Namibia’s Himba People

The San people are the first people of Africa; descendants of the original Homo sapiens, they are the region’s earliest inhabitants and it’s estimated that they’ve been living here for the last 30.000 plus years.

One of the most iconic Namibian tribes is the Himba, with an estimated population of about 50,000, who live in Northern Namibia.

The Himba, a tribal group that was part of the early Bantu migrations and moved down from Angola into Northern Namibia in the 16th century. They comprise  one of Namibia’s 12 major ethnic groups.

Opuwo is the capital of the Kunene Region and the unofficial seat of Namibia’s Himba people. We visited them in Omapaha Village with a local guide, is one of the best places in Namibia to interact with the Himba in a natural setting, learn about their culture and daily lives.

Namibia’s Himba are seminomadic people who traditionally base themselves at a small village, moving when necessary to find access to water.

What makes the Himba people immediately recognisable is their terracotta-red skin.

Himba women are renowned for the ochre-coloured cream, otjze, which is made from mixing butterfat with ochre powder, scented resins and which is applied to protect and moisturise the skin and hair.

For clothing, the Himba, like the San, also favour leather, with the men usually dressed in calfskin and often wearing sandals with soles made from old car tyres. Both men and women wear numerous necklaces and arm bracelets, made from ostrich eggshell beads, grass, cloth and copper. Adult women wear beaded anklets to protect their legs from venomous animal bites. The most important and precious piece of jewellery a Himba woman wears is a necklace called an ohumba, a large white shell that comes from Angola. This is a symbol of fertility and is given to a mother following the birth of her first child.

Fire and smoke hold elevated status in Himba culture. Smoke, often scented with herbs, is used by women for cleansing. It’s also used to carry prayers to the supreme being, Mukuru. At traditional Himba homesteads, there is always a holy fire which is kept smouldering between the main hut and the animal enclosure to maintain ties to the ancestors.

Botswana&Namibia, Narina Exelby, Mary Fitzpatrick, Sarah Kingdom, Melanie van Zyl, Lonely Planet, 2023. Pages 247, 248, 327,332, 334.

Photo: Füsun Kavrakoğlu, 2024.