People Of Namibia Namibians Baster Bushmen Culture Tours Tradition Cultural Heritage

The Basters are a loyal people and very shielding of their cultural heritage.

It is believed that as early as 1652, the year of Jan van Riebeeck’s entry at the Cape in South Africa, this race came into being. The progenitors were the early Dutch and other European men at the Cape who intermarried and interbred with indigenous Khoisan women. Some intermarrying with early Cape Malays, brought to the Cape by the Dutch from the East Indies, also took place. 

The Rehoboth Basters are part of the outbreed of the later. The term “Baster” is the preferred term and used with pride by the Baster Community. They adopted the language and customs of their forefathers which included the execution of Christian beliefs. Early missionaries documented their strong Christian learning and were compassionate towards them, often being of help in their efforts to find peace and safety. Thus it was that they collected around mission stations south of the Orange River at Pella, De Tuine and Amandelboom.

In 1868, famine and favouritism forced the Basters to move north across the Orange River into Namibia where they eventually settled.By 1870 they had reached Rehoboth, south of Windhoek. At first they leased the Rehoboth area from a Nama leader, Willem Swartbooi, but after the Herero leader, Maharero, gave the Swartboois alternate land on which to settle, the Rehoboth area was given to the Basters as a grant by Maharero.

Successive interbreeding with German settlers and Schutztruppe established numerous German surnames, for example; Denk, Rittmann, Benz,  and many others to the mainly Dutch (Afrikaans) surnames such as Cloete, Beukes, van Wyk, Esterhuizen, Maasdorp de Klerk among others. During the nineteenth century, many Scotsmen were involved in the Guano mining activities off the coast of Namibia and a number of them came inland to make Namibia their home. Some of them married Basters and hence the Scottish surnames like Campbell, Alcock, McNab. Other surnames of European origin are also encountered.

Many Basters work in Windhoek, commuting 180kms daily in passenger cars, vans and small buses. Artisans, such as bricklayers, carpenters, etc. have built many a Windhoek building, while numerous sales and administration positions are filled. Some Basters are multifaceted in stock farming: some in cattle and most in sheep and goats.

Bushman / San

The san are a small tribal group, numbering about 40,000, are more commonly known as Bushmen. They encompass of one larger and four smaller groups. The larger group is that of the !Kung, found in Kavango northeast and down the eastern side of Namibia to the Gobabis district. They are also found across the border in western Botswana.            

Bushman

The  Heikom (//Kx’au//’en) who are the smaller group historically roamed in the area of the Etosha National Park and the surrounding districts to the east. The Khoe, or Mbarakwengo, are the River Bushmen and are found around the eastern perimeter of the Kavango region, spreading into Botswana and western Caprivi. The Naro’ group are found in the area east of Grootfontein and Gobabis and also in Botswana. A very small, near-extinct group, the /Auni, is found in the lower Nossob district.

The Bushmen are well balanced, and have bend and elusive limbs – ideal physical features for endurance running. Most have high cheekbones and are of light complexion. Newborn and young children are especially light in complexion. The Bushmen rely more on the gathering of roots, seeds, nuts and other edible plants than on hunting. They often go without meat for lengthy periods but cannot survive for long without foraging for veld food, as this is also a source of water for them.

The Bushman is the only ethnic group in Namibia which has no traditional area which they call home. For perhaps thousand of years they have followed the migratory routes of the animals they hunted even though these activities deficient with the agricultural developments that took place.

The proclamation of game reserves also closed off large areas to them and slowly, increasingly they were obliged to seek employment on farms. Their extraordinary field craft, particularly tracking skills, were welcomed by the farming community. Some took employment as servants for other ethnic groups whilst others became trackers in police and military units.

Sadly, the numbers of San people are deteriorating and unless some way can be found to create a homeland for them, Namibia’s oldest inhabitants will gradually become extinct.