Manasse ǃNoreseb
Encyclopedia
Manasse ǃNoreseb Gamab (also Manasse of Hoachanas, circa 1840–1 December 1905) was the thirteenth Kaptein
of the Khaiǁkhaun (Red Nation), a subtribe of the Nama people in Namibia
, between 1880 and 1905. At the start of Imperial Germany
colonisation of South-West Africa, Manasse was one of the most powerful leaders in the area, and he was one of the first to recognise the negative influence of colonisation on peace and unity in Africa.
in 1860 and married a Christian convert. When he was expelled from church in 1864 he also left his wife. Manasse then took a second wife and lived with the San people in the area of Hoachanas.
When chief ǂGoraxab ǁOasib (Barnabas) died in 1871, Manasse ǃNoreseb declared his candidacy to succeed him. Due to earlier conflict the missionaries at Hoachanas prevented him from becoming chief and installed ǀGâberob ǂGoraxamab (Petrus) in his place. When Petrus died in the Battle of Otjikango
in the Herero–Nama War of 1880, Manasse again attempted to gain chieftaincy of the Khaiǁkhaun and succeeded. According to oral evidence, Manasse ǃNoreseb gave the order, or at least did not object to, the killing of Petrus.
, leader of the ǀKhowesin (Witbooi Nama), as enemy. In 1882 he therefore signed a peace treaty with the Ovaherero under Maharero
, staunch enemies of Witbooi. Chiefs Hendrik Windstaan of the ǁOgain (Groot Doden) and Jakobus Isaak of the ǀHaiǀkhauan (Berseba Orlam) also joined this treaty. In 1885, Manasse ǃNoreseb signed a peace treaty with the German Empire
which had in 1884 established the colony of German South-West Africa
.
Fearing an attack by Witbooi he fled Hoachanas in 1889 and settled at Seeis
, which was situated in an area under the control of Maharero. After Witbooi's troops were defeated by the Germans in 1894, Manasse returned to Hoachanas in 1895.
Witbooi attacked Hoachanas several times and broke the resistance of the Khaiǁkhaun. He installed a rival chief, ǃHoeb ǁOasemab (Fritz Lazarus ǁOaseb) and confiscated the land of the Red Nation. Heinrich Vedder
opined that Witbooi's intention was to defeat the Nama tribes one by one, lease the land back to them after he conquered it, and gain the position of a Nama Paramount Chief in the process. The German protection treaty did not help Manasse ǃNoreseb; the Germans never had the intention to help single parties within the same tribe. They created a reserve at Hoachanas in 1902 and thereby confirmed the settlement as the home village of the Red Nation. By that time, however, the hostilities between the Nama clans had already severely weakened the position of the indigenous people in southern central Namibia against the German colonisers.
broke out in which the Germans attacked the indigenous Herero and Nama in German South-West Africa
, Manasse ǃNoreseb and Hendrik Witbooi ceased their hostilities and fought together against the Schutztruppe
("protection force", the unit deployed to the German colony). Manasse, with only 100 armed men, took over the defense of the central eastern area of Aranos
, Leonardville
, Aminuis
, and Hoachanas.
Witbooi, by then in his seventies, died in action on 29 May 1905 near Vaalgras
, Manasse ǃNoreseb fell on 1 December 1905 at the Battle of ǃGu-ǃoms near Aminuis. Both are regarded heroes of the struggle against colonisation in Namibia.
The German Empire's Schutztruppe defeated both the Nama and the Herero during this war. Survivors were detained in concentration camps, much the same way as the British had set up camps for forced labour in their colony of South Africa
, during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902. Thousands of people, including women and children, died in these concentration camps from illness, neglect, and malnutrition. This extermination of Herero and Nama has been described as genocide.
