A Tribe Called Quest

“Um…? America?...United...States…of America?....,” I say unsuredly and hesitantly when (often) asked, “What tribe are you from?” Surprisingly, the response I get from the inquisitor is, “Oh! U.S.A.?! Obama!” Apparently, the question is genuine and suggests that my looks (color, hair, facial features, dress) are not clear indicators of my ethnicity or my nationality here. I’ve been mistaken for Ovambo….in Ovamboland (far North). Some guess that I am from “Zim,” Zimbabwe. Others simply assume I’m Namibian, that is, until I open my mouth.

There are a number of racial and ethnic groups in Namibia. In fact, during apartheid, there were over a dozen separate schooling systems for learners, one for each racial group. After independence in 1990, the education system was consolidated into one. There is now a scattering of people across the country; however, the various ethnic groups still predominantly live in the regions where they were sent during colonial times. The ethnic groups were distinct and lived apart even before Germany took Namibia as a colony; but, the current regions now look as they do in regards to ethnic group because of the forced relocations that took place under German rule. Most blacks were sent to areas in the North, in less fertile and arable regions. There is still a quasi-border, called the “red line,” that separates the North from the South. This “red line” is now simply considered the animal disease control checkpoint, livestock bred north of this boundary may not be sold to the south or exported to overseas markets.

The various ethnic groups in Namibia come in all hues and colors; they speak different languages; and have different traditions. I am still trying to find ways to distinguish some of them. The Ovambo, the Herero, the Ovahimba “Himba,” Damara, the Nama, the San, the Kavango, and the Caprivians (though the name refers to a German lieutenant who seized that land – the Caprivi strip – to make it a part of Namibia, and as such, does not have universal acceptance among the members of that group), are among the different tribes. All of the groups have proud and rich traditions; although, I think the Himba and the San (also sometimes referred to as “Bushmen”) are the groups with the most distinctive traditions, as compared to Western norms.

Both the Himba and the San are still fairly nomadic and pastoral. Both also still dress minimally and live minimally off the land. Ovahimba women wear their hair locked and in a somewhat ornamental design; cover their bodies in a red ochre mixture, in part to protect from the sun; and go topless, save for full body wraps used in the mornings and evenings. The bare breasts of Himba women are seen everywhere the Himba are seen, in council meetings (in which others are wearing three-piece suits), in markets, on the streets of cities, villages, and towns. Common sights they may be, one of my Caprivian colleagues still has trouble figuring out where to look when Himba women are around. He thinks he should be looking anywhere but at their breasts. The Himba primarily live in Opuwo (Kunene Region); although, some travel to other areas, like Windhoek, to sell crafts.

The San are rarely seen in towns and cities. They live in villages and in the desert. As conservancies and national parks increase in popularity, some of the San people have been forced to relocate, in apparent efforts to reduce the hunting of the now-protected animal species that once sustained the dietary habits and needs of the San.

At each opportunity, I am reading about Namibia’s history and talking to locals hearing their-stories. I think I have my facts straight above, but I’m humble and ready to stand corrected (and not by Wikipedia, but by more official or primary sources).