This past Sunday we went on a day trip to a Herero homestead near Okahanja and Otjongombe. The Herero people are a native people to Namibia that branched off from the Himba people when European influence came to Africa. The Herero people have adapted to modern culture much more than the Himba people, but they are still striving to keep a large part of their culture in how they run their daily lives, and their place on the farm. We come to this homestead because we were lucky enough to have a guide who comes from this village, he showed us around a place that most visitors would never have a chance to see and it was such an amazing experience to feel so welcomed into the home of a family we had never met before. As we were there the family went along with their daily jobs, but were there to answer our questions if we had any. While we were there we learned about how the Herero people train their cattle to come home, the process for butchering cattle, and the huge role that these animals have in these peoples lives. The most interesting part for me was all the ritual process, and routine involved. For example, the main house on the homestead always sits facing west and is perfectly in line with the Krall. (the holding pen for the cattle, and the place for holy fire ceremonies) Whenever a cow is slaughtered for a birthday or a funeral there are different ceremonies, but the cow always is laid down on it's back, facing west and is always put to death with one blow so that the animal doesn't have to go through any suffering. They told us it all has to do with the position of the sun and that it always rises in the East and sets in the West, which I thought was very interesting.
After we had finished our visit at the farm, we were able to go visit a local primary school and a tutoring center for orphaned and vulnerable children. This was my favorite part of the trip. The children we met at the school were so well-mannered and so happy to see us. They were prideful of their school and showed us around to their rooms because most of the children live in the hostel located on campus. After all the introductions were finished and we had seen all of their rooms, we took time to just get to know the students, play games, and sing songs. The joy I saw on all these young people's faces warmed my heart, they all looked so happy and cared for. When it was time to go none of us wanted to leave and the students didn't want us to go either, but they respectfully watched us get in the van and blew kisses our way.
Just down the road from the school was the tutoring center. The center was founded by a Dutch woman. She started the center with only 15 students and the center now serves 57 students! The center provides the children with a place to stay and learn and play in safety, gives the students a warm meal, and also saves work and progress reports for all of it's students! They also have a program where the children with save their money in a can kept by the center, and when the can is full, the center takes the child to the bank and opens up a savings account. It was so refreshing to see such amazing things happening in this center. I've seen some heartbreaking things during this journey, but I have also seen some things that warm my heart. To see a center preparing orphaned children for life with a savings account and an education is just so inspirational and I'm so glad to see some progress when I have seen so much violence. This trip is truly changing my outlook on education and what it means to care for a student. I can feel my viewpoints shifting with each new experience I have. I only have one and a half more weeks but keep your eyes out for another post. I have so much more to say but for now I'm at peace <3
The Herero people are cattle herders, their main source of income and livelihood comes from these cattle.
This is Edna, the head wife of the homestead we visited. She is in her traditional Herero dress that she made herself. The traditional hat she is wearing represents the horns of the cattle she and her family care for.
These are a few traditional containers used in Herero life. The container on the far left is used for gathering milk from the cow, the container in the middle is used for keeping milk cool for drinking and is usually first presented to the head of the house for drinking, lastly the container on the right is called a Calabash. The Calabash is used to hold and keep milk fresh. The milk in the Calabash is mixed with the root from a tree that grows in the area to help preserve the milk and fresh milk is added to the Calabash daily so that the container is always filled with fresh or sour milk depending on the families preference and availability.
Here is a picture of all of us PLU students with Edna during our visit.
On the way back from the homestead we stopped at a rural primary school. Here are some of the students we got to spend some time with. I wish we could have stayed longer with them!
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