Topnaar

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Kuiseb from the air

The Topnaar , actually ǂAonin , are a clan of the Nama . They are a recognized traditional community led by a traditional leader , the Kaptein .

The Topnaar traditionally settle on the Kuiseb , had their headquarters in Sandwich Harbor and are the only people who are allowed to live permanently in the Namib-Naukluft Park . Around 500 of the 1500 Topnaar are said to still live here. Their largest settlement is Utuseb , which has had a school since 1978, but no other public infrastructure such as sewage, drinking water and electricity.

Topnaar means something like people of the highest point .

history

The history of the Topnaar is said to go back as far as 8000 years. There are different theories about their origin.

They could have started to settle on the Kuiseb between 1820 and 1830 due to its shallow groundwater. First, the Topnaar settled at the mouth of the Swakop in what is now Swakopmund . The missionary Heinrich Schmelen is said to have had contact with the Topnaar for the first time around 1824 while looking for habitable land.

According to other theories, they may have moved to the Kuiseb from Cape Fria in the far north of Namibia. Or they had been settling on the Kuiseb for 2000 years and lived primarily on what the Atlantic had to offer. About 1000 years ago they moved inland and dedicated themselves to livestock farming. This is also supported by the proper names Hurinin for people of the coast and ǃKhuisinin , people of the Kuiseb .

economy

The Topnaar are considered to be one of the poorest and least developed peoples in Namibia. Economically, as a community, they are heavily dependent on the Kuiseb Delta concession area awarded to it , which above all brings tourism income. The !Nara -Melone continues to play an important role and is considered a staple of the clan. In addition, goats in particular are kept for self-sufficiency.

annotation

  1. ↑ 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 .

literature

  • J. Henschel, R. Dausab et al .: ! Nara. Fruit for development of the! Khuiseb Topnaar , Namibia Scientific Society, Windhoek 2004, ISBN 99916-40-33-9 .
  • Johan S. Malan: Die Völker Namibias , Klaus Hess Verlag, 3rd edition, Windhoek / Göttingen 2005, ISBN 9783933117106 .
  • Walter Moritz: Drifted Tracks in the Namib Desert - Old Settlements on the Kuiseb , From Old Days in Southwest, Volume 13, Self-published Werther, Windhoek 1997, ISBN 99916-750-0-0 .
  • Heinrich Vedder: The old South West Africa. South West Africa's history until Maharero's death in 1890 , Namibia Scientific Society, 6th edition, Windhoek 1991, ISBN 0-949995-33-9 .
  • Randolph Vigne: The Hard Road to Colonization: The Topnaar (Aonin) of Namibia, 1670–1878 , in: Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History , Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000, issue 1, number 2. ( available online )

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Topnaars on the Brink. New Era, April 2, 2014. ( Memento from September 5, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  2. ↑ Eveline de Klerk: Rural community wants police station . In: New Era , January 25, 2013. 
  3. ↑ Randolph Vigne: The Hard Road to Colonization: The Topnaar (Aonin) of Namibia, 1670–1878 , in: Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History , Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000, Issue 1, Number 2. ( available online )
  4. ↑ List of Conessions. Ministry of Environment & Tourism. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  5. ↑ Topnaar must use dividends to buy homes . In: New Era , September 2, 2014. 
  6. ^ Nara Plant, Acanthosicyos horrida, Namibia . Siyabona Africa, Kruger Park Safaris. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.