INVENTORY OF HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE HARDAP REGION 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE OF PROJECT The National Heritage Council of Namibia has a national mandate of identifying places and objects of heritage significance in the country. In this regard the National heritage council seeks to address the imbalances that are apparent in the national heritage register through identifying heritage places and objects that fit in the broad definition of heritage that was adopted after the National Monuments Act 29 or 1969 was repealed and replaced by the National Heritage Council Act 27 of 2004. The following inventory of cultural and natural heritage sites in the Hardap and Karas Regions was developed in response to the need of updating the national heritage register and including sites and objects whose categories were formerly not catered for in the National Monuments Council Act (1969). 2. METHODOLOGY 2.1 Research Design Identification of cultural and natural heritage sites in the Hardap and Karas Region followed a combination of methodologies and inclusive approaches which comprised of scoping (the determination of the extent of the site and what may be performed), desktop and archival research, consultations with local communities and field work. A systematic approach that focuses on a particular district at a time will be followed in identifying the heritage sites. 2.2 Desktop Analysis An in-depth review of existing primary and secondary literature (including unpublished reports, travelogues of early travellers and diaries of missionaries) from southern Namibia was carried out very early in the research. Existing databases from among others, NGO’s, private holdings, the National Museum of Namibia, National Heritage Council and the National Archives of Namibia were consulted. 2.3 Consultation and Fieldwork Consultations were conducted in order obtain views of local communities and other stakeholders on issues such as values that are attached to possible sites. Stakeholder participation identification of sites was encouraged and performed. The consultants firmly believe that heritage identification should be defined by the local stakeholders. Local historians, private property owners and Traditional Authorities were consulted during the field work season. Thus some of the sites were identified by the local stakeholders while in some cases stakeholder institutions like the Namibia Underwater Federation and the Namibian Scientific Society had the opportunity to suggest possible sites and objects. Fieldwork built on information that was collected through desktop/archival research and consultations. 1 INVENTORY OF HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE HARDAP REGION 3. SCOPING EXERCISE: Heritage Sites in Southern Namibia (Declared National Monuments, According to Vogt, 2004) From the onset the published list of national heritage sites (monuments) reveals an unfair overconcentration on the built heritage that ultimately forms the colonial heritage of Namibia. Despite the fact that Namibia is endowed with rich natural and cultural heritage sites and objects that are indigenous, the heritage list does not reflect this scenario. The scoping exercise (based on the publication by Vogt) that was done for the Hardap and Karas Regions indicated that even between the two regions there is a huge discrepancy. Out of the 27 declared national monuments between the two regions only 2 are located in the Hardap Region. An analysis of the 25 sites in the Karas region showed that the highest frequency of almost half of the monuments represented historical buildings. If churches and military monuments are added to this category then 68% of the monuments in the Karas region represent the built heritage. Natural, archaeological, geological and botanical heritage is less represented. Graph 1 shows the stark difference in the monuments list between the two regions and Chart 1 shows the frequencies of types of heritage in the Karas Region. Graph1: Total number of declared monuments in each of the two regions 2 INVENTORY OF HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE HARDAP REGION Chart 1: Frequency of types of monuments declared in the Karas Region It is evident from the scoping exercise that the Hardap Region needs more attention in this project since it has only two nationally recognised heritage properties. If Cultural heritage is to be used as a driver for meeting the MDG-F goals through linking the heritage properties to cultural tourism then more sites need to be identified in the region. On the other hand the Karas region needs diversification of the heritage properties on its list. There is too much emphasis on the built heritage at the expense of other natural, cultural and historical heritage properties in the region.. 