Khoekhoegowab Language, History & Culture

Discover Khoekhoegowab: its history, culture and where it is spoken. Explore 84 words and phrases, then learn through play with NAMQULA.

Khoekhoegowab is a Khoe language, distinct from the Bantu languages spoken by many of its neighbours. In Namibia it is shared by Nama and Damara communities, with related varieties spoken by Haiǁom and other communities. The collective name recognises a shared language without reducing the different histories and identities of its speakers to a single community.

History & culture

Khoekhoegowab carries knowledge through oral narrative, praise, place names, song and conversation. Nama and Damara communities have their own histories and cultural practices; sharing a language does not make those histories interchangeable. Colonial dispossession and violence reshaped speakers’ lives, including the devastating persecution of Nama communities during the genocide of 1904–1908. Ancestral music remains one important domain of cultural memory. The practice known as Aixan /gâna/ōb ǂans tsî //khasigu connects musical knowledge with social occasions and intergenerational teaching. Today the language also has a place in schooling, broadcasting, literature and contemporary creative expression.

Where it is spoken

Namibia is the main centre of Khoekhoegowab, with communities across the south, central and northwestern parts of the country, including Hardap, ǁKaras, Erongo, Kunene and Otjozondjupa. Nama varieties are also spoken in South Africa and Botswana. Urban communities extend beyond these regional associations.

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