Herero / German colonial history

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The Herero (originally Mbandu called) is the Bantusprache Herero speaking African Hirtenvolk today about 120,000 humans. The majority of them lives in Namibia, some also in Botswana and Angola. They earn their living costs usually as workers on large farms or in the cities as dealers and craftsmen. A people often treated as grading group are the Himba living in the Kaokoveld, also Ova Herero mentioned.

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History

Center 16. Century immigrate the Herero - probably together with the Ovambo, with those at least certain language distorting shank demonstrably an actual from Central Africa to the Betschuanaland (the today's Botswana). There they separate from agriculture-end themselves Ovambo, which continue to pull for their part to the west to the Kunene. Due to arguments with the Betschuanen it comes to the separation of the Mbandu: some of them moves in 17. and 18. Century as Herero into the north today's Namibia and settles there first south the Kunene, in the Kaokoveld. The Mbandu remaining in the Betschuanaland pulls to the outermost west border of the country, which near-hands at that time to to the today's place Okahandja. This Volksteil is called Mbanderu or also Ostherero. In outgoing 18. Century becomes Okahandja the center of the Hererovolkes. Guardian of the ancestor fire and thus upper chieftain of all Herero are Tjamuaha. Due to a longer dry period around 1830 the cattle-breeding Herero (Herero originally means owners of cattle) stretches their pasture areas ever more strongly to the south out and displaces thereby those there since 1700 settling Nama. These come with beginning 19. Century the Orlam trunks advancing from the South African cape province, above all the African under its chieftain Jonker African, to assistance. To the Nama and Orlam, the Herero to approximately on the height Windhoek back urge succeed together.

19. Century is in Namibia coined/shaped by constant arguments and mutual raids between Herero on the one hand and the Nama and Orlam on the other hand. This martial development considerably promoted by the dealers coming with support of the mission acres into the country: they sell firearms beside alcohol above all and take for it cattle in payment. Extreme trade profit margins and high credit interests omit the trunks fast to become impoverished and solve numerous raids between the trunks, so that the chieftains can pay their debts. The Orlam African are most successful thereby - they succeed in the middle 19. Century the nearly complete extermination of the Herero (see Vedder, the old southwest Africa, P. 369: The Hererovolk has to exist, as far as we know it.) only after the death of the famous-notorious African chieftain Jonker African in the year 1861 succeeds to the Herero under its chieftain Maharero in cooperating with to Otjimbingwe resident Swedish entrepreneur Andersson one and its private army as well as the red nation of Hoachanas (Nama) stopped a return to old strength and consequently 1870 a complete subjecting of the Orlam African (10-yearly peace of Okahandja).

End 19. Century come first, a durable settlement European aiming at into the country. In the Damaraland as well as in the central high country around the city Windhoek around acquire German settlers of the Herero country for the structure of farms. In the year 1883 the buyer Franz Adolf Eduard closes load-cuts a contract with native masteroldest, the basis of later German colonial rule becomes. Southwest Africa becomes 1884 - after acknowledgment by the English crown - German protected area as German southwest Africa.

Despite the first good agreement between the German colonial administration and the Herero it comes soon to conflicts between the German colonialists and the Herero Hirten. It concerns frequently land and water laws (e.g. in connection with the building of the Otavi course), in addition, (e.g. legal) the discrimination (e.g. ungeahndete sexual encroachments on Herero women), Missionierung, suppression and exploitation of the native ones through the white ones. In particular the year 1897 affects itself particularly devastatingly: and large grasshopper troubles it lead the cattle plague coming from South Africa to the fact that nearly 70% of the livestocks of the Herero are lost. This and the credit sales forced by the dealers lead to a lasting depletion of the Herero and force these to further land sales as well as to the Lohnarbeit with German Farmern.

These conflicts flow in January 1904, released by the awkwardness of the German district boss into Okahandja, first lieutenant into the Hereroaufstand, which takes its beginning under guidance of the chieftain Samuel Maharero with the plundering of the city Okahandja. The Vorplanung took place interestingly enough via brieflichen and telephone exchange between the master leaders, some the documents is today still received.

