Himba woman wearing her wedding headcover. While men are away tending cattle or looking for work in the towns, women remain in the household of their mother’s clan or, if they are married, in their husband’s clan. When a mother passes away, her daughters will remove one anklet from the left leg for a year. Anklets decorate and protect women’s legs from venomous animal bites. ©Alegra AllyĪ young woman carries baby goats in search of their mother so that they can be fed. Posing for the camera on a tributary of the Kunene River which forms the border between Angola and Namibia. ©Alegra AllyĪs part of a Himba girl’s initiation into womanhood, a traditional leather crown is mounted upon her head as a symbol that she is marriageable.
#African jungle girls skin
The mixture serves to protect and scent the skin and hair, as well as enhance their appearance. In this arid land where water is scarce, the Himba seldom wash with water. It is also used in their long, plaited hair. Otjize, a mixture of butterfat and ochre that is rubbed regularly onto a woman’s skin. As part of this ceremony, and on regular occasions, the women burn various roots and herbs to create aromatic smoke that is used to perfume their bodies. Girls gather in a small structure for an initiation ceremony to introduce a girl into womanhood at the start of her menstrual cycle. Goat skirts are a common form of dress for girls and adult women. Relaxing beside a traditional Himba mud hut after a day of milking goats, collecting water and other tasks. Goats play a significant role in the life of the Himba people, providing meat and milk, as well as skins used for clothing and decoration. from then on her hair will be swept back in multiple plaits which are adorned with butterfat and ochre. According to tradition, she will grow her plaits, arranging the two front plaits forward, so they grow over her face until she reaches puberty. One of those tribes was Namibia’s Himba people, and these images explore the Himba girl’s ascent into womanhood as well as aspects of her everyday life.Ī young Himba girl plays with one of her short plaits of hair.
Through film, photography and writing, this project documents the ancient ways, intimate ceremonies and rituals of tribal women. As part of her ‘ Wild Born’ project, Alegra Ally spent four years travelling to remote corners of the world where she lived with isolated tribes.
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