Himba people
Sign in to saveAlso known as OvaHimba, Himba, Cimba, Shimba, Simba
Ethnic group of people in Namibia
Key facts
- Namibia
- 35,221 (2023 census)
- Angola
- -
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Namibie Himba 0705a.jpg
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- Commons category
- Himba
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via Wikidata · CC0
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Article
The Himba (singular: OmuHimba, plural: OvaHimba) are an ethnic group with an estimated population of about 50,000 people living in northern Namibia, in the Kunene Region (formerly Kaokoland) and on the other side of the Kunene River in southern Angola. There are also a few groups left of the OvaTwa, who the OvaHimba consider to be part of their tribe, but are hunter-gatherers. Culturally distinguishable from the Herero people, the OvaHimba are a semi-nomadic, pastoralist people and speak OtjiHimba, a language related to the Herero, which belongs to the Bantu family within Niger–Congo. The OvaHimba are semi-nomadic as they have base homesteads where crops are cultivated, but may have to move within the year depending on rainfall and where there is access to water.
The OvaHimba are considered the last (semi-) nomadic people of Namibia.