Traditional peoples

The Himba People of the Namib
The origin of the Himba people is hidden in much secrecy. What is known is that they are linked to the Herero speaking people of Southern Africa in language, and in the importance of their matrimonial ancestry method of determining family ties. Even the origin of the name "Himba" is uncertain, as some researchers believe it stems from the words "to heave" as in heavy breathing. Others feel that it comes from the Herero word "begging". Both these words refer to a time when the Himba people had to flee the north western corner of Namibia and find refuge in the southern desert regions of Angola.

During the mid 1800's huge parts of the population of Southern Africa lived under the scourge of marauding bands of mixed-breeds. These people of mostly Khoi origin obtained horses from the Boer farms in the Cape Province and rifles from unscrupulous traders. Under their leaders, Jonker Afrikaner or Hendrik Witbooi and others, they where organized into highly effective raiding bands. They even managed to penetrate the inhospitable "noord veld" where the Himba people lived with there huge herds of livestock - a distance of up to 1000 km away!

The isolated pastoralists had no way of defending themselves and many lives where lost and family riches robbed. Thus the Himba crossed the Kunene River to find refuge amongst the Ngambwe people of Angola - living as destitute beggars.

During this time a boy was born whose father was a Tswana man who had accompanied the Boer "Dorsland Trekkers" on their sojourn from the Transvaal to the Highlands of southern Angola. His mother was from a well-known Herero family and he was given the name of "Vita" or "Oorlog" meaning "war" as he was born during a time of much fighting. He was a strong-willed child with a highly inquisitive mind and quickly learned to speak Herero - his mother tongue, as well as Afrikaans and Portuguese. He quickly saw the effectiveness of the Boer methods of mobile warfare as well as the efficiency of the "lager" defensive system. (A way to assemble the ox wagons in a circle and strengthening the defense with thorn bushes). He started bargaining with the Portuguese traders for rifles and gathered a gang of followers.

Since the Himba identify them as being related to the Herero people and as they accepted the matrimonial bloodline of the Himba as part of their own bloodline, it was easy to accept Vita as one of their own. Quickly Vita gathered quite a following of these destitute beggars living as strangers in Angola. By the end of the German/Herero war, a group of about 1,000 Herero's also joined up with Vita - this must have been somewhere in 1907. The time was ripe, for Vita and his band of strangers to cross the Kunene River back into Namibia to claim the traditional homeland of the Himba.

So effective was his leadership, that very quickly he had expelled or assimilated all "foreign" influence in the areas between the Kunene River and the Hoanib River in the south and from the Skeleton Coast on the West to the forbidden Etosha Pans in the east. This huge area of about 50, 000 km² was inhabitant by the followers of Vita - in the south the Herero group and in the north the Himba although this was not clearly demarcated. Vita then led them eastwards on many successful cattle-raids amongst the Ovambo people of northern Namibia. Within a short time the dwellers of Kaokoland become known far and wide as owners of huge herds of live-stock. Vita also established a very effective method of tribal chiefs to be his representatives all over Kaokoland. This chieftain system is still highly effective to this day and still maintains law and order amongst the 40, 000 inhabitants of Kaokoland.

One of the very interesting traditions of the Himba people is the so-called law of friendship or of hospitality. When a strange man, whether on the way to war or just passing by with this livestock, comes to your isolated settlement, it is vital to receive him with utmost hospitality. He can freely partake in your food and water and use the shelter of your defensive kraal (the encircled enclosure made of strong stumps and thorn branches surrounding the huts and the pens for your livestock). As evening settles, one of your wives or daughters will accompany this man to his hut and be his companion for the night.

Naturally many babies are born out of such happy "sleepings". As has been explained previously, to the Himba the matrimonial ancestry is the most important and thus the babies legally become the off-spring of the father from the child's mother. These children are a sign of hospitality of friendship and add to the honor of the head of this particular settlement. This tradition is still in place amongst the Himba people. The result of this is naturally that when a Himba girl marries eventually, she usually has one or more children from unknown strangers. They are totally accepted by their new father but they are not legally his. When their grandfather or a brother of their mother dies, they will get a share in the inheritance. The tradition amongst the Himba persists that a child does not inherit from his of her father but from the family of his/her mother.

It is actually quite amazing how well this system works and how easily "un-wanted" children can become symbols of importance and be incorporated into the whole tribal life.

The Himba are reckoned to be the richest pastoralist people in the world with about 60 heads of livestock per person! They are highly effective pastoralists and they know their animals individually. Usually they have a permanent kraal close to a fountain or permanent water. Then there are various cattle posts in the vast expanse of the Namib where they go occasionally as the climate dictates. It is usually the job of the young men to take the livestock away during times of drought. It has happened that they stay away for many months or even years, trekking from waterhole to waterhole, looking for fodder for the family's livestock. What a joyous day it is when it rains in Kaokoland and the young men can all return home with the riches of the family.

