In Namibia, I was captivated by the style of the semi-nomadic, pastoral Himbas. The women have a particularly distinguishing appearance. Each morning, they go through a beauty ritual that includes smearing themselves with a fragrant mixture of butter or animal fat, red ochre and local herbs. This is a way to cleanse without water and also offers some protection against the desert sun and wind, provides a repellent against insects, and gives their bodies a smooth, reddish appearance that the Himba find attractive.
Himba women also ceremoniously braid each other’s hair and coat it with an ochre mixture. The result is similar to dreadlocks. A special wooden neck rest is used when sleeping to prevent the hairstyle from being damaged.
The women are heavily adorned with jewelry made from iron, copper, shells and woven reeds that signify marital status, age, number of children or family group. Most notable are the distinctive iron ankle coverings. The wide bracelets are ornamental and protect against venomous snakebites.
