Most Himba ceremonies and rituals are directed at ancestral spirits who are thought to have supernatural powers. During an initiation ceremony, a traditional leather crown is placed on a young womanРІР‚в„ўs head to signify that she is marriageable. It was the resulting strong sense of womanhood on which I focused my documentary work. And many of them raise their children without fathers, but with the support of other women. As a result, many women stay permanently in their traditional villages, conducting their daily activities without the involvement of men. The men are often away tending cattle at outposts, where they might have another wife or partner, or may even go to towns to find work. Himba children are raised with the support of other women The Himba are polygamous, so traditionally a woman would settle in her husbandРІР‚в„ўs household where she would live with his other wives and extended family. Some had just six members, others more than a hundred women sharing their lives. The communities I stayed with are predominantly female. While with the Himba, I encountered a fascinating world that is rich and complex. Himba huts are constructed by plastering mud over a wooden framework. The author and a group of Himba mothers walk with infants in traditional carriers. Clockwise: The author photographs a Himba woman along one of the tributaries to the Kunene River.Р”Р„ pen prevents goats from escaping and protects them from predators. This formed part of a long-term documentary project called РІР‚СљWild BornРІР‚Сњ that focuses on tribal women from around the world.

What followed was a month-long stay with the Himba along the Kunene River near Epupa Falls.

It was surreal to see a person wearing animal skins in a shopping mall. I was stunned when I first saw a Himba woman.

So, in 2014, I found my way to a Himba community in NamibiaРІР‚в„ўs Kunene region.Р”Р„fter a 10-hour bus trip from Windhoek, and another few hours in a car, I arrived at the regional capital Opuwo, a town of 15,000 people. I studied nature conservation in South Africa, and then went away for 13 years, but the vast landscapes, extraordinary wildlife and ancient cultures drew me back.

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