Hendrik Witbooi (Nama chief)

Lore & Background

Hendrik Witbooi was a chief of the ǀKhowesin, a subgroup of the Nama people. He was born into a prominent family; his grandfather David Witbooi and father Moses Witbooi had both been chiefs. He was educated as a Lutheran by a German missionary and became fluent in several languages, including his native Nama. After a near-fatal clash with the Herero, he experienced a vision that he was divinely chosen to lead his people northward. He married and had twelve children, including a son named Isaak. Witbooi was known by the Nama name and the nickname “Kort,” meaning short, and was also called Korota or Otjikorota by the Herero. He worked as a teacher before rising to leadership. Following a power struggle after the death of a prominent chief, he defeated his chief rival and became chief of the ǀKhowesin in 1888. He then united other Nama groups under his authority, eventually styling himself “Chief of Great Namaqualand.” He led an uprising against German colonial forces from 1893 to 1894, which ended in a conditional surrender. Thereafter, he provided military support to the Germans against other tribes. When the Herero uprising began in 1904, he initially fought alongside the Germans, including at a decisive battle. However, he soon led another Nama revolt. He was killed in action on 29 October 1905. His dying wish was that the children should have rest. His diaries and correspondence, known as the Hendrik Witbooi Papers, are preserved in Namibia’s national archives and were recognized by UNESCO as documentary heritage of global importance. He is honored as one of Namibia’s national heroes, and his portrait appears on several denominations of the Namibian dollar banknotes.

Reader's Guide

His diaries and surviving correspondence, collectively known as the Hendrik Witbooi Papers, are preserved in the National Archives of Namibia and were added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register in 2005. Witbooi is recognized as one of nine national heroes of Namibia, honored with a granite tombstone and portrait at the Heroes’ Acre near Windhoek. His image appears on the obverse of all N$50, N$100, and N$200 Namibian dollar banknotes. As a chief of the ǀKhowesin, a Nama subgroup, he united various Nama groups after a power struggle, leading them in an uprising against German colonial authorities from 1893 to 1894, which ended in a conditional surrender. He subsequently fought alongside the Germans against other tribes, including at the Battle of Waterberg in 1904. However, in September 1904 he led another Nama revolt, which resulted in defeat and the Nama genocide, with around half the prewar population killed. Witbooi was killed in action on 29 October 1905. His dying request was that the children should now have rest. His writings provide a crucial firsthand account of these conflicts and his leadership.

Did You Know?

• Witbooi was also known by the Nama name ǃNanseb ǀGâbemab and the nickname Kort.
• He was educated at Rhenish Missionary and Wesleyan Methodist schools in Namibia and studied at the Wilberforce Institute in Evaton, South Africa.
• His dying request was: 'It is enough. The children should now have rest.'