Jan Jonker Afrikaner
Jan Jonker Afrikaner , actually |Haramumab , (* around 1820 in Bethany , West Africa ; † 10. August 1889 in Tsaobis , German South West Africa ) was the sixth Kaptein of Orlam - Africans in what is now Namibia .
biography
Jan Jonker Afrikaner is referred to in literature as both the nephew and the youngest son of the most important African captain Jonker Afrikaner . More significant for the historical significance of Jan Jonker Afrikaner, however, is that after the peace agreement between the Africans and the Herero in 1842, he and their chief son Maharero were trained to be field captain in Windhoek , and that they remained in long-term friendship. At that time, the African tribe was undisputedly the most powerful tribe in Southwest Africa and, after the peace treaty of Hoachanas in 1858, had territorial rule over the entire north of the country ( Hereroland ), which was also recognized by the Nama and other Orlam tribes . The Herero, on the other hand, no longer played a role unless they were allied with Jonker Afrikaner.
After Jonker Afrikaner's death in 1861, the title of captain fell to his eldest son Christian Afrikaner according to Nama law , although he was considered the weaker leader in comparison to Jan Jonker Afrikaner and in particular did not have his good contacts with the Herero . The Maharero , who has meanwhile been appointed Herero chief, used the developing tensions between Christian and Jan Jonker Afrikaner in his favor, which Christian Afrikaner did not hide; he suspected, not completely wrongly, that Jan Jonker and Maharero had allied against him in order to dispute his captivity. Christian Afrikaner therefore believed that he had to forestall an attack intended by the Herero against him, and on his part attacked the well-prepared Maharero in his war camp in Otjimbingwe . The Africans, however, were defeated and Christian Afrikaner was killed on June 15, 1863.
This was the first notable victory of the Herero over the Africans in a long time, which gave the Herero a considerable boost in self-esteem and prompted them to break away from their proximity to the Africans and to choose Otjimbingwe as their new tribal seat. Jan Jonker Afrikaner was appointed - with the support of Maharero - as the new captain of the Africans, nevertheless it seemed advisable to him first to seek refuge with the Amraal Khauas and Ostherero in Witvley, so as not to irritate the regained self-esteem of the Herero.
Their decision to settle in Otjimbingwe had the further advantage that the Swedish explorer and entrepreneur Andersson had built up a large trading company there and also operated a very profitable copper mine. To protect both of them, Andersson had set up his own, well-equipped private army to ensure that his economic activities were not disrupted by armed conflicts among the tribes surrounding him. Therefore, the power of Jan Jonker Afrikaner was a thorn in the side of Andersson, as he was dependent on his whims. Both Maharero and Andersson therefore had a great interest in putting the Africans under Jan Jonker in their place. In response to this interest, Maharero appointed Andersson in 1863 as the "regent and military commander of all Herero for life", whereby he could be sure of his financial and military support in the fight against the supremacy of the Africans. Under Andersson's orders, several successful attacks were then launched against the Africans. The counterattacks led by Jan Jonker Afrikaner not only brought no relief, but also weakened the Africans, especially since the Nama have meanwhile also started to turn away from the Africans. In view of his increasingly weaker position, Jan Jonker Afrikaner had no choice but to submit to the dictates of the other tribes in the 10-year peace of Okahandja in 1870 . Windhoek was assigned to the Africans as their ancestral seat, Jan Jonker himself was appointed "co-chief" of the Herero and thus subjected to the constant control of Maharero. Maharero also did everything possible to reprimand and humiliate Jan Jonker Afrikaner.
So it is not surprising that in 1880 a small pasture dispute was enough to bring the tension that had built up over the years between Africans and Herero to a violent discharge. Maharero used this incident as an opportunity to order the murder of all Africans who happened to be present in Okahandja on August 23, 1880 - exactly 30 years after the "Okahandja bloodbath" - including relatives of Jan Jonker Afrikaner - and 2 Days later to arrange the destruction of Windhoek. Jan Jonker Afrikaner was able to flee to Rehoboth and tried from there, in alliance with the Rehoboth Baster, the Nama and Orlam tribes, to defeat the Herero by an attack on December 12, 1880 on Barmen and another attack on December 22. November 1881 to oppose at Osona. Both battles, however, ended to the disadvantage of the Nama and Orlam tribes and forced Jan Jonker Afrikaner to flee to the Gamsberg , where he lived on smaller raids in the years that followed. There, however, he came too close to the formerly allied Orlam tribe of the Witbooi ; they had concluded a separate peace with the Herero in 1884 and, under their new captain Hendrik Witbooi, after a successful dispute with the “Red Nation” of the Nama , sought a leadership role in South West Africa. However, given the unfavorable balance of power for him - most of his warriors and even his sons had since defected to the Witbooi - Jan Jonker had no interest in a confrontation with the Witbooi and tried to escape them in the direction of Otjimbingwe. At Tsaobis on the Swakop, however, he was caught up by the pursuing Witbooi and made available.
Jan Jonker Afrikaner was ready to surrender and on August 10, 1889, presented himself for the surrender negotiations. Before it began, however, he was shot by his son Phanuel. With the death of Jan Jonker Afrikaner, the rest of the African tribe sank into insignificance and went under completely in 1897.
annotation
- ↑ Note: This article contains characters from the alphabet of the Khoisan languages spoken in southern Africa . The display contains characters of the click letters ǀ , ǁ , ǂ and ǃ . For more information on the pronunciation of long or nasal vowels or certain clicks , see e.g. B. under Khoekhoegowab .
Individual evidence
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Africans |
Kaptein der Afrikaner ( Kapsteine der Nama ) |
Neels Africans |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Afrikaner, Jan Jonker |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | ǀHaramumab (Nama) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Leader of an Orlamgesellschaft |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1820 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bethany , South West Africa |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 10, 1889 |
| Place of death | near Tsaobis , South West Africa |