Namibia's ethnic groups

Namibia is a nation with many rich cultures and ethnic groups. In an article titled ‘People of Namibia: Demographics, Population and Tribes’, Joseph Cataliotti found that the country's population can be divided into 11 ethnic groups.

The biggest group, which is the Ovambo people, is described by cultural anthropologist Wendi Haugh as agro-pastoralist. This refers to a group of people "who cultivate sufficient areas to feed their families from their own crop production and keep animals, but only enough to ensure they can graze them close to their home base or village".

The Ovambo speak Oshiwambo, a language with a variety of dialects. Traditionally, the Ovambo people were primarily found in the northern region of the country, but today are widespread all over Namibia.

The second largest ethnic group is the Kavango people. In an article, Elzanne McCulloch stated that the Kavango people consists five individual tribes: The Kwangali, Mbunza, Shambyu, Gciriku and Mbukushu. “An important local industry for the Kavango people is woodcarving," she wrote.

According to Travel News Namibia, among the other groups who traditionally lived in Namibia's northern regions are the Zambezi, who were originally named the Caprivians. Of the recorded 90 000 people living in the Zambezi Region in the 2011 Namibian population census, 86 000 live in the east, while the other 4 000 are scattered across the west of the region.

McCulloch said this group of people is linguistically related to the Lozi and Makololo of what used to be known as Barotseland.



Symbol of respect

The Ovaherero people, who speak Otjiherero, are traditionally cattle herders and are known for their distinctive Victorian-style dress accompanied by the well-known otjikaiva head piece. Journalist Hinauarue Rijatua said the otjikaiva, which is a symbol of respect, is worn to pay homage to the tribe's cows, and represents pride.

Meanwhile, Ovahimba (or Himba) people are renowned for their distinctive look, which is achieved by applying a red paste named otjize to their skin and hair.

According to the Ovahimba Living Museum website, they speak Otjhimba, a dialect of Otjiherero. Izzy Sasada, a journalist for ‘Africa Geographic Stories’, said their "daily work revolves around rearing and herding livestock".

According to anthropologist Ute Dickemann, the San people are indigenous hunter-gatherers that are considered one of the oldest ethnic groups in the whole of southern Africa.

In her research, she said the San live in small communities scattered throughout Namibia, and traditionally had no leaders or chiefs. Twyfelfontein and Brandberg are two of the areas most known for San rock art found in mountain caves.



Rich traditions

Nichodimas Cooper, a volunteer public relations officer for the BW Nama Development Trust, said the Nama people are a Namagowab-speaking group residing in southern Namibia. Namagowab, also known as Khoekhoegowab, is part of the Khoe language family. The Nama people also speak Afrikaans.

“Most of the Nama still subscribe to communal land ownership and their rich tradition of poetry, music and dance continues," he said.

According to a local newspaper article, Coloured and Baster people are mixed-race communities, with the Basters being descendants of

European settlers and indigenous African women. The article further read that they mostly live in Rehoboth and other central parts of Namibia. Coloured and Baster people mostly speak Afrikaans and English.

Meanwhile, the white Namibians found in the country are Afrikaners, Germans and Portuguese. This group primarily descended from European settlers during the colonial period.

All these groups contribute to Namibia's rich cultural tapestry, each with their unique traditions, languages and lifestyles.