Who Are the Nama?
The **Nama** (also Namaqua, historically "Hottentots"—now considered pejorative) are a Khoikhoi pastoralist people of Namibia and South Africa, numbering approximately **250,000 people**. They speak **Khoekhoe** (Nama), a click language related to but distinct from San languages, featuring four click consonants among the most complex phonologies on Earth. The Nama were historically cattle and sheep herders occupying the semi-arid regions of southern Namibia and Namaqualand in South Africa. They are tragically famous as victims of the **Herero and Nama Genocide** (1904-1908), when German colonial forces systematically killed approximately half the Nama population in what is now recognized as the 20th century's first genocide. Today the Nama work to preserve their language and culture while seeking recognition and reparations.
Pastoralist Heritage
Unlike their San hunter-gatherer neighbors, the Nama (and other Khoikhoi groups) developed a pastoral economy based on **fat-tailed sheep** and cattle, likely acquiring livestock around 2,000 years ago. This pastoralism enabled larger, more stable communities than hunting-gathering permitted. The Nama organized into clans led by hereditary chiefs, practicing transhumance—moving herds seasonally between pastures. They developed sophisticated knowledge of arid-land livestock management, utilizing the sparse vegetation of Namaqualand and the Namib edge. When Dutch colonists arrived at the Cape in 1652, they encountered Khoikhoi pastoralists whose cattle they coveted. Colonial expansion progressively dispossessed the Khoikhoi, pushing the Nama northward into ever more marginal territory while reducing many to servitude on colonial farms.
The Genocide
In 1904, the Nama joined the Herero in uprising against German colonial rule in South-West Africa (Namibia). The German response was genocidal. General Lothar von Trotha issued extermination orders; Nama were driven into the Namib Desert to die of thirst; survivors were imprisoned in concentration camps where mortality exceeded 50%. Nama leader **Hendrik Witbooi** became a resistance hero, dying in battle in 1905 at age 80. By 1908, approximately **10,000 Nama**—half the population—had been killed. Survivors faced forced labor and systematic cultural destruction. Germany officially acknowledged the genocide only in 2021, agreeing to €1.1 billion in development aid (though Nama and Herero representatives rejected this as inadequate). The genocide remains central to Nama historical memory and contemporary identity, with ongoing demands for meaningful reparations and repatriation of remains held in German museums.
Language and Culture
The **Khoekhoe (Nama) language** features four click consonants—sounds produced by suction and release in the mouth that are rare outside southern African languages. Once widespread across southern Africa, Khoekhoe languages have declined dramatically; Nama/Damara in Namibia (with perhaps 200,000 speakers) is now the healthiest survivor. The language carries unique cultural knowledge about the arid environment. Traditional Nama culture included distinctive **matjieshuis** (portable mat houses), elaborate personal adornment, rich oral literature, and music featuring the **khoi-khoi** (a type of musical bow). Christian missionization from the early 19th century transformed religious practice; most Nama are now Christian. Cultural revival efforts focus on language preservation, documentation of oral traditions, and revitalization of practices suppressed under colonialism.
Contemporary Issues
Today's Nama face challenges rooted in historical dispossession. Land reform in both Namibia and South Africa has been slow; many Nama remain landless or confined to former "reserves." Poverty rates are high; educational and economic opportunities limited. The Nama language, while relatively healthy compared to other Khoisan languages, faces pressure from Afrikaans and English. Political organization has strengthened: Nama traditional authorities negotiate with governments; advocacy groups pursue genocide recognition and reparations; and cultural organizations work on language and heritage preservation. The repatriation of ancestral remains from German collections has become a focus of activism and diplomacy. The Nama situation illustrates how colonial violence continues to shape indigenous peoples' circumstances generations later—and how communities organize to seek justice and cultural survival.
References
- Olusoga, D., & Erichsen, C. W. (2010). The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism. Faber and Faber.
- Silvester, J., & Gewald, J. B. (Eds.). (2003). Words Cannot Be Found: German Colonial Rule in Namibia. Brill.
- Haacke, W. H. G., & Eiseb, E. (2002). A Khoekhoegowab Dictionary. Gamsberg Macmillan.
- Kössler, R. (2015). Namibia and Germany: Negotiating the Past. University of Namibia Press.