauty requires careful care: these beauties devote several hours a day to cosmetic procedures. With little water and constant economy, the Himba braid their hair. And so that they have to be washed less often, the braids are coated with a special mixture of goat’s milk, powdered ocher and herbs. When the girl is still small, there are two braids and they are braided forward. And when a girl is ready to get married, she braids her hair back and puts on a beautiful hairstyle on her head.

But Himba women's concerns about their attractiveness are not limited to hair care. They fumigate their hair and skin with smoke every day, and also rub in a nourishing cream based on the same goat's milk and ocher. Such efforts pay off handsomely: Himba women are considered the first beauties of Africa. Tall, slender, long-legged with amazing hairstyles and beautiful faces, they arouse genuine interest from the outside world.

Visiting Himba villages is included in all Namibia tourism programs. But, despite the growing interest in itself, the tribe has not acquired those features of ostentatious “originality” inherent in many peoples involved in the tourism business. They don’t force their souvenirs on guests and don’t run to dress up in traditional clothes before the arrival of the next group, although they happily communicate with the visitors. With the money, Himba women buy food, mainly cereals, as well as combs to care for their beautiful hair.

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

In our age it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a corner 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 - business card 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. Once it was a large tribe, but in mid-19th century it was divided. 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, Burenki 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, together with his wife, came from sacred tree Omumborombongo. 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.

In the north of Namibia lives an amazing tribe that few people knew about. Its inhabitants, who had no contact with white people, for a long time They did not allow journalists to approach them, and after several reports, interest in them increased incredibly. There were many people who wanted to visit the tribe and tell the world about nomads living by their own laws.

Herder tribe

The Himba tribe, whose number does not exceed 50 thousand people, has lived in scattered settlements since the 16th century and leads a semi-sedentary, semi-nomadic existence in the desert where there is no water. Now it is engaged in cattle breeding: residents breed cows of a special breed, unpretentious and ready to do without water for a long time. Pets are the main wealth and inheritance, which is not considered as food.

People unfamiliar with the benefits of civilization

By selling animals, they earn some money, and frequent guests buy souvenirs and crafts. The Himba spend their earnings on buying sugar, corn flour, and treats for the children. The inhabitants do not need clothing; they make clothes from animal skins and fasten them to their bodies with a belt. All they need are flip-flops to walk through the scorching desert. None of them uses technology, hardly knows writing, the tribe members’ dishes are replaced by vessels hollowed out in a pumpkin, but they do not suffer at all from the lack of attributes of civilization.

The Himba tribe, whose photos were often published in various publications, observes ancient customs and worships souls of the dead and god Mukur, raises livestock and does not shed other people's blood. They drive peaceful existence V lifeless desert, in conditions of severe water shortage.

Attention to appearance

For members of the tribe, appearance matters important role V traditional culture. It indicates position in society and certain phases of life. For example, married women They wear a kind of crown on their heads, which is made from goat skins, and married men wear a turban.

Girls braiding long hair in braids above the forehead, with age they do hairstyles that consist of huge amount braids, and boys pull their hair into a ponytail tied in a bun.

Women voted the most beautiful

Representatives of the Himba do not miss a single detail and carefully monitor their appearance, taking care of their skin and hair. They compensate for the lack of clothing with numerous jewelry made from copper, shells and pearls. This is an important part of centuries-old traditions, and the women of the Himba tribe are recognized as the most beautiful. Their subtle features faces and almond-shaped eyes are admired by travelers who claim that every girl could work as a model on the catwalk.

These are tall and slender women who stand out from the rest. They deftly carry containers of precious water on their heads, thanks to which they have developed excellent posture. The jewelry that the fair sex wears on their necks, legs, and arms serves not only for beauty - in this way local girls protect themselves from snake bites.

Magic mixture for face and body

Every drop of water is worth its weight in gold, and what they manage to get is drunk, so the members of the tribe do not wash, and a special mixture of red-orange color helps them survive, to which the Himba owe their special skin tone. Women grind volcanic rocks into powder and mix it with butter whipped from cows' milk, ash, and herbal elixirs. Every morning begins with the natives applying ocher paint, which maintains the necessary level of hygiene and protects against insect bites and scorching fires. sun rays, all over the body and face.

The women's incredibly soft skin looks great and smells nice with an aromatic resin that is often added to the mixture, which also serves as the basis for the complex hairstyles that distinguish the Himba tribe.