Having originated in want, the Himbas still live "lightly" ecologically speaking. It is amazing to visit a Himba family with 1, 000 or more head of livestock yet to see the few personal belongings they have gathered and the simplicity of their permanent dwellings. It is clear to understand why they are real nomads for they can pick up their belongings in a matter of minutes and be on the move with all their possessions. It is also amazing to see the small detrimental effect their living has on the surrounding veld. The Himbas see themselves as an intricate part of nature, being totally dependant of all of natures good gifts and they live with care in an eco-friendly way. Away from the tourist routes, you will hardly find any rubbish lying around.

Days are not numbered and nobody is at all concerned which day of the week it is - even Christmas or New Year is totally meaningless to these friendly people. Gently they go about their daily chores of caring for the livestock, beautifying themselves and their children, preparing a simple meal of mealie-meal or mahango-meal porridge with some milk and perhaps a bit of cooked meat at night. There is a lot of happiness and simple joy in their carefree lives - as long as it rains. The little children watch over the pumpkin, mahango- and mealie fields nearby, the young girls take care of the lambs, the teenage boys look after the sheep and goats, the young men are responsible for the cattle, the young women milk the cows and take care of the babies, the older women cook the food and the father of the kraal oversees the lot - what a carefree life!

Through the ages, natural survival and selection has formed the Himba physically. They are generally tall and slim people with very athletic bodies and an amazing graceful "gaiter" in their walk - it is as if they are dancing over the veld and they quickly make their way through thorn bush and stone. You see very few handicapped persons at all and old and young are an example of health. The features of the Himbas are more delicate than the normal Bantu persons of Africa. They are one of the most beautiful tribes in all of Africa. As they have very little use for covering of any sort, they go about half-naked. Their bodies are covered in red ochre mixed with fat or butter and some natural herbs. They love all sorts of ornaments to adorn themselves ranging from copper or metal bands around the ankles to plastic bangles around the arms and strings of beads around the neck. The most important is the beautiful sea-shell hanging suspended on piece of leather around the neck of all married woman. Naturally they make use of the skins of animals to form a skirt around the waist. All of these ornaments are smeared with red ochre and create the striking image of a "person of clay" sweeping across the African veld.

The Himbas are generally very friendly and open towards strangers. Very soon after you stopped near one of their kraals, a group of Himba will gather around your camp. They will physically touch your body or hold your hand in an obvious sign of friendship. They will inquisitively take careful note of your whole setup and in general make use of your generosity and hospitality. This might be strange to Europeans but it is exactly the way they treat any person coming into their dwellings! They are not an aggressive people at all but it is important to respect their traditions and the ownership of the land. Do not just drive into Kaokoland and camp where-ever you feel like. This land belongs to them and you must ask their permission and pay the requested fee if necessary. The same goes for just entering their kraal without permission. They are hospitable but there are boundaries to decency in any culture. They are not known to be thieves in general and in all the many years that I have camped and lived amongst them, I can not remember having lost anything through stealing.

The Himbas are a truly remarkable people - one of the last real "undeveloped" peoples of the world. They live in harmony and apparent order and mutual understanding. A true example to the uncivil "civilization" out there in the rest of the world.

As Kaokoland is now open to tourists, many lodges and camping sites have sprung up all over the area. In general the main roads are well maintained. The problem with such individual excursions is that you are limited to the main roads and thus to people that have become aware of tourism and the evils of Western society in general. The main town of Kaokoland is Opuwa and it is a shocking example of rubbish and dirt lying all over as well as half-drunk Himba begging from tourists. As soon as you leave the main roads and enter the "hinterland" you will find the real Himba; the proud, independent people that needs very little from the tourists. If you truly want to experience the real Himba life, rather make contact with a knowledgeable tour operator to take you there.

Afrika safaris has been closely involved with Kaokoland and the Himba people since 1984. Koos Greeff is trustee of a development trust that has been doing Social Development work in Kaokoland since 1989. We have visited Kaokoland often - not only to take tourists there but often on behalf of the development trust. During December - January 2005, Afrika safaris did the complete logistical support for the European television group "Eyeworks" whilst they filmed a "survivor" type documentary in Kaokoland for 3 weeks.

Bibliology:
Els J J. 1984. Die lewensiklus van die Himba van Kaokoland. M tesis in Volkekunde. Universiteit van Stellenbosch
Malan J S. 1971. Dubbele afkomsberekening by die Himba. D tesis in Volkekunde. Randse Afrikaanse Universiteit.

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The Khoi People
A group of nomadic people, who inhabited an area which is now known as southern and western South Africa, when this region was colonized by European settlers in the 17th century. They can be divided into 2 distinct yet related groups of people - the Khoi and the San. Both the Khoi and the San languages belong to the Khoisan group, of which Nama is the principal language. They were the original inhabitants of all of Southern Africa.

