The first European visitors to Namibia were the Portuguese. The Wambo now constitute the largest tribal group in Namibia with many present government officials originating from this group of people.
These people were the ancestors of the Nama tribe.īy the 1870's a new Bantu group, the Wambo, probably descended from East African migrants, had settled in the North of Namibia along the Kunene and Okavango Rivers. Most of the Khoisan and the Damara people (whose origins are unknown) were displaced and only a few remained to hold out against the Herero. There followed conflicts with the Khoisan for the best grazing land and water holes. Around 1600AD Bantu speaking cattle raisers from the Zambezi occupied the North and West of Namibia, these people were known as the Herero tribe. The majority of the Khoisan retreated further into the desert or to Botswana, those who remained in the more accessible areas of the country risked enslavement by the Bantu tribes. Many of the San were absorbed into the Khoi-Khoi way of life, and latter references are made to the 'Khoisan' people, an amalgamation of the two original tribes.īantu tribes arrived in Namibia around 2,300 years ago, bringing with them the first tribal structures in Southern African societies. The Khoi-Khoi relied on raising cattle rather than hunting for survival, and they were probably responsible for making the oldest pottery fragments found in the archaeological record. Over time the San came under pressure from Khoi-Khoi (Hottentot) groups, ancestors of the present day Nama tribes, who are thought to have moved into Namibia from the south. They were always incredibly well adapted to their harsh environment, and the many skills which have been passed down through the generations are still relied upon today in a few of their remote settlements. Initially the San lived in widespread groups of low population density, moving around frequently. The earliest inhabitants of Namibia were the San people, also known as Bushmen, a small number of whose descendants still survive in remote areas of the country living a traditional, nomadic lifestyle.
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