Damara

One of the oldest cultural groups in Namibia, the majority of the Damara people live in the northwestern regions of the country, where they live and work in towns, on commercial farms, in mines, as well as at the coast.

They have no cultural relationship with any of the other tribes anywhere else in Africa. It is believed that the Damara left their original abode in northwestern Africa long before other tribes started their migrations to western and southern Africa. They no longer possess their traditions of origin, nor former linguistic and cultural affiliations. In earlier times in Namibia, the Damara people are believed to have been hunter-gatherers, thereafter dominated by and working for the Nama and the Herero.

Early missionaries taught the Damara people to grow crops and vegetables and their successful efforts can be seen wherever water availability permits. The development of tourism since 1990 has drawn many Damara people into related activities such as tour guiding and nature conservation. The Damaraland region is well known for its minerals and semi-precious stones and many Damara have turned to small-scale mining, selling their stones along the roads leading into and out of their settlements.