Meet The African Tribe That Offers Sex to Guests and Where Bathing is Forbidden
The
interesting and unique people of the Himba tribe inspired the character 'Binti'
in Nnedi Okorafor's novella trilogy 'Binti'.
Down in the
Kunene and Omusati regions of Northern Namibia, are the semi-nomadic people of
Ovahimba and Ovazimba tribes.
It is customary, for them, for the women to engage in daily activities of milking cows, taking care of the children while the men go hunting, sometimes leaving for long periods of time.
With a
population of over 50,000, the Himba are polygamous people where Himba girls
are married off to male partners selected by their fathers once they attain
puberty.
Most of their
cultures have been upheld despite western influence and agitation.
Among these is
the "Man comes first" tradition. The woman has little or no opinion
in the decision making. Submission to her husband’s demands come first.
According to
the Guardian, "When a visitor comes knocking, a man shows his approval and
pleasure of seeing his guest by giving him the Okujepisa Omukazendu treatment —
the wife is given to his guest to spend the night while the husband sleeps in
another room. In a case where there is no available room, her husband will
sleep outside."
This,
apparently, reduces jealousy and fosters relationships.
Another
tradition that has stood the test of time is the "bathing is
forbidden" rule. Rather than take their baths, the women take a smoke bath
and apply aromatic resins on their skin. They are also guided by the belief
that the colour red signifies “Earth and blood”. Their red skin is one of the
things that make them extremely unique. The red colour is from the otjize paste
(a combination of butterfat, omuzumba scrub and ochre) and its function is to
protect their skin from the harsh desert sun and insect bites.
The Himba people haven't been represented a lot in Literature. However, in Nnedi Okorafor Binti, the lead character 'Binti' is of the Himba people. Okorafor describes the tribe as a "tribe in Namibia who use ‘sweet-smelling otjize’, a mixture of ochre and butterfat over their skin, rolling it into their hair as protection against the desert sun". In the novella, the Himba don't travel, which directly contrasts the real Himba people who are nomads.
Source:
Nairaland and The Guardian.
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