4. CONSTRAINTS It was noted through this exercise that the over-representation of sites in Karas Region compared to the Hardap Region that was observed in the declared monuments list persists. The fact that the Hardap Region has fewer sites than the Karas Region may be a reflection of many reasons but three are prominent namely: (a) What the local communities consider as heritage; the process of soliciting the views of local communities was participatory and what has been recorded reflects the local communities’ views of what represents their heritage sites and objects. (b) There is a higher probability that the scenarios is indicative of the fact that more activities happened at more sites in the Karas Region in historical times than in the Hardap and more importantly (c) Perhaps it is a reflection of the fact that a project of this magnitude needs many months of fieldwork to collect as much data as possible. Besides the stakeholders' contribution wide enough literature research was conducted and from that it is important to note that more has been published on the Karas Region than the 3 INVENTORY OF HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE HARDAP REGION Hardap but this does not preclude the fact that more sites could remain hidden from the public eye in the Hardap region especially those that are on private land. The following inventory is of proposed sites from the Hardap Region and it begins with brief descriptions of sites from the existing National Heritage list 5. DEACLARED NATIONAL MONUMENTS, HARDAP REGION Deaclared National Monuments: Hardap Region (After Vogts 2004) This section presents brief descriptions of the proclaimed sites and objects in the Hardap Region (mainly based on Vogt’s publication „ National Monuments in Namibia“ (2004). Therefore for detailed descriptions please see Vogts 2004. The page numbers for the respective sites and objects are indicated at the end of each brief description in this report. The numbers that are indicated infront of the names of sites or objects are according to Vogts 2004 and they refer to the number of the object or site on the National Heritage List and the their date of proclamation. 4 INVENTORY OF HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE HARDAP REGION Map of Declared National Heritage Sites in Namibia (Source:2001: iv-v) 5 INVENTORY OF HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE HARDAP REGION 5.1. Monument at Kub Location: Farm Voigtskub, Mariental District, Hardap Region Category: Military Monument Significance: Historical Status: Permanent Proclamation Description This monument was erected to commemorate the battle at Kub that was between the Germans and the Nama in 1904. Unfortunately, according to Voigt (2001:93) very little is known about this monument except that is commemorated the war of anti-colonial resistance of 22 November 1904. 5.2 Cemetery at Nomtsas (50/69) Location: Farm Nomtsas, Maltahöe District, Hardap Region Category: Historical Cemeteries Significance: Historical Status: Permanent Proclamation Description The cemetery at Farm Nomtsas contains graves of German pioneers who are associated with the early colonial endeavours and development of mercantile economy in the territory in areas such as farming and trading. (pp.68-69). 6 PROPOSED NEW SITES AND OBJECTS IN THE HARDAP REGION 6.1 Sam Khubis Location: Rehoboth District, close to Reitoog approximately 112km South East of Rehoboth, Hardap Region. Category: Historical, Landscape, Battlefield Significance: Historical and Memorial Description Sam Khubis is a war memorial for the Rehoboth baster community in Namibia. The landscape and its features are part of a memory scape that reminds the Baster community 6 INVENTORY OF HERITAGE RESOURCES IN THE HARDAP REGION of their survival during the attacks by the German Soldiers on 8 May in 1915. In 1885 the German colonial administration had signed a Treaty of Protection and Friendship with the Rehoboth basters which in part entailed that the basters would support the Germans in case of war. At the advent of the First World War the German Soldiers in Namibia expected the Rehoboth Basters to take up arms against the advancing South African Soldiers and even to guard the South African prisoners of war that were at Otjiwarongo. When the Basters refused to cooperate with the order to protect the Prisoners of war at Otjiwarongo the German soldiers attacked them. 30 people are said to have died and wounded on the day of the attacks1. Most families who were fleeing from the attacks found refuge in the natural fortification of the hills at Sam Khubis. Although the attacks lasted only one day the Sam Khubis war is etched in the memory of the Baster people and they gather at the site every year to commemorate the event. Intangible Aspects The site is associated with rituals and performances that are practiced there every year on the 8th of May during commemorations. 6.2 Hoachanas Location: Hardap Region, Kalkrand District, 53 Km east of Kalkrand on the C21 road Category Historical, Landscape, Significance Historical and Memorial, Political Description Hoachanas settlement is perhaps more famous for being the place where the Peace Treaty of 1858 took place between the leaders of the Nama and Herero. Several potential heritage sites are distributed in the settlement and if such sites are connected they can form a Hoachanas cultural landscape. The prime focus of the community is the conservation of the historical fountain which was discovered by hunting dogs.