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| Photo credit: Suresh Krishna |
In Northern
Namibia, there are about 50,000 people living in the Kunene and Omusati
regions. They are nomads whose activities includes men hunting for a long
period at a time while the women mainly milk their cows and take care of their
children. One’s wealth is usually estimated by how many cows owned.
Their bodies are
covered by a paste call Otjize which gives their skin a distinctive
red colour. As well as being decorative, this prevents insect bites and it’s a native
sun screen.
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| Photo credit: Trevor Cole/Barcroft Images |
In regards matrimony, polygamy is often practiced.
Early marriages are the norm where girls are married off by their fathers as soon
as they get to puberty.
But,
one of the most interesting thing about the Ovahimba and Ovazimba tribes in these
regions is an age long culture called Okujepisa
Omukazendu. This tradition
has defied all forms of westernization and its influences.
When
a guest comes knocking at the door, the husband offers his wife as a gift. The
wife spends the night with the visitor while the husband sleeps in another room.
He will sleep outside if there is no more room available.
However, the wife can refuse to sleep with
the guest but must stay the night with him in the same room. Also, she can offer
her friends to the husband when they come visiting but this rarely happens.
Women are known to be very submissive to
their partners and not express their opinions, it is a male dominated society.
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