Clay Locs?? Strong Tradition

The Himba tribe is one of very old tradition, they live in the mountainous regions of Kaokoland in Namibia. Himba's are nomad's, moving with their cattle as the times change. Despite their constant moving, the Himba women keep their routine going.  Part of the Himba woman's tradition is to spend several hours a day dedicated to their beauty. This includes, what I would like to call, their clay locs ( more on what their locs really are further down.)

The Himba women smear their skin twice a day with a paste called Otjize, which is a mixture of rancid butter, ash and ochre , it serves as perfume and protects them from the desert climate. This is the same paste they use in their hair to make their intricate hairstyles. Otijize is not the only thing Himba women put in their hair, they use the hair of their family members to make their braids appear longer. Their hair is redone every three months and can take up to 2 days.

Similar to other cultures around the world the hair of the Hi

mba women is very symbolic. In the Himba tribe you can tell a woman's marital status by her hair as well as her maturity. Little girls usually wear braids covered in the past until they reach puberty. Once a girl has hit puberty she is kept in doors for five days. While in doors a goat is slaughtered in their honor and its skin is used to make the center piece of her hair dress as seen in the pictures 

The most important thing to take away from this article is that hair is more than just hair. Though the Himba women live far from the American shores, we share a common ground. Hair is symbolic. It represents how we're feeling and what we stand for. Make sure that your hair stands for YOU and not what others expect of you. (unless what they expect really is you LOL!!!)

The Himba's are definately a tribe of incredible tradition and interesting ways. To see more picture of this tribe click here.