It gives Himba people's skin and hair plaits a distinctive texture, style, and orange or red tinge, and is often perfumed with the aromatic resin of the omuzumba shrub. [1] Otjize is considered foremost a highly desirable aesthetic beauty cosmetic, symbolizing earth's rich red color and blood, the essence of life, and is consistent with the ...

May 11, 2012 · The Himba women of northern Namibia are famous for their use of otjize, a paste of butter, fat and red ochre, which they apply to their hair and skin.

Sep 14, 2020 · Not every mountain holds this deep red stone that plays an iconic role in the Himba culture. Surrounding villages will venture into the mountains to source this precious stone. A reddish-brown summit indicates that the ochre stone is present.

Feb 17, 2024 · The soil type is called Laterite, it's rich in iron which gives it the red color, as well as aluminum. It forms in hot wet areas where over millions of years rain dissolves away most components of rock leaving behind metallic compounds that don't dissolve easily.

Nov 3, 2022 · Many consider the Himba people the most beautiful African tribe. Traditionally, both men and women walk around naked. They do not take bath, but they make aromatic baths with herbs. The indigenous people have a population of 50,000, living in northern Namibia. They are the last semi-nomadic people of Namibia. And why are they red?

Jul 18, 2017 · Goat hair and mud. From the time a Himba girl is born, her hairstyle will identify her place in society, indicating age, clan and marital status of a woman.

Himba huts are constructed by plastering mud over a wooden framework. While with the Himba, I encountered a fascinating world that is rich and complex. The communities I stayed with were predominantly female. Some had just six members, others more than a …

Oct 3, 2023 · The Himba tribe is a unique group of people who live in the northern part of Namibia, which is a country in Africa. They are comprised of various communities and villages that span the northern regions of Namibia, primarily in the Kunene and Omusati regions.

Mar 19, 2025 · Red mud, also known as ochre, is a type of clay that gets its name from its deep red color. It is formed through the decomposition of iron-containing minerals and is commonly used by tribes across Africa for various purposes, including body …

Nov 6, 2021 · 2) Their second most notable cultural practice is that their women cover their hair and skin with a special type of mud paste called ‘otjize’. The females have different hairstyles for children, young girls undergoing puberty, girls who about to get married and married women.