Namibia's Living Museum is a chance to glimpse into the life of the traditional Damara culture. The Damara people originally occupied much of central Namibia, an area that is called Damaraland today.  

Inside of the museum, which is surrounded by the towering red rock of Twyfelfontein, the village is set up in the way a traditional community would have been. This is the only museum of its kind in Namibia, organized by the Damara people to remember their lost culture and to allow visitors to experience the way of life of their ancestors.  

Traditional dress is worn, which is composed of just animal skin skirts for the women, and tied animal skin trunks for the men.  

The Damara people demonstrate how everyday life was carried out by their ancestors—which includes the practice of starting a fire.  

The fire is started not by matches or lighters, but of two sticks and donkey dung.  

The Damara also show the type of medicine they used to use (all found from trees and plants around them), as well as the kind of houses the traditional Damara built with their bare hands.  

The original Damara people were considered a hunter-gatherer culture, and many made their living by herding cattle, goats, and sheep.  

Because the Damara were very lax in their rules and general way of life, they found it hard to defend themselves when intruders moved into their land. This is one of the main reasons why their culture has virtually diminished.  

For the more brave visitors, a tasting of their home brew is offered. The substance is alcoholic and is made mainly of grass and a substance that is produced by ants and found in anthills.  

At the end of the tour, the Damara people perform a traditional dance, along with singing and chanting as their ancestors once did.  

If you're lucky, or unlucky depending on how you look at it, they'll invite you to join in to the celebratory dance.