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| Namibia Home <- Himba <- Himba mother & son | |||||
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The head dress the young mother is wearing shows that she is married, as does the conch shell she wears as a pendant. The shells come from Zanzibar, via Angola, and are very expensive. They are very much treasured, never sold, and passed from mother to daughter. Since water is so scarce, it can't be used for washing. So every morning the women rise early and have a sauna, using smoke from aromatic herbs, for about an hour. Their skin is covered with a mixture of butter fat and red ochre. Their hair is plaited, and extended, with the butter fat and ochre mixture, and it is important that hair from their father or brother, and from their cow/s is plaited in too. The part of their body which is most private is their ankles, which are covered with metal jewellery. The bond between a Himba mother and her children is very strong. This young woman was expecting her sixth child when we visited. |
| Samburu mother and son, Kenya Back (to thumbnails) |
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Images and text © Liz Leyden 2008. May be used for non-profit personal or educational purposes only. Don't hotlink to my images Flag image © Management Graphics Ltd. May not be used. |
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