Kavango people

The Kavango ( Rukwangali: MuKavango, English: Kavango people) are a community of five Namibian tribes of around 200,000 originally from East Africa Black Africans. The history of the Kavango is largely unexplored, but since at least the 16th century, they live on both sides of the now running between Angola and Namibia border river Okavango and only in the lying since the beginning of the 20th century that the vast majority on the southern side of the river of the same name regions of Kavango and western Kavango East.

• 3.1 languages
• 3.2 Society and Religion

Etymology

Etymologically, preceded by the term " Kavango " on the Portuguese name Cubango / Kubango for the ( entire ) flow back, which was only to Kavango and then through the dating from the Otjiherero prefix " O " to the Okavango. The term Kavango learned during which a semantic extension, referring only to the river, then to the territory on both sides of the river, and later on the living population in him.

History

Mbunza

The Kwangali and Mbunza are the two western Kavangostämme around the city Nkurenkuru. Their language is Rukwangali

Gciriku

The Shambyu and Gciriku live between Rundu and Bagani. Their language is the Rumanyo

The Mbukushu live in the eastern part of the Kavango, on the border in the Caprivi. Their language is MbuThiMbukushu.

The Kavango originally came from an area in the southwest of present-day Tanzania, and hiked only in the east of the Kwando marshes located in Mashi, an area in what is now western province of Zambia. The out already formed on the Kwando five tribes moved then, due to battles with local peoples and a prolonged drought, between the 16th and 18th centuries in several temporal stages on to the Okavango:

- The Kwangali and Mbunza west into the territories of present-day Rundu, - The Shambyu Gciriku and east into territories thereof, and - The Mbukushu in the adjoining area above the Okavango Delta.

These areas left and right of the Okavango were inhabited at this time by only a few of the especially between the 9th and 12th century living here San partially attracted to the south as a result of the new arrivals, some going up in the company of the Kavango. In particular, the Mbukushu, the most easterly tribe of the Kavango, mingled here with the population of the ( here and ) southeast of San living strains of Zhu | hoa, ǁ ǁ Ani and Ghanikhoe - Khoe - and also some Herero. The Mbukushu take today also culturally a special position among the Kavango one: not only their language differs more from that of the other Kavango languages ​​, they were also among them the only ones who practiced the art of rainmaking until the 20th century. Insist on the other, the western end of the settlement area of the Kavango especially between the Kwangali and the Ovambo, which are related to the Kavango, many family ties.

During the 19th and 20th century saw - only due to run from intra-African slave traders, expulsion and later by the civil war in Angola - a migration of different peoples from the north and to a further mixing of the Kavango to minority populations of Chokwe and Nyemba. The Portuguese colonial policy and the civil war finally caused the relocation of almost all the Kavango belonging to Namibia southern side of the river Okavango. The north side has since been very sparsely populated and there are also no significant larger settlements. The border between the two states, however, is artificial because the Kavango live on both sides of the Okavango for centuries.

Since a recently concluded with Angola -down border agreement, however, the residents on both sides border areas might again - even without official entry and exit - up to certain limits, visit each other's country free. However, this provision does not apply to visitors or tourists.

Demographics

Two independently conducted population estimates from 1903 are the oldest sources for the population of the Kavango. At that time it was estimated for the Kwangali between 1500 and 2000 people for whom Mbunza around 1000, for the Gziriku around 1300 and for the Mbukushu around 4500; a total of around 9,000 people (without living at that time in exile Sambyu ). In the 60 years, the population amounted to already over 60,000 and is to this day - mainly due to a typical developing country population explosion, but also because of which took place from Angola immigration - to nearly 200,000 risen (this is equivalent to around 10% of the total population of Namibia ). In 2030, Kavango and western Kavango East is assumed that a further increase to over 350,000 by 2050 and to over 450,000 for the regions. This despite the ongoing migration of many Kavango in other regions of Namibia.

Economy and culture

The eponymous for the Kavango Zambezi and Okavango one next to the Orange 's three largest rivers in southern Africa and is responsible for them and who are already residing here earlier peoples lifeline and livelihood. This, on the one hand because of its still great even today fish wealth (including Tigersalmler ), on the other hand by the during the rainy season ( February, March ) flooded on both sides of the river, fertile areas. The Kavango, which form a flow of people, and live today as in the past mainly from fishing and farming (including cultivation of Mahangu, sorghum, maize and crops ), resulting in an aligned on their own needs and less on production for the market agricultural culture developed ( subsistence farming ). The men take over the traditional cultivation of the soil and the bulk of the crop, while the women are responsible for the appointment and management of the fields. To a lesser extent, cattle breeding; spread is a local subspecies of Watussirindes. Hunter-gatherers are mainly found in the approximately 10,000 living in the dry inland Kavango, but were imports from other cultures, including some San tribes such as the shark ǁ om and others who also took over the bulk of the iron processing of the Kavango.

Another culturally significant economic sector is the arts and crafts of the Kavango woodcarvers whose works are now sold all over Namibia. The Kavango woodcarvers are mostly from the immigrant from Angola and the Congo Chokwe, where this craft is very common. Carve mainly from the wood of a type of blood trees ( Pterocarpus angolensis ), which grow in the Kavango and the Sandveld the Kalahari Basin. Among the produced handicrafts include a series of ceremonial drums, musical instruments, various household items, ornaments, wall decorations, masks, kitchen utensils and furniture such as chairs and tables but also canoe ( mokoro ). The wood carving is a professional domain of men; Whereas women weave baskets and mostly produce pots and ornaments made ​​of clay.

Because of the attractive workplace conditions in the cities of Central and Südnamibias attract many skilled fishermen from the Kavango in the port cities of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz. The Kavango woodcarvers often seek to sell their products in the touristy better developed cities of Windhoek, Swakopmund and Okahadja.

Languages

The Kavango languages ​​are closely related Bantu languages. The Rukwangali, the language of Kwangali is also prevalent among the Mbunza; ShiShambyu and RuGciriku ( also described as Rumanyo ) are the languages ​​of the Shambyu Gciriku. The language of Mbukushu is the Thimbukushu, which is also spoken in Botswana. A communication between speakers of each of these languages ​​is possible. Rukwangali has among the Kavango languages ​​of the literature, and is also the most widespread; since the independence of Namibia is English the only official language and is also developing next administration and preferred language of instruction in a second and lingua franca, especially in the town of Rundu.

Society and Religion

The Kavango have a matrilineal social structure, each with a king or a queen ( Hompa ) in each of the five tribes as head of the community. The / the king ( in ) is mostly determined hereditary and confirmed by a council of elders. This social structure has an impact on traditional religion, belief systems and mythology of the Kavango, which is aligned monotheistic. The Supreme Being (God) is Karunga ( the Mbukushu call it Nyambi ) and has an equivalent in the belief system of the Herero ( Otjiherero for God: Omukuru ). The celestial bodies help Karunga people against drought and Shadipinyi to protect the breakaway servant of God. Also, ancestor worship and the occult take the traditional faith of the Kavango, type a value, in which case the women plays an important social role as a spiritual healer. Only sporadically since the beginning ( and more since the middle) of the 20th century, the Kavango were evangelized and are now about 80 % Christian, with traditional mythologies have a parallel role.

Similarly, are also traditional ( secular ) law - enshrined in the Constitution of Namibia since 1990 - and modern cultural influences in a tense relation with. Mpo that is Rukwangali word for culture, stands for young people often nurmehr for traditional culture, whereas kulcha, a Namlish derivation from the English word culture for modern culture ( = pop culture ). The Rukwangali word for lifestyle / way of life is called Nkareso.