Namibian Himba People Costume Doll
Collection: Everyday Connections
This Namibian display doll represents a Himba woman from Namibia. Himba women are known for wiping onto their bodies and hair a paste called "otjize," which is a mixture of butter, and red ochre ground from rocks. Resin from the Omuzumba shrub is mixed into the paste to give it a strong scent. The otjize protects their skin from the sun. But more importantly, the paste acts as a kind of makeup. Himba men do not wear the paste.
The doll is not for display, but is instead carried by a newly married woman as a fertility charm.
The Himba wear intricate hairstyles which are an indicator of age and status. The hair of young girls is formed into two plaits at the front of the head, while young boys wear one plait at the back. When Himbas come of age at puberty, the girls take to wearing many smaller plaits covered in otjize.
Source:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7192933/Namibias-isolated-Himba-tribe-use-bright-clay-create-incredible-hairstyles-make-up.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himba_people#/media/File:Himba_Girls_Photo_by_Sascha_Grabow.JPG
https://www.cnn.com/2012/05/11/world/africa/himba-namibia-inside-africa/index.html