They were the original inhabitants of all of Southern Africa. At Spoeg-rivier-se-Mond an archaeological site has been found where 50,000 year old remains of Khoisan have been excavated.
The Khoikhoi have also been called Hottentots, a name given them by whites in South Africa. In their own language, Khoikhoi means "men of men". Many of them have been incorporated in the “Coloured” people and today they mostly speak Afrikaans. Traditionally they were pastoral people caring for their own brand of indigenous cattle, goats and sheep.

Physical Appearance
The Khoikhoi are related to two neighboring groups, the San (Bushmen) and the Bantu, and may have originated in southern Africa from a cross between these two peoples. True Khoikhoi closely resemble the San and average a little more than 1.5 m (5 ft) in height.
Culture
Modern Khoikhoi culture has been affected by contact with Europeans and by incursions and conquest by neighboring people, particularly the Bantu. Most of the Khoikhoi have been absorbed into the large detribalized and mixed-blood population of South Africa. A few groups, however, were driven north and west into less productive areas of the land, where the majority are settled on reserves or in rural European communities. Many of these people work as laborers, and their social system has been adapted to one of a settled existence. The former tribal chief now acts as the head of a village group.
A small number of Khoikhoi still lead a nomadic life, in which pastoralism has taken precedence over hunting. They are divided into tribes under separate chiefs, each tribe occupying its own territory. Trade is carried out by barter in cattle, which are raised mainly for milk, the chief food of the Khoikhoi. Most of the meat they eat is still procured by hunting, and a variety of wild roots and fruits are gathered.
Within a tribe, the Khoikhoi are organized in clan groups and practice cross-cousin marriage. Lines of descent are reckoned through the father. Their religion is a combination of animism and the personification of the natural forces that produce rain. The Khoikhoi believe in the existence of the soul after death and in a ruler of all things who came out of the east. Their graves, therefore, are oriented toward the east. During every visit to a cemetery, the Khoikhoi add to a pile of memorial stones, a practice that has enabled anthropologists to trace with some accuracy the course of their nomadic wanderings and large-scale migrations. Although the Khoikhoi have no priestly class and no temples or places of united worship, they have healers and sorcerers who are called on to heal the sick by magic. An extensive folklore exists, having many resemblances to that of the neighboring Bantu.

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The San
The San have also been called the Bushman, a name derived from the Dutch word “Bosjemanne” – people who dwell in the veld. They are the true hunter / gatherers of Southern Africa world famous for their tracking and camouflage skills. They used to live in small communes of hunting parties with little earthly possessions. Southern Africa is covered with their rock art speaking of animals, spirits and times gone by.

The San speak Khoisan languages characterized by click sounds. Linguistic groups include the Auen, Gwi, Heikum, Kung and Naron.
About half of the approximately 50,000 San still live as hunter-gatherers organized in small groups, or bands, of about ten nuclear families. Each group has exclusive rights to an area of about 775 sq. km (about 300-sq. mi.) and usually move around their rather desolate territory as a unit, changing home sites about once a month as the food supply is exhausted. Women gather wild plants and fruit, which provide most of the nourishment. Men supplement the diet by killing animals with light bows and poison-tipped arrows. During the winter, when the overall food supply is reduced, the group's households live apart.
Each band of San is led by a hereditary headman with limited power. Groups are not politically linked, but individuals are linked by an intricate web of kinship. The San sometimes dwell in caves or thatched shelters and wear short aprons and sandals made of skins.
The world-famous anthropologist, Sir Laurens van der Post has been responsible for the recording of some of the folklore of the San. He wrote extensively about them and has visited various San communities many times. Although Southern Africa is covered with San rock paintings, the most prolific area of rock paintings is found in the Tsodilo Hills close to the town of Shakawe in north-eastern Botswana.

The Zulu people

 The Zulu is numerically the strongest people in Southern Africa – about 8 million. Politically they are not as active as other peoples and in a certain sense they have been side-lined in the New South Africa. This is because of their co-operation with the Apartheid regime under Chief Gatsha Buthelezi. The Zulu is still today the most warrior-like people in Southern Africa. They are very straight forward and proud with a very strong cultural heritage. In such a warlike people it is only natural that men play the dominant role. Basically women and children are down-rated to second class citizens. In marriage the woman becomes more of less the property of the man and is often treated as such.

The Zulu was only united as a tribe during the early 19^th century under King Shaka Zulu. He united the original about 50 family groups and gave them his surname which means heaven. Then these “heavenly people” conquered all the surrounding peoples included small bands of Bushmen and other man-eating tribes in what became a near genocide. It is estimated that about 2 million people died during this time and we are here talking of the time up to 1830. King Shaka Zulu is known as the Napoleon of Africa because of his military prowness. People fled thousands of kilometers right up to central Africa to escape his marauding hordes. Up to this day his name is held in high respect and feared all over Africa. 

