Do you think the fact that you forgot to bath the other day makes you dirty? You are wrong! Have you met the people of Himba?
The Himba people are regarded as the Omuhimba or Ovahimba people who are indigenous people of Namibia living in the northern part of Namibia especially in the Kunene region.
What makes this tribe so popular has to do with their way of living, clothing, economy, and interesting customs. One of the grapevines is that they offer guests s*x for free and another point is that they adorned every newborn baby with bead necklaces. But there are other interesting facts about them.
The Himba people are predominantly farmers. They raise different breeds of livestock especially goats, cattle, sheep, etc. The women are largely preoccupied with collecting firewood, sourcing for
freshwater for consumption, cooking and serving meals, and engaging in other forms of artisanship.
Some of them are socially inclined and religious, worshipping the gods of their ancestors. The Himba people believed in polygamy and many of their young girls married off at an early age. This is not peculiar to them as most traditional African tribes still practice this custom.
It is not the case however that they don’t bath even if it’s not with water. One of the reasons why the Himba people don’t bath with water is because of their harsh climatic conditions as they live in one of the most extreme environments on earth.
The harsh desert climate and the unavailability of potable water prevent them from having a ‘normal’ water bath. Yet, they looked extremely pretty with their traditional clothes, some of which
exposed their bodies especially the women.
Their lack of bathing however has not resulted in a lack of personal hygiene as they apply red ochre on their skin and partake in a daily smoke bath in order to maintain their hygiene.
In all of these, however, the Himba people are one of the warmest tribes in Africa and are courteous to strangers and visitors alike. They however frown at anything that will threaten their cultural values and traditions.
Their frustrations at some inte
rventions by the Namibian government, governments of Norway, and Iceland, among others, are evidence of this fact.
