The Herero (Otjiherero: Ovaherero) are a Bantu ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern Africa.

Though the Herero primarily reside in Namibia, there are also significant populations in Botswana and Angola, and a small number in South Africa.

Groups in Angola include the Mucubal OvaKuvale, Zemba, OvaHakawona, OvaTjavikwa, OvaTjimba and OvaHimba, who regularly cross the Namibia/Angola border when migrating with their herds.

In the beginning of the 19th century, the Nama from South Africa, who already possessed some firearms, entered the land and were followed, in turn, by white merchants and German missionaries.

At first, the Nama began displacing the Herero, leading to bitter warfare between the two groups, which lasted the greater part of the 19th century.

Primarily in Damaraland, German settlers acquired land from the Herero in order to establish farms.

Controversies frequently arose because of disputes about access to land and water, but also the legal discrimination against the native population by the white immigrants.

[citation needed] In the late 19th and early 20th century, imperialism and colonialism in Africa peaked, affecting especially the Hereros and the Namas.

[22] Samuel Maharero, the Paramount Chief of the Herero, led his people in a large-scale uprising on January 12, 1904, against the Germans.

[clarification needed] It was when the majority had escaped through the only passage made available by the Germans, and had been systematically prevented from approaching watering holes, that starvation began to take its toll.

They have murdered and stolen, they have cut off the ears, noses, and other body parts of wounded soldiers, now out of cowardice they no longer want to fight.

Historically cattle raids occurred between Herero clans, but Hereroland (Ehi rOvaherero) belongs to all the Ovaherero and has no fixed boundaries.

He wrote, "When I asked him if he was married, he winked at me slyly and the other natives laughed heartily and declared to me subsequently that he does not love women, but only men.

[34] The dress of the Herero proper, and their southern counterparts the Mbanderu, incorporates and appropriates the styles of clothing worn by their German colonizers.

Today, on ceremonial occasions, Herero men wear military-style garb, including peaked caps, berets, epaulettes, aiguillettes and gaiters, "to honour the fallen ancestors and to keep the memories alive.

"[35] Herero women adopted the floor-length gowns worn by German missionaries in the late 19th century, but now make them in vivid colors and prints.

[36] Ohorokova dresses are high-necked and have voluminous skirts lavishly gathered from a high waist or below the bust, incorporating multiple petticoats and up to ten metres of fabric.

For everyday wear, dresses are ingeniously patchworked together from smaller pieces of fabric, which may be salvaged from older garments.

In urban Windhoek, fashion designers and models are updating Herero dress for modern, younger wearers, including glamorous sheer and embellished fabrics.

"[37] Kavari has won the Best Herero Dress competition three times in a row, but has been criticised for raising the hem of the garment to the knee.

These differ mainly in phonology, and are largely mutually intelligible, though Kuvale, Zemba, and Hakaona have been classified as separate languages.

[citation needed] Herero people believe in Okuruuo (holy fire), which is a link to their ancestors to speak to Ndjambi on their behalf.

In celebrations such as marriages, cattle is normally eaten, whereas religious or ancestral veneration ceremonies involve the sacrifice of cows or other animals.

In cases of herding or searching for lost domestic animals, the Herero engage horses to carry out these activities.

The Herero people used to hunt to acquire meat, hide, and horns that are bartered for goods such as sugar, tea, and tobacco.