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

In our age, it's getting harder to find a corner the globe untouched by civilization. Of course, in some places the so-called national color is still the main attraction for tourists. But all this is for the most part exotic feigned, artificial. Take, for example, the formidable Masai - business card Kenya. Hearing the sound of an approaching bus engine, representatives of this tribe hide away TVs, phones and jeans and urgently give themselves primeval view. Himba is a completely different matter - not big tribe in northern Namibia. They have preserved the traditions of the Stone Age in their 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 province of Kunene, where the himba roam, cannot be called mild. During the day, the thermometer inexorably tends to + 60 °, sometimes frost falls at night. The breath of the oldest desert on the planet - Namiba affects.

The Himba migrated to northern Namibia about a few hundred years ago from East Africa. Once it was a large tribe, but in mid-nineteenth centuries it has been 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 made contact with the Europeans, which ultimately killed them.

A few decades ago in Namibia they realized: there were few indigenous people who had preserved the way of life and beliefs of their ancestors. In general, the Himba decided to leave alone and let them live the way they want. Any laws of Namibia in 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 the breeding of cows, goats and sheep. The number of cows determines social status, cows also serve as a means of payment. Himba is practically not interested in money, because they do not use any manufactured goods in everyday life. The exception is plastic canisters for storing and carrying water and various little things that accidentally fall into your hands.

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

As the pastures are depleted, they dismantle the huts and migrate. Himba water used to be mined by digging deep holes in the sand, and suitable places for this were found in one way they knew. They never put the kraal close to the source, so that outsiders could not peep where the water comes from. Not so long ago, by order of the government, artesian wells were dug on nomadic routes. But the aborigines do not drink this water, except that they feed herds with it.

In the old-fashioned way, life-giving moisture can be obtained only for one's own use, and even then just barely enough. Washing is out of the question. Helps magic ointment, which Himba owes a red skin tone. This is a mixture of butter whipped from cow's milk, various vegetable elixirs and bright red volcanic pumice ground into the finest powder. It is mined in one single place - on a mountain on the border of the plateau, which is occupied by himba. The mountain, of course, is considered sacred, and they do not disclose the recipe for the ointment to anyone.

With this composition, Himba women smear the whole 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 tool personal hygiene. Surprisingly, the skin of Himba women is perfect. With the help of the same ointment, a traditional hairstyle is made: other people's hair - usually men's, most often from the father of the family - is woven into their own, creating “dreadlocks” on the head.

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

Only women work in the kraals. They carry water, look after cattle, churn butter, sew and mend simple clothes. In addition, the weaker sex is engaged in gathering, so that the diet of the tribe does not consist only of dairy products. Of course, women also take care of the upbringing of children. By the way, kids are not divided into friends and foes.

Cattle are grazed by old people and teenagers. Himba men do not overwork. Assemble and disassemble the kraal - here, by by and large and all their affairs. Hunting is not among the permanent occupations 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 the very reddish breed 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, then they have to bargain only with women. AT last years among the people of the tribe, bright plastic bags began to enjoy unprecedented popularity. Himba are ready to give the last for them. Indeed, in these bags it is so convenient to store your poor belongings, jewelry and, of course, scallops. With the help of the latter, it is very convenient to construct fantastic hairstyles that Himba women are famous for. They, among other things, are considered the standard of beauty on the African continent.

By the age of 12-14, each Himba is missing four lower teeth. This is a consequence of the rite of initiation. 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 ransom must be paid for the bride.

The wedding ceremony is very original. The newlyweds spend the night in the hut of the bride's family. In the morning they are accompanied by girlfriends future wife leave parental home 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 ceremony for the young. If someone from the procession stumbles, the rite will have to be repeated, but not earlier than in a few weeks.

The participants in the ceremony sit around the fire, and three vessels of milk are brought to the leader - one each from the huts of the groom, the bride and the leader himself. He takes a sample, after which the remaining members of the tribe are applied to the vessels in turn. After that, all those present go to the leader's hut, where the newlyweds will spend three days. In order for the first wedding night to be successful, in front of the hut the bride and groom again fall on all fours and thus go around the house counterclockwise.

Even if a Himba man and woman are married, they are not required to be faithful. Each Himba can have as many wives as he can support. Wives can be changed, and if a man goes to long journey, then he puts his wife to live with someone he knows.

Such freedom of morals worries the local authorities. More than 20% of the Namibian population has AIDS, so the Himba is a kind of risk group. However, in the tribe, medical problems are treated philosophically. The gods give life, they can take it away, say the himba. In general, they are long-livers: almost all live up to 70 years, and some even 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 authorities of Namibia do not punish himba in any way, considering all this to be their internal affair.

