The Nama people

The Nama are the largest surviving group of Khoekhoe people, the original inhabitants of Southern Africa. Unlike their hunter-gatherer counterparts in the Kalahari, the San, the Nama practice a transient, pastoralist way of life that has been relatively unchanged for centuries.

Here in the Richtersveld, Nama goat herders move their portable haru om huts with the seasons, making them the last Khoekhoe people to do so. In fact, the Richtersveld’s World Heritage Site status is thanks in great part to this nomadic lifestyle, which holds rich cultural value in the history of the region.