History

Before primeval times the giving on meteorite is here broken open. Before its impact the earth's surface it had burst into many smaller and larger fragments, which came down here in a far scattering field with Gibeon and formed the largest well-known meteorite scattering field of the earth. The first fragments were found 1838 and on an age of 4.6 billion year estimated. Altogether 26 tons meteorite material were found. Some pieces are publicly issued in the pedestrian precinct of the state capital Windhuk (post office Mall).

In the year 1863 the settlement of the Orlam trunk of the Witbooi under its chieftain Kido Witbooi, zugewanderten from the cape country, took place. This jerky trunk made Gibeon the starting point of a multiplicity of historically important events in southwest Africa.

In Hoachanas resident upper chieftain of the Nama, Oasib, had assigned that to its sovereignty being subordinate field of Gibeon the Witbooi and had expected as return the acknowledgment its chieftain shank and the stabilization of its combat capability. The latter appeared to it particularly importantly, because 30 years had seized before here already once Herero Hirten with its large cattle herds foot, after their very many far homeland pastures lying in the north due to the large from 1829/30 no more to were not to be used. The Nama however was too weak, in order to be able to set itself against these intruders to resistance. So they had to call the famous-notorious Orlam chieftain Jonker African and its trunk to the assistance, in order to be able to become again loose the herrische people of the Herero. A further reinforcement by the Witbooi could be Oasib only right, because it with their assistance its goal of becoming controlling power in completely southwest Africa more near to come wanted.

When the Witbooi established itself here 1863, the place was called still Kowesin. However Gibeon gave the Witbooi pulling tight Missionar Jacob Knauer (Rheini mission) to the new master seat of the Witbooi the names (after a place close Jerusalem, to which a alttestamentliche meaning was attached).

The place had however a heavy starting phase: still in the year of the foundation a young girl zugewandertes from South Africa brought in the smallpox. The illness spread fast generally speaking to country and demanded alone in Gibeon 122 victims under the Witbooi. Because the Witbooi refused persistently itself recognizing the upper rule Oasibs he attacked one year later with its allied ones - the Groote Doden under Aimab and the Veldschoendragers under Hendrik Ses - the place, him and destroyed him to a large extent. Kido Witbooi however wanted to be in the future better prepared against such disciplining measures and connected themselves with the neighbouring of the Bersebaner (under Paul Goliath) and Bethanier (under David Christian). This Oasib still more again enraged, so that it led a second punitive expedition in July 1865 with its allied ones against Gibeon. After initial success however the sheet turned in favor of the Witbooi and Bersebaner; they struck Oasib into the escape and could from it the robbed cattle herds again remove. Oasib recovered from this defeat and meant for it caused disgrace by all crucial third assault on Gobabis on 25 September 1866. The Witbboi and its allied ones however were probably prepared and Gibeon had vacated, in order not to let the straight again developed place become again the theater of war. Oasib was over the fact like that hereditary east that he let lead the women and children remained there completely destroy the place and into the shank. This again released an unrestrained rage and a destroying attack on Oasib with the Witbooi. It fled until Rehoboth and by the energetically placing behind Witbooi and Bersebanern was finally struck there. Oasib could save itself with scarce emergency after Hoachanas, where he deceased briefly thereafter. In peacetime of Gibeon in December 1867 the Nama recognized the Witbooi on as new masters of the south.

On 31 December 1875 Kido Witbooi in Gibeon died in 91." Lebensjahr. Its son Moses, likewise already 68 years old, became its successor and tried to develop the powerful position of its trunk. It had however a by far less lucky hand than its father and underestimated in particular the competition of other - in particular Paul Visser, who by arbitrary raids its prosperity to mehren and which authority of the chieftain sought to weaken, and Moses' son Hendrik Witbooi, which purged after a God experience in the year 1880 increasingly into religious illusion, but however likewise lastingly after strove. Moses Witbooi tried to strengthen by two attacks on the Herero 1880 and 1881, its position - however both raids failed and strengthened with it the positions of its competitors. For a successful raid Paul Vissers against the Ostherero felt to accuse and on 22 February 1888 execute let so strongly that he dared it to proceed openly against his chieftain it of these the master betrayal. Now only Hendrik Witbooi stood to it in the way. The attack on it on 12 July 1888 in Gibeon failed however: Paul Visser was killed and thus was Hendrik Witbooi at the goal of its desires.

Also it strove to develop its position of power and provided by successful assaults on the African (1889) and Herero (1890) a good output position - however for the increasing displeasure of the mission acres, which gave the station up Gibeon 1889, and which in southwest Africa foot seizing German colonial power. That Hendrik Witbooi sought to meet thereby that he itself with its enemy defeated briefly before - who Herero - allied (1892) and vacated all too uncertain the location Gibeon become, in order to entrench itself with horn ring and afterwards in the Naukluftgebirge. The colonial force however was after arrival of reinforcement in a the position to storm the positions of the Witbooi and to force afterwards Hendrik Witbooi on 19 September 1894 for the conclusion of a protection and an assistance pact. In addition the Witbooi had to establish itself for better control again in Gibeon; Gibeon received for this a fastened colonial force station to 1893. The German operational readiness level in the place became also by the 1900 created German boarding school clearly. Against all expectations Hendrik Witbooi adhered to the assistance pact with the Germans and supports these with all following military enterprises by Gestellung of Freiwilligen, so also with the crucial battle to wading hereditary suppl. in the year 1904. Because of the committed here by the Germans the Witbooi left however the troop, was even imprisoned taken and as work slaves to Togo shipped. This Hendrik compelled Witbooi in Gibeon to explain the Germans on 3 October 1904 officially the war and numerous farms in the environment of Gibeon attack to leave. Thus Gibeon became the starting point of the Namakrieges lasting to 1908, which would have to actually be called Orlamkrieg. Hendrik Witbooi fell in this war already in October 1905, whereupon its successor Isaak Witbooi capitulated in the December of the same yearly. The Namakrieg was continued however by Simon Koper and Jakobus Morenga.

Gibeon came then only in April 1915 into the footlights of history, as the German colonial force here in the 1." World war was included breaking out by superior forces of the South African army and only under heavy losses of the boiler and northward flee could.

Articles in category "Gibeon (Namibia)"

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