Himba believe that their tribe descended from the progenitor Mukuru, who, along with his wife, came from sacred tree Omumborombongo. Mukuru created everything and endowed the souls of dead 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, having no idea of ​​geography, any head of the clan will show with his hand 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 cruel raids, the Himba lost all their herds and fled to the mountains. There they had to hunt, but such a life was not to their liking, and they went north to Angola.

For some time it was believed that the Himba died out or mixed with other tribes, when they suddenly reappeared in the old place. It happened in 1903, when the Nama rebelled against the German colonialists. European troops quickly defeated the Nama and their allied Herero, after which they staged a real genocide. As a result, both tribes practically ceased to exist. The Germans and Himba did not bypass "attention". Almost all Himba were killed or captured and sent to black camps. Fortunately, after the First World War, the colonies were taken away from Germany. And if the Herero and the Nama did not recover from the blow, then the Himba "rose" like a phoenix bird 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 hearth 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 Himba returned. Now they number just under 50,000, and the population is growing. At the same time, they live exactly the same as their ancestors hundreds of years ago.

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

Tribe of pastoralists

The Himba tribe, whose population 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 heritage that is not considered as food.

People not familiar with the benefits of civilization

By selling animals, they help out some money, and frequent guests buy souvenirs and crafts. Himba spends her earnings on buying sugar, cornmeal, treats for kids. The inhabitants do not need clothes, they make them from animal skins and fasten them to the body with a belt. All they need are slippers to walk through the desert that burns their feet. None of them uses technology, almost does not know writing, the dishes for members of the tribe 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 are often printed in various publications, observes ancient customs, worships souls of the dead and to the god Mukuru, breeds cattle and does not shed other people's blood. They drive peaceful existence in a lifeless desert, in conditions of severe water shortage.

Attention to appearance

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

girls braid long hair in braids above the forehead, with age they make hairstyles that consist of a huge number of braids, and the boys pull their hair into a ponytail tied in a bun.

Women voted the most beautiful

Himba representatives do not miss a single detail and carefully monitor their appearance, caring for their skin and hair. They compensate for the lack of clothing with numerous jewelry made of copper, shells and pearls. This is an important part of the centuries-old traditions, and the women of the Himba tribe are recognized as the most beautiful. Their delicate features 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 formed an excellent posture. Jewelry that the fair sex wears on their necks, legs, arms, serve not only for beauty - in this way local girls protect themselves from snake bites.

A magical blend for face & body

Each drop of water is worth its weight in gold, and what you can get is drunk, so the members of the tribe do not wash themselves, and a special mixture of red-orange color helps them to survive, to which the Himba owes a special skin tone. Women grind stones of volcanic rock into powder and mix it with butter, ash, vegetable elixirs whipped from cows' milk. Every morning begins with the fact that the natives apply ocher paint, which maintains the necessary level of hygiene and protects against insect bites and scorching sunlight, on the whole body and face.

Incredible soft skin For women, it looks great and smells good of aromatic resin, which is often added to the mixture, which also serves as the basis for the complex hairstyles that distinguish the Himba tribe.

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

The Himba tribe in Namibia build cone-shaped huts from young trees and palm leaves, which are intertwined with leather straps, and later covered with dung and silt. Inside such a dwelling there are no amenities, 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, observance of laws and traditions, economic issues, property management. His powers are confirmed by a special bracelet on the erenge hand. The headman enters into marriages, conducts various ceremonies and rituals at the sacred fire, attracting the spirits of ancestors to solve 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, milk the cows, which the men take to pasture. As soon as the land becomes scarce, the Himba tribe is removed from their place and moves to another place. Husbands wander with herds, leaving their wives and children in the village.

From modern things, the tribe has taken root 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 agree with the leader about visiting the dwelling.

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

In the north of Namibia, in remote areas of the Kaokoland plateau, a unique people lives - the Himba. Himba women wear only loincloths and cover their bodies with dark ocher paint. It is prepared from a stone mined on a mountain, past which the only road to the Himba country goes. Himba have always led a semi-nomadic lifestyle and even today are not too willing to make contact with whites. Therefore, neither the Christian missionaries nor the colonial administration succeeded in changing their way of life. The main difference between the Himba and other peoples of Namibia is that they still retain the entire load of their traditions and beliefs. Christianity had no effect on the life of this people. Himba life, their customs have not changed much. To date, there are no more than 10 thousand.

Like any nation, the Himba has a myth about its origin. An old tradition, common among some Himba, says that the ancestor of the Mukuru people and his wife, along with cattle, came out of the sacred Omumborombongo tree. In other legends, Mukuru is identified with the creator god, the creator of all things, who endowed the souls of dead ancestors with supernatural abilities. From the skins of antelopes, gazelles, but more often from the skins of domestic animals - goats and cows - Himba make men's and women's legguards. Probably the correct name for this item. national costume. A gaiter for men is a rectangular piece of dressed skin, fastened to the body with a belt.

