Figure 1.--Here we see the increasing encounters between Namibia's Himba culture and the modern world. A young mother with her child is shopping in a modern supermarket.

The Himba (singular: OmuHimba, plural: OvaHimba) are a Bantu people. They are a semi-nomadic tribal group of pastoralists. They are best known for their red ochre body paint especially notable in the hair, intricate jewelry, among other cultural traditions. They speak Otjhimba, a dialect of Otjiherero, a Bantu language. Today they number about 50,000 people divided between he Kunene Region (Kaokoland) of northern Naminia and across Kunene River, the norder between Naminia and Angola in southern Angola. A few family groups OvaTwa, seen as part of their are still hunter-gatherers. They are ethnically related to the Herero people, but are culturally destint. The Himba are semi-nomadic in that they have base homesteads where some crops are cultivated on aeasonal basis. Many have to move annually depending on precipitation and access to water. The Himba are now the the last Namibian people that are not permanentkly settled. The Himba grow some crops, uch as maize and milletbut. Their livlihood mostly come raising livestock. They are moostly focused on cattle. Thy count their wealth in the numbers of cattle. To a lessr exttent they also have fat-tailed sheep and goats. Their livestock provide both milk and meat. This is imprtant because much of their diet is aconoction made of our milk and maize, a kind of porridge (oruhere ruomaere). At times it becomes a plain hard porridge only, if milk and meat becomes limited. Oher food sdtuffs are chicken eggs and arange of rooys, berries, wild herbs, and honey that cn be found in the wild. The Himba occasionally sell their livestock for cash as they become asisilated into the cash economy. 【KCS】 Some Himba are involved in the monied economy, but still a small numner.

Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing national pages:
[Return to the Main African Himba tribe page]
[Return to the Main African tribe page]
[Return to the Main African country page]
[Algeria] [Angola] [Botswana] [Madagascar] [Mali] [Namibia] [South Africa] [Uganda]

Created: 5:37 PM 10/16/2024
Last updated: 5:37 PM 10/16/2024