Medicinal Plants of Namibia | Page 5

The!Ova!Herero!were!considered!to!be!Bantu!at!the!beginning!of!the!20th!century!
but!were!often!referred!to!synonymously!as!Damara!due!to!their!rich!history!of!
intermingling!culture18,!25.!!As!pastoralists!who!may!have!migrated!to!Namibia!
during!the!midS1860s,!they!keep!their!herds!in!the!Northeast!where!water!is!most!
abundant!by!way!of!rivers!and!rainfall!but!not!substantial!enough!for!rainfall!
agriculture3,!17,!18.!!Their!tribal!history!was!markedly!disturbed!by!war!with!German!
occupiers!during!the!late!1800s,!which!introduced!a!disease!epidemic!of!rinderpest!
to!their!cattle!as!well!as!typhoid!and!small!pox!to!their!people3,!17,!18,!20.!!The!area!that!
they!inhabit!would!mainly!be!considered!the!highlands!of!Central!Namibia,!which!is!
bounded!on!either!side!by!the!Namib!and!Kalahari!deserts17.!!The!marked!water!
availability!allows!for!access!a!diverse!set!of!plants!for!medicine