Nama (in older sourses also Namaqua) are a pastoral people of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana speaking the Nama language which belongs to the Khoe-Kwadi language family (previously known as Central Khoisan). Nama may mean: Nama (plant), a genus of plants in the family Hydrophyllaceae. ...

History

For thousands of years, the KhoiSan peoples of South Africa and southern Namibia maintained a pastoral way of life, tending their flocks of goats and sheep, gathering firewood, and collecting wild honey.

Following the discovery of diamonds at the mouth of the Orange River in the 1920s, however, prospectors began moving into the region, establishing towns at Alexander Bay and Port Nolloth, a process that accelerated the appropriation of traditional lands that had begun early in the colonial period. Under apartheid, remaining pastoralists were encouraged to abandon their traditional lifestyle in favour of village life.

The Nama people originally lived around the Orange River in southern Namibia and northern South Africa. The early colonialists referred to them as Hottentots. The Khoikhoi (men of men) or Khoi are a division of the Khoisan ethnic group of south-western Africa, closely related to the Bushmen (San). ...

Culture

Nama huts

In general the Nama practice a policy of communal land ownership. Music, poetry and story telling are very important in Nama culture and many stories have been passed down orally through the generations. The Nama have a culture that is rich in the musical and literary abilities of its people. Traditional music, folk tales, proverbs, and praise poetry have been handed down for generations and form the base for much of their culture. They are known for crafts which include leatherwork, skin karosses and mats, musical instruments (such as reed flutes), jewellery, clay pots, and tortoiseshell powder containers. Nama women still dress in Victorian traditional fashion. This style of dress was introduced by missionaries in the 1800s and their influence is still a part of the Nama culture today. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 198 KB) Summary Photo taken by me in the Rochtersveld (South Africa) in 2005. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 198 KB) Summary Photo taken by me in the Rochtersveld (South Africa) in 2005. ...

Today, the Richtersveld National Park is one of the few places where old ways survive. Here, the Nama still move with the seasons and speak their language. The traditional Nama dwelling - the |haru oms, or portable rush-mat covered domed hut - is a reflection of a nomadic way of life, offering a cool haven against the blistering heat of the sun, yet easy to pack and move if grazing lands become scarce. In 1991, a portion of Namaqualand, home of the Nama and one of the last true wilderness areas of South Africa, became the Richtersveld National Park. In December 2002, ancestral lands, including the park, were returned to community ownership and the governments of South Africa, Namibia, and Angola embarked on the development of a transfrontier park along the west coast of southern Africa, absorbing the Richtersveld National Park.

See also

• Hendrik Witbooi (Namaqua chief)
• Hottentot Venus
• Herero Genocide

Nama Chief Hendrik Witbooi Hendrik Witbooi (c. ... Saartjie Baartman (1789-1815) was the most famous of at least two Hottentot women who were exhibited as sideshow attractions in 19th century Europe under the name Hottentot Venus . ... Surviving Herero after the escape through the arid desert of Omaheke. ...

External links

• South African National Parks website
• Some fantastic photographs from the Richtersveld National Park at www.razsar.com