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Damara Culture

The origins of the Damara Culture group is a puzzle to anthropologists. While they differ from the Nama people, they also speak the khoekhoegowab language. Also, despite being dark skinned, they differ in most respects from the other Namibian people of Bantu origin.

The names of various Damara groups were mostly geographic references such as the Swakop Damara and Brandberg Damara. Before the arrival of the white settlers, damara’s way of life was similar to that of the nomadic San insofar as they lived from hunting and veldkos.

At the heart of their religion lay the so-called ‘sacred fire’ associated mainly with their hunting activities.

The damara were ousted from their traditional areas by advancing nama and herero people.

The Damara were known to be hunters, who kept small stock,who called themselves Nu-khoin, the black people.

In German colonial times they settled in the okombahe environs and in 1973 an area of around 4.7 million hectares was proclaimed as Damaraland, with Khorixas as its administrative capital.

Nowadays rural Damara people cultivate corn and vegetables, while livestock production has become an important source of income.

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