Who are the Topnaars in Namibia?
The Topnaar people (ǂAonin) are a clan of the Nama people in Namibia. Their settlements are all situated on the Kuiseb River in the Erongo Region of central Namibia, the largest one is Utuseb.
Where do the Topnaars live?
It is endemic to the coast of Namibia and provides food and water to the Topnaar. The Topnaar are therefore also called INaranin, people living off the Inara.
How did the Damara people make a living?
Some of the Damara still own and live on farms, carrying on their traditional ways and have become very rich in cattle and sheep farming. The women fulfill the customary female roles such as household chores and nurturing the children while the men hunt and care for the livestock.
What is Nara plant?
Nara (in the Nama & Damara languages) plant, also known as butter-nut or botterpitte (Afrikaans), omungaraha (Herero) and ! Nara melons. Found in and among the small dunes of Sossusvlei, these bright green, thorny plants, grow continuously as it keeps them above the blowing sand collecting up against it.
What is Damara culture?
The Damara are thought to be of Bantu origin who speak a Khoisan dialect. It is speculated that the Damara were the first people to migrate to Namibia from the north. Their original culture was a mixture of an archaic hunter-gatherer culture and herders of cattle, goats and sheep.
What do Damara men wear?
Damara males were not circumcised. However, groups of boys were initiated into manhood through an elaborate hunting ritual. This ritual is repeated twice, for teenagers and grown men, after which the initiates are considered clan elders. Their traditional clothing colors are green, white, and blue.
Why is the Nara plant important to the Topnaar people?
The Topnaar people, who live along the Kuiseb River, use this plant in their daily lives, as it serves as a vital source of income, nutrition, and traditional culture. ! Nara is virtually the only food source of the Topnaar during harvest time, and cash can be obtained by selling the seeds of the !
Where is Nara plant found?
Nara plant is found amid dunes, right where the subterranean water lies, and is also common around the many rivers that make their way to the Atlantic Ocean in Namibia and southern Angola. It is therefore endemic to the Namib Desert along the west coast.
What is the origin of Damara?
Indeed being from Khoisan existence but due to their resemblance to some Bantu groups of West Africa it is speculated that the Damara were the first people to migrate to Namibia from the north. They lived in the whole of southern Africa with the San people, whose name is derived from the Damara language.
Where do the Damara people come from?
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.
What language do Damara speak?
Glossonym Khoekhoegowab
Glossonym. Khoekhoegowab, the language popularly also known as Nama or Nama/Damara, is today spoken mainly in Namibia , with remnant groups of Nama people speaking it in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa and in southwestern Botswana .
What is Nara used for?
なら is attached to the sentence which describes the condition where certain events or situations happen. It is often translated as “if.” なら can be used with nouns, い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and verbs. To make sentences, put なら after the dictionary form of these words.
What is Nara plant used for?
Nara is also eaten as a famine food. Young stem tips are browsed by livestock. The bitter roots have medicinal value. Either chewed or made into a decoction, they are used to treat nausea, stomach-ache, venereal diseases, kidney problems, arteriosclerosis and chest pains.
Are Damara people Bantu?
Damara people living in Namibia and broader southern Africa have mystified anthropologists as they are suspected to be a group of Bantu origin who speak a Khoisan dialect.
What language do Damara people speak?
Khoekhoe language
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.
What is the English of nara?
/nārā/ mn. slogan countable noun. A slogan is a short phrase that is easy to remember and is used in advertisements and by political parties. /nara, nArA, naaraa, nārā/
What nara means?
The name Nara is girl’s name of Japanese, Hindi, Celtic origin meaning “happy”. Soft, simple, and far more unusual than Tara or Farrah. As a Japanese place name, it’s been used occasionally as a surname and is beginning to be used as a first.
How do you eat Nara fruit?
Fresh fruit: can be eaten raw as a substitute for water in drought, has a pleasant fruity taste, peeled seeds can be eaten raw or roasted.
Are Damara people Khoisan?
What food do the Khoisan eat?
The Khoisan ate roasted meat, and they also dried meat for later use. The influence of their diet is reflected in the common Southern African love of barbecue (generally called in South Africa by its Afrikaans name, a braai) and biltong (dried preserved meat).
How long does it take to visit Topnaar?
Join us on a 4 hour excursion to visit the Topnaar community in the Kuiseb river and its delta and experience the fascinating history of the Topnaars, who are often referred to as “Namibia’s forgotten people”. Check-in at our offices at the Walvis Bay Waterfront is at 08h15 for a 08h30 departure, or at 12h15 for a 12h30 departure.
Where did the Topnaars come from?
Topnaars began settling in the area of Walvis Bay and along the Kuiseb River during the start of the 19th century. They first occupied the area at the mouth of the Swakop River, today the city of Swakopmund, and moved south beyond Walvis Bay to the Kuiseb mouth between 1820 and 1830.
What did the Topnaars eat?
The Topnaars near the sea lived from hunting game – including seals, fish and sea birds. They kept some cattle and small livestock and ate mussels, ostrich eggs and eggs from seabirds. They traded their fresh produce like fresh water, meat, goat’s milk and Nara for goods from passing ships, among them tobacco and glass bead.