What is the culture of Himba tribe?
Religion and beliefs. The Himba worship their ancestors and the god Mukuru. Often, because Mukuru is busy in a distant realm, the ancestors act as Mukuru’s representatives. Their homes surround an okuruwo (ancestral fire) and their livestock, both closely tied to their belief in ancestor worship.
What is the Himba tribe known for?
The Himba are known for their red matted braids, which are painstakingly made by mixing animal fat, ash and ground ochre, a stone found locally. A few steps from where we are sitting, a group of women are bonding. They are smearing their bodies with the same ochre mixture.
What does the Himba tribe believe in?
The Himba are animists, their religious beliefs revolve around the god Mukuru and the cult of ancestors. Each family must keep the ancestral fire lit to communicate with Mukuru through the intercession of the ancestors.
What is the meaning of Himba?
Freely translated from the Otjiherero language, the word Himba means beggar. Why did they inherit this somewhat derogatory name? Well, after the schism, many of those that remained roamed the vast Kaokoland in search of cattle and crops asking fellow or other tribe members for help.
How do Himba welcome visitors?
The Himba tribe, along with other tribes like the Benue people of the North Central parts of Nigeria, are known to practice the Okujepisa Omuka tradition. A tradition that involves a man giving his wife to his visitor for sexual entertainment and pleasure.
What is the Himba culture like?
The Himba still live according to tribal traditions, refusing modernity progress and Western lifestyle. They live in villages with huts made from mud and their social organization is quite primitive. Inside the villages there is always an enclosure for animals. The Himba have a very strong bond with their cattle.
What do the Himba people eat?
The cattle are usually only slaughtered at a ceremony, and married men eat meat that is kept separately for them. Marriage in the Himba community is seen as a way of spreading wealth, and women will move to their new husband’s village after marriage.
How did the Himba get to Namibia?
Around the 16th century, Himba people crossed to Namibia from Angola, settling in Kaokoland (Kunene) as part of the Herero tribe. Impoverished by disease and Nama cattle raiders, Himba were left without livestock, forced to rely on the land for their survival.
What is the difference between Himba and Herrero?
The Himba, as a matter of fact, at a certain point in their history, migrated to the close-by land of Angola, where they came into contact with the San people, and adopted their culture and traditions. When they returned to Namibia they retained the San customs. Little is left in common with the Herrero apart from the language.