In many places around the world, entertaining guests is usually similar, as you would offer them, a glass of water, tea, porridge, or a delicious cooked meal. However, these people take hospitality to a whole other level!
Here, husbands have no problem offering sex to men who go visit their homes – a practice viewed by the Himba people of northern Namibia as a sign of courtesy. Known as “Okujepisa Omakazendu” which means “offering wife to guest”, the practice has survived among the Himbas who are mostly semi-nomadic and have an estimated population of 50, 000.
During ”Okujepisa Omakazendu”, a husband sleeps in a separate hut nearby, as his wife sexually satisfies their visitor in their matrimonial house. If there is no available hut, the man will have to leave the home and sleep outside.
However, in most cases, the visitor spends the night with the wives while the husband sleeps in another room in the house.
The Himba people can be traced as far back as the 16th Century when they journeyed through the Angolan border and settled at Kaokoland now called Kunene Region.
Despite being plagued by severe droughts, guerrilla warfare (during Namibian independence and the Angolan civil war), and the German forces that decimated other groups in Namibia, the Himba people have preserved their people, culture, and traditions even with a threat of extinction as recently as 1980.
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Since they do not bathe, their women are famous for rubbing their bodies with otjize, a mixture of butterfat and ochre, believed to protect their skins against the harsh climate in their region. The red mixture is said to symbolize the earth’s rich red color and the blood that symbolizes life.
Labor-intensive work amongst the Himba people is also mostly handled by their females as they are usually responsible for woodwork, fetching water from the rivers to the village, as well as preparing meals for the family. On the other hand, the men are responsible for tending to livestock, animal slaughtering, and holding council meetings with the chiefs of the village.
On religion, the Himbas are a monotheistic people who worship the god Mukuru, as well as their clan’s ancestors. Mukuru only blesses, while the ancestors can bless and curse. Each family has its own sacred ancestral fire, which is kept by the fire-keeper.
The fire-keeper approaches the sacred ancestral fire every seven to eight days in order to communicate with Mukuru and the ancestors on behalf of his family. Often, because Mukuru is busy in a distant realm, the ancestors act as Mukuru’s representatives.
