Nama traditions

The Namas are an African ethnic group spread over Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. Frances also spoke to us about certain aspects of the culture and traditions of the Nama people. One very interesting aspect relates to their marriage. If a Nama sees a girl whom he likes and wants to marry, the right thing for him to do is to inform his parents about it and they in turn approach the girl’s father. If the girl has more than one suitor, then the father will decide the matter by asking the suitors to kill an oryx. Oryx is the national animal of Namibia and with very pointed horns and even the lion is wary of attacking this animal.

The suitor who is the first to hunt down an oryx and return with its tail becomes eligible to win the girl’s hand. Here Frances stresses that it is important that as soon as the oryx is killed, its tail must be cut, if it cannot be carried away by the hunter. Else, it is possible for any other person to claim the dead oryx as his own. This tradition ensures that the girl marries a person who is a good hunter and will be able to provide food for the family.

Frances also had an interesting piece of advice for the women to keep the peace in the family-“SWEET TONGUE…..KEEP SMILING”