These images were taken in the early 1970's, when Namibia was still called South West Africa. The Herero women in the photos are on their way to celebrate Herero Day in Okahandja wearing their distinct traditional dress.
The Herero came under the influence of German
missionaries during the 19th century who took exception to what they considered to be the
immodesty of the traditional Herero dress, or lack of dress. At the time the Victorian Dress was still considered to be appropriate for a woman and the missionaries wifes dressed the women of the Herero accordingly by sewing long dresses for them that covered the arms and the neck. The first dresses were sewn of a material called Blueprint, imported from Germnay.
But I must say I love African creativeness. Just look at the girl in the back with the leather boots and the red mini skirt. No matter under what and whose influence Africans came over the years, there will always be uniqueness and freedom of interpretation in what they do.
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| Herero Women On A Farm |
After a while the Herero women adopted the style of dress for which they are so famous
today. The dress itself
falls to the ankles and has long sleeves and a bodice that buttons
up close to the neck. Over this, many women also wear a shawl.
Under the
dress the women wear seven petticoats to add
fullness to the skirts. The uniquely shaped
headpiece is said to resemble and pay homage to the horns of
their cattle. Although Namibia is a modern African country today, Herero women are still seen proudly wearing this elaborate costume in rural parts of the country as well as in the capital Windhoek capital.
And by the way the cream colored handbag is the bomb and some vintage loving ladies would go crazy about it.
