Introduction to the Owambo

The three pictures I have put up with this is a) the tribal groups around Oshakati, our nearest town b) an Oshiwambo lady c) the flag of Owamboland.

The Owambo people are part of a bigger group of about 2199 Bantu people, who originated from the Nilo Sahara people in what is today called West Africa. A group went to East Africa in the 14-15 century and later on trickled down to the south. Another group came directly to the south from the west.

Today the Owambos are by far the largest population group in Namibia, comprising about one third of the country’s total population. Owambo is a collective name for twelve tribal groups that live in northern Namibia and southern Angola. The largest of these tribes is the aKwanyama which make up about 35% of the 700 000 Owambo who live in Namibia. The next largest groups are the aNdonga and aKwambi which respectively comprise 30% and 12% of Namibia's Owambo population. While the aNgandyela, aMbalanhu, aNkolonkadhi and aUnda complete the 8 Owambo tribal groups found in Namibia. Each tribe has it's own dialect.

The home of the Owambo people is called Owamboland but is today further divided into the Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto regions. These regions are now often referred to as the 4 "O" Regions. We live in the Oshana region.

Traditionally, each of the tribal groups was headed by a hereditary chief, assisted by several headman. Land is allocated by the chief or headman. Land is never owned and, upon the death of a tenant, the appropriate chief will allocate the land to a new tenant. The new tenant will not necessarily be related to the deceased.

Traditionally, the Owambo has practiced a matrilineal system (meaning the children belong to the mother's clan) especially in matters of inheritance and succession, meaning a chief's position and a man's wealth are inherited by his younger brother or sister's son, and not by his own children, since they belong to the mother's family. However in recent years the system has shifted towards a patrilineal society.

In rural areas each Owambo family lives in its own kraal or eumbo, which is enclosed by a wooden fence. The houses are situated inside this fence and can be either round or square thatched huts, outside of the fence are the family’s lands. In the centre of the kraal is the family sacred fire (omulilo gwoshilongo) which is kept burning at all times.

The aaOwambo practices both agriculture (mahango or millet) and cattle farming and this is supplemented by fish from the shallow pools (oshanas) that characterise the region. Another source of income for many Owambos is the cuca shops (small bars) and large open-air food markets.

(Source: www.namibian.org/travel/namibia/population/owambo.htm
www.eia.com.na/dune/Tribes/owambo.htm Department of Bantu Education - 1975)