Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail 8K You have probably heard over time that the every woman’s beauty lies in her hair, well that is so very true. Take a woman’s hair away from her and you have actually lowered her to the barest minimum, but there are some women and culture who take their hair more seriously than we can ever imagine and that’s the Himba Women The Himba are indigenous peoples with an estimated population of about 50,000 people living in northern Namibia, in the Kunene Region formerly Kaokoland and on the other side of the Kunene River in southern Angola. There are also a few groups left of the OvaTwa, who are also OvaHimba, but are hunter-gatherers. However, the OvaHimba do not like to be associated with OvaTwa. Culturally distinguishable from the Herero people, the OvaHimba are semi-nomadic, pastoralist people and speak OtjiHimba, a variety of Herero, which belongs to the Bantu family within Niger-Congo. The OvaHimba are semi-nomadic as they have base homesteads where crops are cultivated but may have to move within the year depending on rainfall and where there is access to water. The OvaHimba are considered the last semi-nomadic people of Namibia. Ok no need to bore you with all this history our focus is on the Himba women on their unique way and pattern of how their hair pans out, mostly in a brown earthly form, For a Himba woman, her hair is her power. These semi-nomadic people live in one of the most extreme environments on earth, the deserts that border Namibia with Angola. As water is scarce they use a mixture of pastes on both their bodies and hair. These pastes blend the aromatic resin of the omazumba shrub with animal fat and ground red-pigmented stone. This ‘otjize’ paste gives the women’s skin and hair a distinctive red glow which symbolizes both blood, the essence of life, and the earth’s rich red color. More Articles You Would Love Nigeria: Announcement of the Aquafina Elite Model Look Contest A Few Thing You Must Know About Eco Friendly African Designs But it’s more detail than that when it comes to styling their hair. The Himba women decorate it with fabulous hand woven beads in patterns that are jaw dropping. See below. Hair is also seen as a symbol of fertility amongst the Himba community where thick braids and lustrous hair indicates a women’s ability to bear healthy children. Women who have been married for about a year, or have had a child, wear an ornate headpiece called the Erembe, sculpted from sheep or goatskin, with many streams of braided hair, colored and shaped with ‘otjize’ paste. They will also be given a necklace that incorporates a cone shell, known locally as Ohumba, which is also considered a symbol of fertility. Want try any of the Himba women hairstyle? Let us know what you think. angolahimba womenNamibia Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail Onyeka Ben More For You Vlisco Ghana Unveils ‘Eclectic Cool’ Collection & Naa Ashokor As Brand Influencer With... #BeautyOfTheWeek: Proud Jamaican Influencer Anthena, Scoops Our BOTW of the Week With Her... Fashion Week Organizers from Across Africa Assemble in Ethiopia to Forge A Cohesive... Leading Ghanaian Menswear Brand ‘Kustom Looks’ Takes Over ‘All Africa Games 2023’ With... #OOTD: Berla Mundi Serves Haute Couture As She Shakes The Net With A... VIDEO: Arisar (Barbados) @ Accra Fashion Week 2023 VIDEO: Wig Wearing Black Mom Hospitalized With Horrific Skin Reaction & Illness After... A Detailed Insight Into Ethiopia’s TechStitched Fashion Program & The Participating Fashion Weeks... Cornrows With Cowry Shells: A Red Carpet Show Stopper & A Modern Twist... PICS: To Much Glamour; Check Out Bonang Matheba, Swanky & More At The... Leave a Comment Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.