Herero

The Herero are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group primarily found in Namibia and, to a lesser extent, in Botswana. Their language, also called Herero, belongs to the Niger‑Congo family and is spoken by around 300,000 people. Traditionally pastoralists, the Herero cultivated cattle as a central element of their social and economic life, a practice that shaped rituals, identity and status within the community.

The Herero migrated to the central plateau of present‑day Namibia in the 17th and 18th centuries, establishing a federation of chiefdoms. European contact began in the late 19th century, when German colonial forces arrived and sought to control the region’s resources. Tensions over land and cattle led to armed resistance, culminating in the 1904–1908 Herero and Namaqua genocide. German troops, under General Lothar von Trotha, pursued a policy of extermination that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 65 percent of the Herero population and the loss of most of their cattle. Survivors were displaced, confined to concentration camps, and many perished from disease and forced labor.

After World War I, South Africa administered the territory, later granting Namibia independence in 1990. In post‑colonial Namibia the Herero have regained some land and cattle, and there is an ongoing process of cultural revitalization, including music, dance, and oral literature. The community also seeks reparations from Germany for the genocide, a matter that has attracted international attention and diplomatic negotiations. Contemporary Herero society combines traditional practices with participation in Namibia’s political, economic, and educational systems.