After the defeat in the war, Namas were displaced all over the country, and even deported to the German colonies of Togoland
and Kamerun
. Thus the ethnical structures of the Nama people were destroyed; the Red Nation only got a new chief in 1922. It was Fritz Lazarus ǁOaseb, the one–time rival of Manasse installed by Witbooi. According to oral evidence, Manasse's head was cut off after he fell, the flesh was removed by cooking, and the skull was sent to Germany for research on racial superiority. When his remains were dug up in 1999 for reburial in Hoachanas, the skull was missing from the corpse.
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
of the Khaiǁkhaun (Red Nation), a subtribe of the Nama people in 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...
, between 1880 and 1905. At the start of Imperial Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
colonisation of South-West Africa, Manasse was one of the most powerful leaders in the area, and he was one of the first to recognise the negative influence of colonisation on peace and unity in Africa.
Early life and ascendance to chieftaincy
Manasse was the son of chief Gameb ǁNanimab and his wife Gamis. He was baptised at the mission station of HoachanasHoachanas
Hoachanas is a settlement of 3,000 inhabitants in the Hardap Region of southern central Namibia, located northeast of Kalkrand. It is situated at the junction of the main road C21 from Kalkrand, and C15 from Dordabis to Stampriet and belongs to the Mariental Rural electoral constituency.Inhabited...
in 1860 and married a Christian convert. When he was expelled from church in 1864 he also left his wife. Manasse then took a second wife and lived with the San people in the area of Hoachanas.
When chief ǂGoraxab ǁOasib (Barnabas) died in 1871, Manasse ǃNoreseb declared his candidacy to succeed him. Due to earlier conflict the missionaries at Hoachanas prevented him from becoming chief and installed ǀGâberob ǂGoraxamab (Petrus) in his place. When Petrus died in the Battle of Otjikango
Gross Barmen
Gross Barmen is a historic settlement and a recreational spa in central Namibia. It is situated on the District Road 1972, 25 km south-east of Okahandja in the Otjozondjupa Region...
in the Herero–Nama War of 1880, Manasse again attempted to gain chieftaincy of the Khaiǁkhaun and succeeded. According to oral evidence, Manasse ǃNoreseb gave the order, or at least did not object to, the killing of Petrus.
Hostilities among the Nama tribes
From the start of his chieftaincy, Manasse ǃNoreseb had the powerful Hendrik WitbooiHendrik Witbooi (Namaqua chief)
Hendrik Witbooi was a king of the Namaqua people, a sub-tribe of the Khoikhoi. He lived in present day Namibia. His face is portrayed on the obverse of all Namibian dollar banknotes.-Names:...
, leader of the ǀKhowesin (Witbooi Nama), as enemy. In 1882 he therefore signed a peace treaty with the Ovaherero under Maharero
Maharero
Maharero was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.-Biography:...
, staunch enemies of Witbooi. Chiefs Hendrik Windstaan of the ǁOgain (Groot Doden) and Jakobus Isaak of the ǀHaiǀkhauan (Berseba Orlam) also joined this treaty. In 1885, Manasse ǃNoreseb signed a peace treaty with the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
which had in 1884 established the colony of German South-West Africa
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
.
Fearing an attack by Witbooi he fled Hoachanas in 1889 and settled at Seeis
Seeis
Seeis [ˈseːaɪs] is a small settlement in the Khomas Region of central Namibia. It is situated on the B6 national road east of Hosea Kutako International Airport on the turnoff of the dirt road D1458. The Seeis Rivier, an ephemeral river, cuts the settlement...
, which was situated in an area under the control of Maharero. After Witbooi's troops were defeated by the Germans in 1894, Manasse returned to Hoachanas in 1895.
