Journeys, if given a chance, gain a life of their own, often going off on tangents and adopting a momentum that you didn’t anticipate when you set off. On just such a trip, I found myself peering into a muddy river that was rushing down through the usually arid landscape in torrents, barring our route to the opposite bank. I was forced to shrug off my early morning stupor, lack of sleep and need of a strong cup of coffee, and climb out of the bakkie; my feet immediately sank into the slushy mud. Around us, two vehicles and their occupants waited for the water to subside. I had the feeling it was going to be a long day. Eventually, gauging the level of the water, one of the drivers felt it time to risk his vehicle in the fast-flowing river and motored across. The next one followed, only to bog down mid-stream. The Himba women waiting on the bank rushed into the water to push. Finally, it was our turn. I exchanged my muddy boots and jeans for a pair of shorts and sloshed through the mud ready to run into the river and manhandle the vehicle, should it hesitate. I looked around at the gloomy, grey day as the mud painted my toenails brown and had to remind myself why I was here. What was it for again? Oh yes, for perfume, of course!
It was an unlikely perfume errand but this was Namibia, after all, where the extraordinary and out-of-the-ordinary are commonplace. I was in Opuwo, in north-western Namibia, for the opening of the Opuwo Processing Facility and Visitors Centre. This translates as ‘the perfume factory’ where Commiphora wildii, or omumbiri as it’s called in Otjiherero - the local language, is distilled and processed to extract a fragrant oil. Commiphora, synonymous with the myrrh of ancient times, has been the Himba women’s preferred perfume since time immemorial. The women collect the golden droplets of resin from the ground and add it to their beauty cream of butter fat and ochre that gives their skin a glistening red sheen.
But, the opening of the small centre was still two days away and I was beginning to doubt we would be able to collect the honoured guests from their remote villages and make it back in time for the opening. We still had an odyssey ahead of us, fording rivers, being stuck in the mud, negotiating slippery tracks and rocky roads, and changing over-worked tyres before even reaching their villages. It was important that we made it, and in time. This would be an opening with a difference. In acknowledgement of the Himba women as custodians of traditional knowledge, two of the harvesters from each of the five conservancies involved in the project had been invited to the ceremony. With no transport in the furthest reaches of remote Kaokoland though, it was up to the staff at the centre (ably supported by your intrepid writer) to give the ladies a ride.
The fascinating Commiphora project was initiated by the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) and a woman who is just about as home in the far-flung north-west as the semi-nomadic Himba themselves, Karen Nott. On my first night in Opuwo we had met up over dinner to discuss Himba perfume as the rain showered down around us. The story of ‘Namibian myrrh’ unfolded with many amusing anecdotes spicing up the telling. Namibia’s successful conservancy programme has enabled conservancy members to take responsibility for and benefit from the wildlife and natural resources in their areas. When the IRDNC took a deeper look at women in the north-western conservancies and how they could benefit from the programme, they noticed that women traditionally manage the plant resources. A ‘Participatory Rapid Appraisal’ was used, drawing a map in the sand with stones for mountains and sticks for trees, to ascertain what indigenous plants the women used and valued.
After extensive research documenting the traditional resources in the area, Karen presented her collection of botanical samples to the oldest woman in a group from the Orupembe conservancy. Much to Karen’s horror, the old woman commenced to pull off all the leaves and fruit from the samples, threw them over her shoulder and arranged the twigs in front of her on the ground. Being more familiar with the plants in dry years when they may bear no leaves or fruit, she had simply stripped them down to the basics. She picked up each twig, rubbed it, smelled it and confidently identified it.
Three teams went out walking in the rocky countryside of the Kunene to assess the number of Commiphora trees in the area and how much resin they produce. After two weeks, when Karen thought they had identified the key perfume species, the Himba women confounded the entire operation by identifying two completely different species as the same tree, creating the impression that they didn’t know their Commiphoras from their twigs. “Omumbungu,” they called out, wrinkling their noses. Karen could eventually breathe a sigh of relief when she realised that the women base their taxonomy classification on use and the ones that smell bad are all classified in the same way – ‘omumbungu’, tree of the hyena.
