A Himba woman in traditional attire adjusts her headdress. Her body gleams from a mixture of red ochre, butterfat and herbs. Her long hair is styled in the traditional Himba way and is crowned with a headdress made of lambskin, called erembe. Her large, round white-beaded necklace, called ombwari, is worn by both sexes. She also wears a conch shell, ohumba, between their breasts. These prized possessions are traded from Angola and are passed down from mother to daughter. The Himba are Herero-speaking Bantu nomads who live in the harsh, dry but starkly beautiful landscape of remote northwest Namibia.Nigel Pavitt