 | This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: When English equivalents of Khoekhoe words are available, only the English should be used in this article if that word can be linked to an article which contains the Khoekhoe translation in the opening definition (see for example Hoachanas). (March 2019) |
 Damara people in Damaraland, Namibia | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 219,203 (2023 Census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Namibia | |
| Languages | |
| Khoekhoe (coll. Damara) | |
| Religion | |
| Both African religions and Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Nama, Kwisi, Kwadi, Cimba |
The Damara, plural Damaran (Khoekhoegowab: ǂNūkhoen, Black people, German: Bergdamara, referring to their extended stay in hilly and mountainous sites, also called at various times the Daman or the Damaqua) are an ethnic group who make up 8.5% of Namibia's population. They speak the Khoekhoe language (like the Nama people) and the majority live in the northwestern regions of Namibia, however they are also found widely across the rest of the country.
Genetic studies have found that Damara are closely related to neighbouring Himba and Herero people, consistent with an origin from Bantu speakers who shifted to a different language and culture.[2][3]
Their name in their own language is the "Daman" (where the "-n" is just the Khoekhoe plural ending). The name "Damaqua" stems from the addition of the Khoekhoe suffix "-qua/khwa" meaning "people" (found in the names of other Southern African peoples like the Namaqua and the Griqua).[4]
Prior to 1870, the hunter-gatherer Damaran occupied most of central Namibia. They used to practice pastoralism with sheep and cattle, but were also agriculturalists, planting pumpkins, corn, and tobacco. The Damaran were also copper-smiths, known for their ability to melt copper and used to make ornaments, jewellery, knives and spear heads out of iron. The Damaran - just like the Sān - believed in communal ownership of land, meaning that no individual owned land as God had given land to everyone. Thus, rather than one person owning good grazing land and another seeking out an existence, all would live in harmony. It was for this reason that many were displaced when the Nama and Herero began to occupy this area in search of better grazing. Thereafter the Damara were dominated by the Namaqua and the Herero, most living as servants in their households.[5]
In 1960, the South African government forced the Damara into the bantustan of Damaraland, an area of poor soil and irregular rainfall. About half of their numbers still occupy Damaraland.[citation needed]
- ^ "Namibia 2023 Population and Housing Census Main Report" (PDF). Namibia Statistics Agency. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
- ^ Bajic, Vladimir (2018). "Genetic structure and sex-biased gene flow in the history of southern African populations" (PDF). American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 167 (3): 656–671. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23694. hdl:21.11116/0000-0002-10F5-7. PMC 6667921. PMID 30192370.
- ^ Oliveira, Sandra (2018). "Matriclans shape populations: insights from the Angolan Namib Desert into the maternal genetic history of southern Africa". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 165 (3): 518–535. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23378. PMID 29313877.
- ^ "African Death God. Supreme God of Life, Death and Seasonal Renewal". Godchecker – Your Guide to the Gods. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ^ "Damara Culture | Namibia Africa | Traditions, Heritage, Society & People". Namibiatourism.com.na. Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2013-09-02.