The project has come a long way since then and the women have been organised into teams of harvesters who, during the dry months of the year, collect the golden droplets of resin from the ground and take them to a buying point where they are weighed and recorded before being transported to the processing facility in Opuwo. The aromatic essential oil is now used in local cosmetic ranges and European perfume. In an area where there is little or no opportunity for employment, the work provides the women with a much-needed income enabling them to access health care, pay school fees and purchase food when the earth is barren and the cattle are thin. Importantly, they are able to harvest the resin while maintaining their traditional lifestyle and household responsibilities. The processing facility and visitors’ centre are owned by the five conservancies who hold the traditional knowledge and are managed by a trust with representatives from each.
Adventuring into the muddy interior continued to be exciting and we made it by nightfall to our overnight stop before fording rivers again the next day and bogging down in the mud three more times on our return journey, this time with the ochre-hued Himba guests on board. On the final bog-down, even when (what seemed like) the whole male population of a particular village assembled to help push the vehicle, we were unable to dislodge it from the mud. While we stood in the rain, losing hope and trying not to entertain the thought that we may possibly be there for days, or weeks, a powerful Land Cruiser and a daring driver appeared and dragged the vehicle from the mud in a cloud of black smoke. We were going to make it to the opening after all.
If ever Western women think they are over-doing their dressing up and make-up before heading to the shops, they can think again. It was time for shopping before the big occasion and the women were dolling up in Himba fashion with everything they had on hand. An epic session ensued where ochre and herbs were procured from bundles and smeared over bodies, head-pieces were put in place and elaborate jewellery and decorative skins were donned.
And they did look strikingly beautiful, strong and self-assured, as they always do, when they sat in front of the proceedings like queens from a different time and dimension and were duly honoured by the governor of the Kunene region as the keepers of the desert garden.
Perfume plants
Perfume has a long history, in Europe and, believe it or not, also in Africa. In the remote and arid areas of north-western Namibia, the Himba women have been using perfume plants through the ages. They have two types of perfume: a dry herb mixture made up of about twenty ingredients, varying in different areas and from person to person and depending on personal preference and availability of ingredients; and the Commiphora resin used with butter fat (or in the eastern areas of the region, the oil from the Ximenia plant) and ochre for a rich, moisturising and beautifying blend.
The dry perfume is sprinkled on blankets, applied around necks with butter fat and burnt in a smoker to perfume and refresh blankets and homes. To release the scent from the Commiphora resin, the women place the resin at the bottom of a ‘perfume pot’ with a coal on top, perfuming their butterfat mixture.
Himba women are accustomed to living far from water so it does not play a part in their beauty (or hygiene) ritual. The herbs and beauty mix keeps them smelling good and their skin smooth, and offers protection from the harsh Namibian sun. They apply an extra layer for special occasions and holidays.
Perfume pots and pillows
There isn’t much that the Himba take on their travels, but they do carry their perfume-pots and pillows.
While the Himba women carry cow-horn perfume pots with leather strips on the top and bottom, the men carry wooden ‘pillows’. These pillows are used to allow the men’s hairdo to rest easily on the ground, assuring them a good night’s sleep. The design and shape vary and every pillow is unique.
The Opuwo Processing Facility & Visitors’ Centre
Visitors are welcome to visit the centre, join a tour, watch a DVD describing the harvesting process and purchase the rare essential oil and an exciting range of cosmetic products.
The facility is located on the outskirts of Opuwo in the direction of Sesfontein. Follow the signposts leading to the Kunene Village Restcamp into the village. Veer left, right and left again.
Open Mon-Fri 8.00-17.00 (except public holidays)
Phone: +264 (0)81 214 8448 to reserve a place on their daily tour at 14.30.
For more information on the Commiphora wildii essential oil, please contact namibian.essential.oils@gmail.com