Ozonja - make-up container

This container holds the mixture that creates the ‘red looks’ the Himba people are primarily known for. The container is called ozonja and is typically made from cattle horn with a cap made of leather to prevent the content from drying out [Borg and Jacobsohan 2013, p 45].These materials are, as we shall see, closely related to its content.

The Himba people constitute an indigenous tribe in northwestern Namibia, close to the Angolan border. Because of the rather remote location of the tribal lands and independence from outside forces, they managed to preserve their way of life for generations.[Wärnlöf 2000, p 176]

The Himba women look especially striking. While the men mostly wear ‘normal’ western clothing [Sterling Cameron 2012, p 20] ,the women continue to dress in the traditional Himba way. They are bare-breasted with some leather clothing around their lower bodies [Borg and Jacobsohan 2013, p 45]. Traditionally, they possess only what is taken directly from their surroundings and their animals. Therefore, they add to their outfits by wearing accessories such as cow-horn belts and bracelets, and a leather headdress that symbolizes their marital status.[McKinley 2013, p 165]