Each resident has a second, “European” name. Children receive it when they study in mobile schools. Every child can count and knows several phrases in English language, but after the first classes of training few people continue it.

The Himba tribe of Namibia build cone-shaped huts from saplings and palm leaves, which are woven with leather straps, and later cover them with dung and silt. There are no amenities inside such a home, except for a mattress on the floor.

The tribe lives in a clan, led by an elder - grandfather, who is responsible for housing, religious aspects, compliance with laws and traditions, economic issues, property management. His powers are confirmed by a special bracelet on his erenge hand. The headman concludes marriages, conducts various ceremonies and rituals near the sacred fire, attracting the spirits of ancestors to resolve pressing issues.

Marriages are arranged in such a way that wealth is distributed equally. After the wedding, the wife moves in with her husband and accepts the rules of the new clan.

Women get up very early, at dawn, to milk the cows, which the men take to pasture. As soon as the land becomes scarce, the Himba tribe leaves the place and moves to another place. Husbands wander with their herds, leaving their wives and children in the village.

Among the modern things the tribe has adopted are plastic bottles in which jewelry is stored.

It is best to go to the village with a guide, who will tell you in detail about the life of the tribe and will be able to negotiate with the leader about visiting the home.

Amazing tribe The Himba are hospitable and smiling people who do not seek benefits from frequent travelers. The original people, existing in isolation from the outside world, are indifferent to the benefits of civilization, and every case of preservation of traditional ways of life is of great interest to scientists and tourists.

In southwest Africa, deep into the desert from the Atlantic coast, which due to frequent shipwrecks was called the “coast of skeletons”, in northern Namibia lies an area where time has stood still. People live here, they are called Himba tribe. A century ago, almost nothing was known about him. But thanks to tourists and journalists, photographs appeared on the Internet and now this tribe is considered the most beautiful in Africa.

The Himba are a semi-nomadic African people living in the northern part of Namibia near the border with Angola, in the Kunene region, in the inaccessible areas of the Kaokoland plateau. The number of its representatives is 20,000-50,000 people. They speak the Otjihimba language and trace their origins to the Herero people. Several hundred years ago, the Herero, including the ancestors of the Himba, migrated to Namibia from East Africa. About 150 years ago, the rest of the Herero separated from these lands and went further south.

The well-known about the little-known Himba

In the mid-19th century, the tribe was attacked by the Nama tribe, and many of them, along with the leader, moved to Angola. After World War I, the Himba returned to Namibia. In 1904 they were subjected to genocide by the German colonialists.

In 1980, a terrible drought broke out on the tribal lands, as a result of which the tribe almost ceased to exist. The remaining Himba took refuge in the city of Opuwo. Only in the 1990s did the revival of the tribe begin on their ancestral lands.

The tribe, thanks to its isolation from the outside world, maintains its traditional way of life. Social structure is a clan system based on bilateral inheritance (each member of the tribe belongs to two clans - the patriclan and the matriclan). The main occupation of the Himba is cattle breeding: they raise cows, as well as goats and sheep.

This people retains their traditional beliefs. They consider Mukuru the only god, the creator of everything, and perform rituals associated with the sacred fire - okoruvo.

The chief of the tribe is the elder; he monitors compliance with the rules and customs.

Himba traditions

Women should be beautiful - they are busy with their beauty, not all the time, of course, but they consider this activity extremely necessary and important. Himba women have unusually beautiful skin, the secret of its beauty lies in the ointment with which they cover their entire body and hair every day and more than once.

This ointment, prepared from powdered volcanic pumice, cow butter and a variety of plant extracts, not only gives the skin a beautiful reddish tint, but also maintains its elasticity and firmness for a long time. long years, she is also wonderful hygiene product and a product that protects against sunburn.

The Himba people carefully protect their established way of life from strangers and, having a mass unique knowledge about nature and man, replenished from generation to generation, is content with the little that he has and does not need anything that he does not have and never had - here you have

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 can survive without water for a long time. 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 lot of unique knowledge about man and nature, which is passed on and expanded 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. Worn short skirts made of soft leather and a large number of jewelry made of copper, pearls, shells. Tall and slender, with delicate features, almond-shaped eyes and excellent posture, they 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. On their ankles they wear jewelry, which is a kind of version wedding ring, you can also find out about 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.