OvaHimba | |
|---|---|
 Himba (OmuHimba) woman | |
| Total population | |
| about 50,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Namibia | 35,221 (2023 census)[2] |
 Angola | - |
| Languages | |
| OtjiHimba (a variety of Herero) | |
| Religion | |
| Monotheistic (Mukuru and Ancestor Reverence) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Herero people, Bantu peoples | |
| Himba | |
|---|---|
| Person | OmuHimba |
| People | OvaHimba |
| Language | OtjiHimba |
The Himba (singular: OmuHimba, plural: OvaHimba) are an ethnic group with an estimated population of about 50,000 people[1] living in northern Namibia, in the Kunene Region (formerly Kaokoland) and on the other side of the Kunene River in southern Angola.[1] 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 variety of Herero, which belongs to the Bantu family within Niger–Congo.[1] 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.
- ^ a b c d Kamaku Consultancy Services cc., Commissioned by: Country Pilot Partnership (CPP) Programme Namibia (2011). Strategies That Integrate Environmental Sustainability Into National Development Planning Process to Address Livelihood Concerns of the OvaHimba Tribe in Namibia - A Summary (PDF). Windhoek, Namibia: The Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Republic of Namibia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
- ^ "Namibia 2023 Population and Housing Census Main Report" (PDF). Namibia Statistics Agency. Retrieved 2024-10-30.