Approximately the same wear their leggings and women. Body paint is also prepared by women. They grind soft stones mined on sacred mountain, into powder and mixed with animal fat. You have to stock up on a lot of paint. Every self-respecting himba begins the morning by covering the whole body with it. Firstly, it is beautiful, secondly, it saves the skin from the rays of the scorching sun, and thirdly, it is hygienic. Paint replaces Aboriginal soap. When it is scraped off the body, the dirt comes off with it. I think very useful invention under constant water shortages.

Warrior dance.

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

The Himba has such an order - 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 falls to the husband's family. The authorities do not punish the perpetrators of the incidents, they do not put them in jail. They believe that this is an internal affair of the Himba, and do not interfere. Even when a man and a woman are married, they are not required to be faithful. The Himba still has a custom to change wives during the holidays. This freedom of morals worries the government. After achieving independence, the Namibian authorities launched an offensive against the Himba customs. Officials are urging people to abandon ancient traditions because of the threat of AIDS. Himba, on the other hand, believe that the ancestors were distinguished by enviable health, because they sacredly observed traditions. And it is not worthwhile to abandon traditions, although each time has its own decrees.

Bride Himbi. You can tell a boy from a girl by their hairstyle. Girls wear two pigtails hanging over their eyes. Boys - one, behind, or do without it at all. A girl who has reached the age of 14 is considered a bride. As a sign of this, many braids are braided to her, so that they almost completely cover her face. At 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, this way of life contemporary Africa almost impossible to find: a completely primitive way of life remained natural for these people, not at all ostentatious. This is not the East African Maasai, who for many decades have practically lived on extortions from passing tourists as their main trade, and are headlong running to change into "primitive" clothes, barely seeing the sweet dust from under the wheels of a tourist bus on the horizon. And the Himba are really like that: they lead a semi-sedentary, semi-nomadic tribal existence in zones of an almost completely lifeless desert, in conditions of a severe shortage of water. 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. Himba live by cattle breeding. In fact, the only thing they have is skinny, but very unpretentious and tenacious cows of a special breed, ready, almost like camels, to do without water for weeks. Selling in rare and special occasions this livestock, the himba get some money. Well, frequent guests still sometimes buy some simple souvenirs and crafts. And that's when they come to the city - for cornmeal, sugar, some treats for children. They don't need clothes, except that plastic slippers will come in handy in this rocky desert. Dishes - except for gourd vessels, sometimes replaced by large plastic bottles of drinking water - they do not use. And in general, it seems that they do not suffer at all from the absence of all these attributes of civilization. The new Naomi Campbell of the Himba girls could be made by the dozens. And where do modeling agencies look? ..

Himba Madonna

This is a typical landscape of the Himba tribe.

The most terrible misfortune of the Himba: AIDS. In Namibia, almost 20 percent of the population is infected with AIDS, and the Himba are purely philosophical about the danger of getting infected: God gave, God took. Of course, they are not talking about any kind of prevention. But if you're lucky, and you won't get AIDS in childhood or in your youth, the himba live for quite a long time: often longer than 70 years, and sometimes they live up to 100.

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 the most 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 action...

Thanks for the great photos and interesting story by artamonoff2009

The African Himba tribe lives in the Kunene region, which is located in the northern part of Namibia. This is one of the most difficult places for human existence.

The hot African climate dominates here, malaria and a huge number of poisonous snakes are common. However, despite such difficult conditions The Himba are very peaceful and friendly people.

Its number, according to various sources, ranges from 20 to 50 thousand people. The history of the Himba begins in eastern Africa, from where they, a couple of hundred years ago, together with the Herero tribe, moved to Namibia.

The Himba traditional way of life is similar to that of other African tribes (for example,

), i.e. nomadic. The main occupation of this tribe is cattle breeding - large and small cattle, as well as sheep are bred. Himba women have a long list of responsibilities.

In addition, the milking of cows falls on their shoulders. So they also do more difficult work: provide settlements with water and even build dwellings. In addition, they are required to take care of the children. Moreover, often one woman watches not only her own, but also other people's offspring. While their mother is working.

Himba traditions

Himba settlements are built in a circle. In the center there are pens for livestock, which are surrounded by their residential buildings. Their houses are very similar to yurts.

As building materials young wood is used, the frame of the future house is formed from it, which is then covered with mud and manure, the whole structure dries superbly and is fixed under the rays of the hot African sun.