Today most of the Zulu population lives in a 10,000 square mile Zululand/ Natal along the Indian Ocean of South Africa. Once self sufficient, many must now rely on employment outside of their reserve in nearby towns to survive. Members of the more than 300 Zulu-speaking peoples reside in Kwa-Zulu ("Place of Heaven"), an area approximately the size of New Jersey.

Their economy is based on the cultivation of crops, tended by the women, and the raising of cattle, for which the men and boys are responsible.  The weaving of traditional African Zulu Baskets is also a small industry. Most Zulus still live in their traditional Kraals, an area fenced in by thickets of spiny shrubs that contain their traditional huts and gardens.  Often a homestead will have an extended family living in close proximity to each other, often far removed from other clans.

During the times of the military conquest, a rule was made that any man on the way to war could sleep with any maid or unmarried woman that he meets along the way. This is called the “law of the road”. The reason being that this particular man is on the way to death and he is doing every other Zulu a favor. In return for his sacrifice, woman where honored to be of service to him. The result of this rule is that still today sex is often seen only for the enjoyment of it and not as an act of love. Actually in the Zulu language there is no word for love – love, want, need, desire and other words are all the same word in Zulu. “Thanda”

As wealth for a Zulu man is determined by how many wives, children and cattle he has; it is not uncommon for a man to have multiple wives.  Of interesting note is that monogamy is not treated with the same emphasis that it is in many Western cultures.  A man will not usually marry a woman until she has proved her fertility by bearing at least one or more children (with by her future husband or another man).  Fertility is of paramount versus paternity.  Most Zulu women bear 10 - 14 children in their lifetime and the survival rate can vary widely, but is typically 75% - 80%.  Also of interest is that bare breasts on a woman are NOT attractive or a turn-on to Zulu men - they are attracted to women's calves (the back area of the
women's legs below their knees!)  Lecherous Zulu men will sneak a peak and even pinch a Zulu woman's normally covered calves if he gets a chance!  Men would NEVER consider separating or divorcing a wife, as this is part of his esteem and wealth.  

They have very little shame and people wash in the open next to rivers or any available water. This is quite a “do” with lots of time spend on soaping themselves and grooming each other. Usually men and women wash in small separate groups.

Zulu men still pay a bride price to marry a Zulu woman (typically and traditionally it is paid in cattle and calves (as few as 2 - 4 for a rural woman and as many as dozens or hundreds for a princess), however in metropolitan centers and cities cash and other valuable are also
exchanged.  The cows and any calves are the property of the woman and can be taken by her if she leaves her husband.  

Don't consider that a Zulu doesn't have an option if her marriage is not a happy one:  if a Zulu woman's husband is not treating her well or refuses to get tested for HIV for example, she has the right to shave her head.  This is in essence putting her husband on notice that he needs to "get a clue".  If a woman keeps her head shaved for a full year, she is considered divorced from her husband.  
 

Traditional medicine, healers and Sooth-Sayers play a very important role in their culture. Also prophecies, dream, revelations and the super-natural is very important to them. They worship a single supreme being and the way to get in touch with him is viewed as a ladder. You climb the steps via your dead father to the dead grandfather and so on all the way up to “Nkulunkhulu”. Then they consult the prophets of Sooth-Sayers to interpret their dreams or other super-natural experiences. The spiritual is very close to the Zulu. Thus old people are highly respected for they are closest to death and thus closest to God. God is viewed as the “Magnificent One”.

In general they are the horticulturalist but they love cattle and treasure it. They eat a lot more vegetable and other natural plants and are fond of spicy foods. Maize porridge, sour milk, stews and also meat is their diet. They absolutely love singing and have magnificent voices. Years ago a major film was made called “Zulu”. In it was depicted the battle on Isandlwana. In it the singing of the Zulu hordes where depicted beautifully. (Also check for Zulu Dawn and Shaka Zulu) Actually I can think of at least 5 major films on the Zulu but none on their culture!

Naturally they love physical activities and the young men often wrestle, run cross- country races, or do “stick fights” with sticks or “kieries” as it is called.

Tribal feasts or marriage feasts are important festivals with lots of dancing, eating and traditional beer drinking – usually some fighting also. To be in the midst of such a gathering and hear the women ululating and the deep voices of the men is both exhilarating and frightening!

On special occasions they bring out the animal skins. They still go semi-naked and often men and women go around bare-chested. Married woman often wear elaborate head-pieces. They love brilliant colors and has created a unique mixture of African and western styles. Today they wear loin cloths or other simple coverings mostly of cotton for special occasions.

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