The Damara Tribe

The Damara, also called Daman or Damaqua, are an ethnic group who make up 8.5% of Namibia's population. They speak the Khoekhoe language and the majority live in the northwestern regions of Namibia, however they are also found widely across the rest of the country. They have no known cultural relationship with any of the other tribes anywhere else in Africa and very little is known of their origin. It has been proposed that the Damara are a remnant population of south-western African hunter-gatherers, otherwise only represented by the Cimba, Kwisi and Kwadi, who adopted the Khoekhoe language of the immigrant Nama people.

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
They are from the second largest andsecond most populous continent seven point sixteen trillion
dollars in measurable wealth, one billionpeople, over three thousand tribes, fifty
four sovereign states, one people.This is dear story. These are the

(00:34):
tribes of Africa. The Demara tribe. The Damara, also called Daman or

(01:14):
dama Qua an any group who makeup ape and five percent of Namibia's population
to speak the Querque language in themajority Niven the northwestern regions of Namibia.
However, they're also found widely acrossthe rest of the country. They have
no known cultural relationship with any ofthe other tribes anywhere else in Africa,

(01:34):
and very little is known of theirorigin. It has reproposed that the Demara
a remnant population of southwestern Africa hunterGadras, otherwise only represented by the Simba,
Quisi and Quaddi, who adopted theQuirqua language of the immigrants Nama people.
Together with the Bushmen, the Demarrabelonged to the eldest nations in Namibia.

(01:56):
Your original culture was a mixture ofan Aca contact, Addra culture and
headers of cattle, guilt and sheep. Due to their loose social structures.
The Damarra were not able to defendthemselves against the grasses. Joining the colonization
of Namibia. This is one ofthe reasons why their culture has a great
extent fallen into oblivion. Traditionally,the Demarra are divided into several tribes,

(02:20):
each with its own chief, butthe rule by one monarch. Some of
the Demarra still own and leven fans, carrying on their traditional ways and have
become very rich in the cattle andsheep farming. The women fulfilled the customary
female roles such as household clothes andnot drawing the children while the men hunt
and care for the livestock. Priorto the eighteen seventy to the Mara occupy

(02:42):
midst of central Namibia are large numberswith displays are killed when the Nama and
Herrero began to occupy. This errorin such with better grazing. When the
first Europe interested in Namibia, thethe Mara were a group of semi nomadic
gardeness, pasterialist and hunted address Theyalso had skills of mining and metal work.
However, in nineteen seventy the SouthAfrican governments settled to the Mara and

(03:06):
de Mara Land an area of poorsoil and irregular rainfall. Due to this,
many De Maran now walk in theopen areas and only about one quarter
of the numbers to occupy the Maraland es. Centrally administered local government was
created in nineteen eighty DeMar Land,like other home lands in Southwest Africa,
was abolished in May nineteen eighty nineat the start of the transition to independence.

(03:30):
The Demarands, like other African peoples, made use of Anknaw highths for
clothing. The principal Annaw heights ofwere used for deus of springbok and girls
for clothing and ship and to carfor blankets. The Mara and traditional clothes
atties defferciated between a girl, anadmired and mirid woman, and an elderly
woman in the same manner that differciatedbetween boys, admiring and married men and

(03:53):
men of age. Some outfits werereserved to special ceremonies and contrasts. Everyday
gamins the women do household charms likecooking, cleaning, and gardening. Their
primary duties milking the cows in themorning and later in the yard. Men
traditionally hunt and had a cattle livingthe village as early as a sonwise patrolling

(04:14):
the area to protect their cattle andgrazing ground. As tradition dictates, men
can be very aggressive towards in trulersif not notified if any other male present
in a grazing area. Though manythe Marrow people own an even rural fans,
the majority in even small townscattered acrossan Irangul region or in the Ambia's
capital city of Windhoik. Those arestill even fans tend to leave an extended

(04:36):
family group of as many as onehundred, creating small villages of family members