To this day, the Himba tribe has a cult of ancestors. They also perform rituals in which they use the okoruwa (sacred flame), as it is a symbol inseparable connection the world of the living with the world of the dead.

Okoruwa burns constantly as long as the elder is alive. When he leaves the world of the living, his dwelling is to be destroyed, and the flame itself is extinguished. Members of the elder's family are required to perform a dance ritual throughout the night.

Speaking of the Himba tribe, it is necessary to dwell separately on their appearance. This tribe, like the representatives of the Watusi tribe, pays great attention to their appearance and care for it.

Himba do not miss a single detail: hairstyle, various jewelry, clothes - all this is carefully monitored, because this is part of the centuries-old Himba traditions. Even a newly born baby is dressed with pearl jewelry.

Representatives of the beautiful half of the Himba stand out clearly from the rest of the tribes living in Namibia. These are tall, slender women who have a reddish skin tone and are not particularly burdened with clothes.

The lack of outfits is compensated by numerous jewelry made of copper, shells, pearls, etc. Jewelry is worn on the arms, legs, neck, in general, wherever they can be adapted.

It is worth noting that in this way they not only decorate themselves, but also protect. For example, bracelets on the legs, from snakes, which are in abundance in the Kunene region. Also, the women of this tribe have an excellent posture, which is formed as a result of the constant wearing of water containers on their heads.

In general, Himba women are very attractive: slim figures, fine facial features and almond-shaped eyes.

Traditionally, Himba cover their entire body, as well as their face and head, with a kind of ointment, which includes fat, ocher and ashes. Therefore, their skin has a red tint.

Also, in this way, they protect their skin from the scorching African sun. In addition, this mixture has a peculiar cosmetic effect and gives the skin elasticity and shine.

Himba women do not have the habit of washing, all hygiene procedures are associated with this mixture.

The traditional female hairstyles of the Himba people are various pigtails, depending on the type of which you can understand whether the girl is married. Men's and children's hairstyles are also very diverse. In addition, married men wear a headdress - a turban.

Due to difficult climatic conditions, Himba rarely come into contact with civilized world. Therefore, everything that this tribe took from the modern benefits of civilization is plastic bags and plastic bottles. In them they store their numerous decorations and household items.

Himba, like many others African tribes, in particular, were seriously affected during the colonial development of Africa. This little people subjected to ruthless genocide (mass destruction) in 1904.

It was carried out by the representative of the German colonial machine Lothar von Troth, he also led the massacres of other tribes inhabiting the territory of Namibia, some of them were completely wiped off the face of the earth (for example, Herero).

Fortunately, the Himba managed to avoid a similar fate, but the number of this tribe has declined sharply.

Himba has almost no water at all: every drop that can be obtained will be carefully preserved and drunk. To also wash with water - this is impossible to imagine here.

Himba have survived since time immemorial by a magical ointment to which they owe their now famous red skin tone: a mixture of butter churned from the milk of their skinny cows, various vegetable elixirs, and also crushed into the finest powder of bright red volcanic pumice "okra". With this composition, Himba women smear the whole body and hair several times a day.

The ointment helps maintain the necessary level of hygiene, protects against sunburn and insect bites.

Surprisingly, the skin of Himba women is absolutely perfect. And they smell quite nice - except that it gives a little melted butter ...

The same supercream serves as the basis for a traditional hairstyle. Long "dreadlocks", however, are approximately doubled in length with someone else's hair: usually male, most often reverently received from the father of the family.

By the way, every inhabitant of the Himba village has, in addition to the one received at birth, also a "European" name.

His children get it when they study in mobile free schools organized by the state: almost everyone goes to study, so almost everyone can count, can write their name, say a few English words and phrases (first of all, useful English numerals- especially when it comes time to bargain).

After the first two or three classes, very few continue to study. Sending a child to the city, to a "big" school, can only afford rich family: teaching, housing, clothing, food in the city cost an average of seven cows a year. But sometimes it happens.

From there, from the city, comes the most terrible misfortune of Himba: AIDS. In Namibia, almost 20 percent of the population is infected with AIDS, and the Himba are purely philosophical about the danger of getting infected: God gave, God took.

Of course, they are not talking about any kind of prevention. But if you're lucky, and you won't get infected with 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. However, old people are not visible in the village: either on distant pastures, with cattle, or in huts where tourists are not allowed.

The ideal starting point for a trip to the Himba settlements is the town of Opuwo. Already here, by the way, you can meet representatives of the himba. Don't be surprised if you see one of these gorgeous ladies in the supermarket.

It is better to go directly to the Himba village with a local guide. He will be able to negotiate with the leader of the tribe about visiting the "kraal" ( traditional dwelling himba) and he will tell about the life and culture of the himba.