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Michael Bollig
Anthropos 92.1997
Fig. 3: Gravestones at Omuhonga
(Photo M. Bollig)
graves. Graves are of different sizes, have different
spatial orientation and differ in the quality and
quantity of additional assets (e.g., skulls, fences,
carved poles). Spacing between older graves does
not seem to follow a regular pattern. Some graves
seem to be very close to each other, almost over
lapping, while others are quite far apart. More
recent graveyards offer a striking contrast: here
the graves are very similar to each other in size
and in orientation (usually ordered in a row) but
differ in the number of further assets around the
grave. A very recent trend is to erect gravestones
which are bought in town. The following para
graph attempts to describe different grave styles
and to explain differences and trends in mortuary
display as strategies to recreate a moral order after
death and to compete for symbolic capital when it
comes to the decoration of the site.
Looking at the different arrangements of stones
on the grave, three types of graves may be distin
guished. There are graves with three or four stones
0ozondongo) which are set into the earth in an
upright position rising up some 15-40 centimeters
from the ground and sometimes one or two whitish
quartz stones are placed together with dark brown
or almost black stones; then there are graves which
look very familiar to European eyes with rectan
gular stone heaps of some 200-250 centimeters
in length and 50-80 centimeters width (although
the height of these stone heaps varies considerably
from between 10 and 40 centimeters) (Fig. 2). A
third type of graves adds a big gravestone at the
head of the grave which is painted or decorated with
various symbols of diverse origins (Fig. 3). These
different grave styles provide evidence of three
significant changes in mortuary display within this
century. Without going into detail here it should
be noted that these changes in the physical assets
of graves are not paralleled by changes of the
ritual aspects of the burial. It is astonishing that the
construction of graves has changed so much while
religious beliefs and the ritual practices connected
with death have obviously remained rather stable.
Graves before 1940
All informants have emphasized that before the
1940s the Himba used to bury their dead in a
crouched position. A hole, some two meters deep,
was dug just wide enough to lower the dead person
down. Men and women alike were buried in this
position. The corpses of old and rich men were
wrapped in the skin of an ox. (There is a magnif
icent oral tradition portraying a dying senior man
who, having fled from the Nama raids, waited for
his favourite ox in southern Angola as he wanted
to be buried in the skin of this beloved animal.
The old man only allowed himself to die when his
favourite animal arrived. Kozongombe Tjingee in
Bollig 1996b.) According to custom this animal
was not strangled as is usually done when animals
are slaughtered but rather its neck was broken,
the meat was thrown away and only the skin was
used for the burial. Other people were wrapped
in a goatskin or in a blanket. Alternatively the
deceased was completely undressed. Informants
differed slightly on this topic: Some said that a few