Preface
In modern society, it can be seen from the way we dress that we attach great importance to the difference between men and women, but in modern society, there are still some people who remain naked in their lives.
The Himba people are also known as the red clay people, and they are even more beautiful to be "naked", so why is this?
The culture of the Red Clay Tribe
Because the Himba people use special red clay to smear their bodies and hair all year round, they are generally called red clay people, and the ethnic group is also known as the red clay people.
The cultural characteristics of the Hongni people are mainly reflected in their unique lifestyle and ritual customs, in terms of lifestyle, the Hongni people are naked for beauty, and women do not bathe in their lives.
What kind of unique way of life is this, if it is placed on us, it is completely unacceptable, men and women are naked, isn't there no difference between men and women at all, it is really unimaginable.
Not taking a bath for a week can already make people shocked for a while, and it is impossible to imagine what it will be like to not take a bath for a lifetime, don't they feel that their bodies smell and itch?
Because of their worship of the sun and nature, they believe that bare bodies can be closer to nature and feel the vitality of life more, so they choose to be naked for beauty.
And they will apply a special red clay all over the body, which is mixed with red clay and butter and applied all over the body, so their skin color is red all year round.
Of course, this red clay can not only be used for decoration, but also has some practical uses, for example, it can increase the radiance of the skin, play a role in sun protection, prevent mosquito bites, etc.
Because of the severe lack of water in the living environment, they rarely or even do not take a bath, which has become a habit of survival for the red mud people, but they will use lit herbs to help themselves remove the odor from their bodies.
The Hongni tribe is the same as most ethnic groups, with men outside and women inside, but due to the serious imbalance between men and women, many problems have been caused, resulting in a gradual decline in the number of Simbas.
Source of information on the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia's introduction to the life form of the "Simba (Red Clay Tribe)".
Boys are considered to be long-lived at the age of 18
Because the ratio of men and women is seriously imbalanced, and the ratio of men and women can even reach 1:11, so in the Hongni tribe, the relationship between men and women is very casual, and the conditions for marrying a wife are very simple.
In order to thrive the group, men here generally enjoy polygamy in order to maintain the Himba population, but even so, the Himba population is constantly decreasing.
Because of the problem of the ratio of men and women, the Hongni people continue polygamy, and stipulate that they cannot intermarry with outsiders, so the phenomenon of consanguineous marriage is very common.
Source of information on the above content: Phoenix Net Information - Xinhuanet's response to "Polygamy! Visit Namibia's mysterious tribe of reds"
They are simply reproducing the population, and they do not think about the genetic hidden dangers that exist in between, but it is because of these hidden dangers that most men do not live to be 15 years old.
Because consanguineous marriage leads to genetic mutations, chromosomal lesions, leaving many diseases, especially in boys, mostly due to the marriage of close relatives of the Hongni tribe, most boys will not live past the age of 15, and living to the age of 18 can be regarded as longevity.
Source of information for the above content: China Daily "Exploring the Red Clay People Who Will Disappear in Namibia, Africa - Simba Tribe"
The wisdom and mystery of the survival of the Red Clay Clan
Although the people of the Hongni tribe live in a difficult environment, they still stick to their traditions, believe in the wisdom and survival left by their ancestors, and do not want to go with the flow.
With their unique survival skills and wisdom, the Red Clay people have survived tenaciously in the harsh natural environment, and they are good at using local resources to create a way of survival that adapts to the environment.
The Red Clay people use it to build their houses, which are not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but also resistant to wind and rain, and are also good hunters and gatherers, and they are able to adapt to the seasons and climate.
Adapting their hunting and herding strategies to ensure an adequate supply of food, they are well aware of the laws of nature and know how to live in harmony with nature, and when hunting, the Red Clay people follow certain rules and rituals.
In order to ensure the sustainability and ecological balance of hunting activities, they are also adept at using natural resources to ensure the standard of daily life.
Because of the harsh living environment and serious lack of water, it is difficult to drink water, let alone take a bath, but the Hongni people have developed a method of removing odors without bathing with their own wisdom.
Information source for the above content: Baidu Academic "Mysterious 'Red Clay' Tribe"
They will use the method of burning out the vanilla, remove the smell from their bodies, and make their clothes smell of vanilla, which has to be said to be a great wisdom for them to survive.
The survival skills and wisdom of the Red Clay people are not only reflected in the material level, but also in the spiritual level, and they have unique beliefs and customs.
Source of the above content: The Paper - "They Are Disappearing"
These beliefs and customs provide spiritual support and strength for their survival, and the Red Clay people believe in animism, respect for nature and reverence for life, and this belief allows them to maintain their spirit of perseverance in the face of difficulties and challenges.
The survival skills and wisdom of the Hongni people have been gradually accumulated in the course of their historical development, which not only helped them adapt to the harsh natural environment, but also made them a unique cultural group.
Modern influences
At first, the Himba (Red Clay Tribe) lived in seclusion, refusing to communicate with those who came to them, but as the times progressed, they also began to step out of their comfort zone.
They began to learn how to adapt to modern life, but they still did not change their traditional way of life, still applying red clay every day and staying naked.
With the help of the outside, the Simba people began to step into the life of modern society, and the outside gave them a lot of help and money.
Until now, there are some Himba people who have left their old living environment and started a new life, so don't be surprised when you meet some naked people in your life.
Because they are Himba, they are a manifestation of their beginning to integrate into the current society, and some even go thousands of miles to live in Wendehek.
In addition to eating the same diet as the townspeople, they also like to cut down trees and drink the sap from them, some of which even taste like cola and Fanta, so they gave these trees specific names.
All these signs show that the Simba people have begun to integrate into modern life, and some aspects of life are now entering their lives, a manifestation of mutual integration.
Source of information on the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia's introduction to the modern influence of the "Himba people".
epilogue
Due to the current society's attention and help to the Himba people, I believe that it will definitely help the Himba people, solve some problems, and make this race more and more multiply and better.
It also allows more people to understand the culture of the Himba people and the origin of the red clay people, what do you think about this?