Located in northern Namibia, the Himba are a nomadic people who are easily distinguished by their unique appearance and the practice of applying a paste called Otjize to their skin and hair....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
This paste can be used to wash the skin and act as a barrier against the elements and insects during dry seasons when water is scarce. The Himba have a long-standing tradition of warmly hosting guests, often with the help of their wives.
The Himba people have a unique conceptional belief: rather than being the sole product of the union of sperm and egg, newborns are drawn to the womb by a spirit baby singing a particular song. Another expecting mom who is listening to this song.
When a woman wants to conceive, she performs this ritual, which involves her making a bed under a palm tree on a particularly windy day, listening to the sound of the wind, and learning the song of the spirit baby who wants to be born at that precise moment.
The pregnant woman learns the song, then finds the man she intends to have as the child’s father and teaches him the lyrics. It’s a love song about their relationship, and they sing it together. Singing the song during a sexual encounter is said to entice the unborn child to grow inside the mother’s body…CONTINUE READING>>
