|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
By Pat Graham
September 25, 2009
Not all places are created equal.
Wildlife is the main focus of creating sustainable benefits from natural resources management on communal lands in the Kunene region of Namibia.
But some communities are so remote, so arid, that wildlife alone will not be enough.
Here is the story of two women—Karen and Komukandjera—who are using another aspect of nature to chart a different path.
We’re headed to Orupembe communal conservancy deep in the heart of Himba land in far northwest Namibia. It’s taken six hours to cover 120 miles on these remote roads.
A Tale of Two Women
While the Bushmen of the Kalahari may be the most recognized of the indigenous people in Namibia, the Himba are the most unique. They remain very traditional, particularly the women.
Karen Knott and I arrive in the village of Onjuva and pull up next to her small field station. After five years, it finally has water and solar electricity.
Karen, a plant ecologist, worked for the Ministry of Environment for years. Then she followed her passion to Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) and the wilds of northern Kunene. Both the plants and people drew her here.
Komukandjera Tjambiru is a Himba woman, I would say in her late twenties. As is common, she has four young children with another on the way. She has chosen not to marry the father yet.
In Himba culture, the men and young boys herd the goats and cattle. Livestock is the measure of wealth and they are well-known for their ability to communicate with the animals they tend.
Women like Komukandjera do the rest of the work.
A Plant With a Purpose
Himba women are recognized the world over for the ochre color of their skin and their traditional dress. On this morning I sit near the river bed with Komukandjera and other women as they prepare themselves for the day. She rubs a mixture of ochre, a reddish stone ground into powder, and milk fat over her skin and braided hair. Himba women never bathe in water.
Long ago they discovered a plant growing in the mountains that has a strong and pleasant smell. Himba call the plant omumbiri. They grind it up and mix with fat to create a type of perfume.
For some years people pondered ways to market the plant to help the Himba. Nothing came of it until Karen got involved. She learned the way they harvested the sap did not harm the plants unlike methods used in other parts of the world. Further study showed that there were plenty of plants for commercial production.
From Namibia to Paris
Karen asked Komukandjera to lead the women interested in harvesting the resin. Reporting on their efforts, Komukandjera became the first women to ever address the membership of her local conservancy.
Karen networked to find a potential buyer for the resin. Just two weeks later she found herself at the annual international Perfume Trade Show in Paris. She made contact with a subsidiary of Estee Lauder that specializes in perfumes created from products that are harvested sustainably by marginalized people. They signed on to evaluate the omumbiri.
Women at Work
Meanwhile, Komukandjera and women from four conservancies were busy climbing the mountains of northern Namibia harvesting little beads of resin, smaller than a pea, off the branches.
In less than two months, 450 women had gathered six tons of the tiny droplets.
As we sat in the shade of the bushes, she finished applying the ochre and carefully attached her head dress, belt and other decorative leather pieces.
Through a translator I asked, “How important is the harvest of omumbiri to you?”
She answered, “As a woman who has to survive on her own, it is very important. I can use the money to buy food for my children. If there is a need to take them to town for a doctor I have money to pay.”
I asked about her role as a leader.
“I can communicate to all the other women. I will report about this interview. I communicate to members of the conservancy about what we are doing. Part of the money goes back to the conservancy to benefit all the people. It is hard work. We walk a long way and need to get back to the children and for water,” she replied.
Komukandjera is pragmatic and optimistic, traits that serve her well in a life where the focus is on the here and now.
| « Arizona: Africa Connections |
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Pat Graham/TNC (Himba women and children); Photo © Pat Graham/TNC (Pat and Komukandjera); Photo © Pat Graham/TNC (plant resin).
Join The Nature Conservancy on