To the initial military strikes of the Hereros against the Kolonisten the Niederbrennen of all farms and settlements belonged in their environment, whereby approx. 150 men, women and children were partly cruelly murdered.

After the initial successful attack of the well organized and insurgent army equipped with firearms against are subject in terms of figures far, because by a smaller rebellion of the Bondelswarte in the south of the country bound colonial force sends the German Reich an expedition corps under governor Colonel Theodor Leutwein under lieutenant general Lothar von Trotha with approximately 15,000 men, who back-pushes the Herero rapidly.

Of the Germans to wading hereditary suppl. looked for decisive battle can extract themselves the Herero by escape, however die a large number of them in waterless Omaheke quilting blocked by the German colonial force and the Orlam Witbooi allied with them. Many Hereros, soldier, women such as children were cut off by the wells and are verdurstet.

In the war and afterwards die between 25.000 and 100.000 (probably 65,000) Herero and 1,749 Germans. Samuel Maharero the escape succeeds to only about 1,000 Herero in the Betschuanaland with its chieftain. Some remainders of the Herero turned exhausted and courageless back and arose. The Witbooi fighting on German side is frightened over the extent of the destruction and tries to flee, since they fear a similar fate. They are disarmed and shipped as work slaves to German East Africa (Tanzania).

This circumstance is considered as trip of the following Nama rebellion. Since the Herero had spent the instruction to preserve priests these were falsely accused of of the Kollaboration and partly taken in detention.

In the Betschuanaland the survivors Herero lead a minority existence under guidance of Samuel Maharero. A return to southwest Africa is not permitted them - also not, when southwest Africa comes to the First World War under South African administration. Samuel Maherero dies 1923 in the exile, on 23 August 1923 after Okahandja is transferred and under line of the new Hosea Kutako with large ceremony buried there.

Hererotag

To the memory of the battle of wading hereditary suppl. and of the Herero chieftains Tjamuaha, Maharero, Samuel Maharero and Hosea Kutako bestatteten in Okahandja is committed annually in August with emphasis Okahandja the so-called Hererotag. It actual against the outside appearance - no routistic meeting, but by the master consciousness of the Herero carried and in their ancestor cult a justified memory. Nevertheless a play, which does not let the seriousness of the ceremonies appear compelling necessarily, is offered to the unbedarften observer; in particular which are based uniforms and with their martialischen instructions doubts about it wake the parade "of the troop players" with their nearly operettenhaft working, but on German tradition. Besides the colourful elevator "of the Green flags is" and "talks flag" (of Hosea Kutako 1920 and 1923 created Herero women - Trachtenvereine; its exterior characteristic is the masteruniform color of the Tracht: green for the Gobabis or east Herero ("Green flag"); red for the Okahandja or central Herero ("talk flags")) an irresistible attraction for each photographer, so that the interest in the historical background remains rather marginal. Also the Herero ensures with the choice gesponserten by a beverage company "measures Herero" for the fact that during all memory also the fun does not come too briefly.

To 100. Anniversary thought also the German minister for development co-operation Heidemarie Wieczorek Zeul locally the dead ones and itself thereby for the first time for the political and moral debt of the German colonial administration well-known. She asked the people of the Herero for assigning for the crimes committed by Germans. Such "remuneration-relevant formulation" (quotation: Minister of foreign affairs Joschka Fischer) had been avoided by German government representatives in the past always. A separate financial remuneration for the Herero, how raised from their chieftain Riruako pursues since 1995 and before American courts unsuccessfully, rejects it, in agreement with the position of the Federal Government and the government of Namibia, further; instead one wants to continue "development co-operation" with Namibia.

Literature

Toubab Pippa: The malice in the heart of humans - Hendrik Witbooi and the black-and-white history of Namibia, Kraft publishing house, ISBN 3-922708-31-5