Witbooi attacked Hoachanas several times and broke the resistance of the Khaiǁkhaun. He installed a rival chief, ǃHoeb ǁOasemab (Fritz Lazarus ǁOaseb) and confiscated the land of the Red Nation. Heinrich Vedder
Heinrich Vedder
Hermann Heinrich Vedder was a German missionary, linguist, ethnologist and historian. Originally a silk weaver, he received missionary training in Barmen between 1894 and 1903, whereafter he was sent to German South-West Africa...
opined that Witbooi's intention was to defeat the Nama tribes one by one, lease the land back to them after he conquered it, and gain the position of a Nama Paramount Chief in the process. The German protection treaty did not help Manasse ǃNoreseb; the Germans never had the intention to help single parties within the same tribe. They created a reserve at Hoachanas in 1902 and thereby confirmed the settlement as the home village of the Red Nation. By that time, however, the hostilities between the Nama clans had already severely weakened the position of the indigenous people in southern central Namibia against the German colonisers.
Herero–Nama War of 1904–1907
When the Herero and Nama WarHerero and Namaqua Genocide
The Herero and Namaqua Genocide is considered to have been the first genocide of the 20th century. It took place between 1904 and 1907 in German South-West Africa , during the scramble for Africa...
broke out in which the Germans attacked the indigenous Herero and Nama in German South-West Africa
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
, Manasse ǃNoreseb and Hendrik Witbooi ceased their hostilities and fought together against the Schutztruppe
Schutztruppe
Schutztruppe was the African colonial armed force of Imperial Germany from the late 19th century to 1918, when Germany lost its colonies. Similar to other colonial forces, the Schutztruppe consisted of volunteer European commissioned and non-commissioned officers, medical and veterinary officers. ...
("protection force", the unit deployed to the German colony). Manasse, with only 100 armed men, took over the defense of the central eastern area of Aranos
Aranos
Aranos is a settlement in Hardap Region, Namibia. Since August 2010 it has town status. The place normally receives an annual average rainfall of , although in the 2010/2011 rainy season were measured.-Politics:...
, Leonardville
Leonardville
Leonardville is the name of the following settlements:* Leonardville, Kansas* Leonardville, Namibia...
, Aminuis
Aminuis
Aminuis is a settlement in the Omaheke Region of Namibia and the district capital of the Aminuis electoral constituency. It is the hometown of politicians Steve Mogotsi and Kuaima Riruako, and matron Hulda Shipanga....
, and Hoachanas.
Witbooi, by then in his seventies, died in action on 29 May 1905 near Vaalgras
Vaalgras
Vaalgras is a village in Namibia's Karas Region. Located 60km northeast of Keetmanshoop, the village is also home of the Vaalgras Traditional Authority. It is home to a community of the Oorlam people, a group descends from the OvaHerero, Nama and other groups....
, Manasse ǃNoreseb fell on 1 December 1905 at the Battle of ǃGu-ǃoms near Aminuis. Both are regarded heroes of the struggle against colonisation in Namibia.
The German Empire's Schutztruppe defeated both the Nama and the Herero during this war. Survivors were detained in concentration camps, much the same way as the British had set up camps for forced labour in their colony of South Africa
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa is the historic predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State...
, during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902. Thousands of people, including women and children, died in these concentration camps from illness, neglect, and malnutrition. This extermination of Herero and Nama has been described as genocide.
After the defeat in the war, Namas were displaced all over the country, and even deported to the German colonies of Togoland
Togoland
Togoland was a German protectorate in West Africa from 1884 to 1914, encompassing what is now the nation of Togo and most of what is now the Volta Region of Ghana. The colony was established during the period generally known as the "Scramble for Africa"...
and Kamerun
Kamerun
German Cameroon was a West African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon.-History:-1800s:...
. Thus the ethnical structures of the Nama people were destroyed; the Red Nation only got a new chief in 1922. It was Fritz Lazarus ǁOaseb, the one–time rival of Manasse installed by Witbooi. According to oral evidence, Manasse's head was cut off after he fell, the flesh was removed by cooking, and the skull was sent to Germany for research on racial superiority. When his remains were dug up in 1999 for reburial in Hoachanas, the skull was missing from the corpse.