The People

For centuries, Namibians and wildlife have shared the land. Until recently only a few thousand people, mostly of the Himba culture, lived in the far northern areas of the region, so elephants and other wildlife used to roam about almost undisturbed. 

Himba women preparing food at their homestead
in the Kunene (Picture by IRDNC).


The Himbas, semi-nomadic pastoralists, largely retaintheir traditional lifestyle. They are among the wealthiest cattle herders in Africa, as well as among the most successful subsistence farmers in Namibia due to their common property management systems which have  survived into modern times.  

In the central and southern areas of the region, the South African government established homelands for Damara and Herero peoples, who farm the arid land with their herds of cattle, sheep and goats. Their homesteads, villages, kraals and livestock dot the rocky landscape. Some families grow small gardens, but crop farming is almost impossible because of the extreme aridity.
The picture below to the right shows a Damara family using the most common mode of transport in this region.

Some desert-dwelling elephants recently have moved further south and east onto farms settled by commercial cattle farmers of primarily South African and German descent. As elephant numbers have increased due to sound conservation practices, they are expanding their range, perhaps retracing previous migration routes to seasonal water and food resources. These routes are now disrupted by fences, livestock and other infrastructure.

A Herero family in front of their home
in the Omatendeka conservancy 
(B. Fox)