Chapter 6 Kunene, Oshana and Oshikoto Regions
Chapter 6 Kunene, Oshana and Oshikoto Regions By Ute Dieckmann Farm Six – a Hai||om San settlement in Oshikoto Region 6.1 General background In the 19th century and early 20th century, the Hai||om San as an ethnic group lived in the region stretching from the area then known as Owamboland to present-day Etosha, Grootfontein, Tsumeb, Otavi, Outjo and Otjiwarongo (Dieckmann 2007b: 35-36) (see map next page). Today the Hai||om are concentrated in parts of Kunene, Oshikoto and Oshana Regions, constituting the majority San population of these regions, therefore these three regions are dealt with in a single chapter. Estimations of the number of Hai||om in Namibia vary. Budack’s estimate in 1980 was 11 000 (see Widlok 1999: 23), and the census of 1991 (the latest available data on Hai||om) found 7 506 Hai||om speakers (see Widlok 1999: 19). However, the Hai||om language is closely related to Nama/Damara (also of the Khoekhoegowab language family), and our study found that many Hai||om, in response to the census question of “main language spoken at home”, had stated that it was “Nama/Damara”. Chapter 6: Kunene, Oshana and Oshikoto Regions 173 The parts of Kunene, Oshana and Oshikoto Regions inhabited by Hai||om Source: LAC, MLR and NSA. Map design: Florian Fennert A Hai||om family collecting firewood near Tsintsabis in Oshikoto Region 174 “Scraping the Pot”: San in Namibia Two Decades After Independence 6.1.1 Kunene Region Kunene Region is situated in the north-west corner of Namibia. In terms of size it is the country’s second-largest region (approximately 13.9% of Namibia’s total land area), covering an area of about 115 260 km2 (National Planning Commission (NPC) 2012b: 43).
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