[4] Witbooi was born in Pella in South Africa in 1780 where several small clans had moved from Cape Town in the second half of the 18th century.
At the time of their marriage the respective tribal councils agreed to merge into one larger group and decided that Gamab's and U-eis' first-born son should assume the chieftaincy of the united clan.
[4] Under his leadership the clan trekked first to Griqualand[4] and then, around 1810,[6] across the Oranje to Namaqualand in South-West Africa.
[6] Their fellow Nama chiefs feared that an alliance of Jonker Afrikaner and Kido Witbooi, both admired for their intelligence, would diminish their own influence in South-West Africa.
Kido passed both territories undisturbed and reached Khaxa-tsûs in 1863, which he renamed Gibeon.