Hendrik Witbooi was a king of the Namaqua

Namaqua

Nama are an African ethnic group of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. They traditionally speak the Nama language of the Khoe-Kwadi language family, although many Nama now speak Afrikaans. The Nama are the largest group of the Khoikhoi people, most of whom have largely disappeared as a group,...

 people, a sub-tribe of the Khoikhoi

Khoikhoi

The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...

. He lived in present day Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

. His face is portrayed on the obverse of all Namibian dollar

Namibian dollar

The dollar has been the currency of Namibia since 1993. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively N$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

 banknotes.

Names

King Hendrik Witbooi (also spelt Witboi) was also known by the Nama name ǃNanseb gaib ǀGâbemab, the Herero

Herero language

The Herero language is a language of the Bantu family . It is spoken by the Herero people in Namibia and Botswana...

 name Korota, the Herero pejorative

Pejorative

Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...

 Otjikorota, and the nickname Kort.

Family and early life

The family of Hendrik Witbooi made its mark as important members of native Nama

Namaqua

Nama are an African ethnic group of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. They traditionally speak the Nama language of the Khoe-Kwadi language family, although many Nama now speak Afrikaans. The Nama are the largest group of the Khoikhoi people, most of whom have largely disappeared as a group,...

 tribes. His grandfather, David Witbooi, was Chief of the tribe, who led the tribe across the Orange River

Orange River

The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...

 into Namaland. His father, Moses Witbooi, was also a Chief of the tribe. His uncle, Jonker Afrikaner

Jonker Afrikaner

Jonker Afrikaner was the fourth Captain of the Orlam Afrikaners in South West Africa, succeeding his father, Jager Afrikaner, in 1823...

, was also a well-known Nama Chief, and opponent of Hendrik Witbooi. Jonker Afrikaner was in turn the son of the famous Jager Afrikaner

Jager Afrikaner

Jager Afrikaner was the third Captain of the Orlam Afrikaners in South West Africa, succeeding his father Klaas Afrikaner at around 1800...

. Hendrik Witbooi himself had seven sons and five daughters, including his son Isaak Witbooi.

Witbooi was born circa 1830 in Pella, Northern Cape

Pella, Northern Cape

Pella is an oasis in Namakwa in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Originally called Cammas Fonteyn, the spring was used by a nearby stronghold of San people...

, in the Cape Colony

Cape Colony

The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...

, today part of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. He was educated as a Lutheran by German missionary Johannes Olp, and was well-versed in many languages, including his native Nama

Namaqua

Nama are an African ethnic group of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. They traditionally speak the Nama language of the Khoe-Kwadi language family, although many Nama now speak Afrikaans. The Nama are the largest group of the Khoikhoi people, most of whom have largely disappeared as a group,...

. He was a member of the Nama people, also known as the Khoikhoi

Khoikhoi

The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...

.

The /Khowese Nama and other Nama tribes often fought amongst each other and with Herero tribes. After almost being killed in a conflict with the Hereros, he had a vision that he had been chosen by God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

 to lead his people north.

Rise to influence

Witbooi moved North on May 16, 1884, with a faction of the /Khowese tribe. This was against the wishes of his father, Moses, who remained opposed to Hendrik's plans. As evidenced from his diaries (which contain a large portion of the surviving documents of Witbooi) he still admired his father greatly, in spite of their political difference. On February 22, 1887, Moses' chief rival, his subchief Paul Visser, had Moses killed and deposed. Hendrik retaliated on July 12, 1888, shooting Visser. This led to Hendrik becoming chief of the /Khowese people. He began to consolidate other Nama

Namaqua

Nama are an African ethnic group of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. They traditionally speak the Nama language of the Khoe-Kwadi language family, although many Nama now speak Afrikaans. The Nama are the largest group of the Khoikhoi people, most of whom have largely disappeared as a group,...

 tribes under his control as well.

German conflicts

In 1893, while they were still sleeping, very early in the morning, the /Khowese people were attacked by the Germans at Hornkranz. Nearly all of the women and children were massacred, although Hendrik managed to escape with most of his fighting men. He campaigned against the Germans for two years, until the treaty of Gurus, 15 September 1894 where he agreed to a conditional surrender, and also to render military support for the Germans, later against other smaller tribes, like the eastern Mbanderu Herrero, Afrikaaners, Swarbooi's, etc.

In October 1904, after serving as a branch of the German army fighting against the Herero for the last three years, Witbooi and the Nama revolted against German rule in Namibia.

Witbooi was killed in action in 1905, near Vaalgras, near Koichas. His dying request were: "It is enough. The children should now have rest." He was replaced by Fransman Nama until the Nama surrendered in 1908.

External links

• The Diaries of Hendrik Witbooi (ISBN 0-915118-12-2)