Nami-Daman |Ûmi-oms / Heritage House

At Nami-Daman |Ûmi-oms / Heritage House we support
Indigenous Nami-daman cultural heritage and histories,
marginalised through Namibia's experiences of colonialism and apartheid.

Inspired in part by the collaborative research projects Future Pasts and
Etosha-Kunene Histories, we aim to bring together heritage materials, including films and music, as well as maps of former dwelling places and documented plant knowledge.

Nami-Daman |Ûmi-oms / Heritage House is supported by the Future Pasts Trust,
a legally registered entity in Namibia whose objective is to support activities related to Nami-Daman cultural heritage continuation and vitalisation

in Sesfontein Constituency and Sesfontein Conservancy.

If you would like to support our efforts please visiting our
Just Giving page, or email us here.

NEW!

A BEE SONG – new single out by Banco de Gaia & Future Pasts

The outcome of a musical collaboration between composer and recording artist Banco de Gaia and Future Pasts, we are excited to share A BEE SONG,
available at:
Spotify https://spoti.fi/3w94Uns

Apple https://apple.co/3w94VI2

Amazon https://amzn.to/4b9BzrW

Other platforms https://lnk.to/abeesong

This recomposition draws on a 1954 recording we found at Basler Afrika Bibliographien of a Damara/ǂNūkhoe |gais

or 'praise song' that celebrates bees.

Sung by a Viktoria ǁHoeses, the song reminded Sian and Suro of being taken
honey-harvesting by the late

Nathan ǂÛina Taurob of Sesfontein,

north-west Namibia. As he lit a fire to calm the bees, they began to hum loudly inside

the mountain where his hive was located. We've tried to recreate this sound of the mountain humming with bees in A Bee Song.

Featured ~

A Bee Song - out now!

New single by Banco de Gaia and Future Pasts - a share of proceeds will go to the Future Pasts Trust to support Nami-daman cultural heritage.

New film! Lands That History Forgot – Three Journeys With Nami-Daman Elders in North-west Namibia

New film from oral history and heritage mapping research through the Future Pasts (futurepasts.net) and Etosha-Kunene Histories (etosha-kunene-histories.net) projects.

4 minute trailer here: https://vimeo.com/890049250

The film documents past dwelling and livelihood practices in north-west Namibia, and relocates graves of known ancestors. It works with three elders now living in Sesfontein:
* Franz ǁHoëb remembers living in areas that are now part of the Skeleton Coast National Park and harvesting !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus) in the Hoanib and !Uniab rivers;
* Ruben Sanib previously lived in the land area of Hurubes in the northern part of the Palmwag Tourism Concession;
* and Julia Tauros grew-up in the Puros area on the Hoarusib River.

The first language of these three elders is Khoekhoegowab. The histories and present experiences of ǁUbun and Damara / ǂNūkhoe Indigenous residents of north-west Namibia tend to be somewhat overlooked for north-west Namibia. "Lands That History Forgot" seeks to redress this situation.

Our title "Lands That History Forgot" evokes a book influential in this research about peoples' past mobilities and lifeworlds in west Namibia: namely, archaeologist John Kinahan's "Pastoral Nomads of The Central Namib Desert: The People History Forgot" (books.google.co.uk/books/about/Pastoral_Nomads_of_the_Namib_Desert.html).

The Music Returns to Kai-as - film

In May 2019, the Future Pasts project, with local organisations in north-west Namibia (the Sesfontein Conservancy, the Namidaman Traditional Authority, and Save the Rhino Trust Namibia), supported the Hoanib Cultural Group from Sesfontein to return to Kai-as – a place where people once lived.

Kai-as is mentioned as an important place in peoples’ pasts in oral history research with elderly people now living on the edge of a major tourism concession. Kai-as and its strong spring of sweet water feature in peoples’ memory as where they would meet when rain season foods became available in this arid landscape. These congregations are remembered as times when people would play their |gais praise songs and arus healing dances. 'Our hearts were happy there', they said.

In the decades since, access has been restricted to places important in peoples’ pasts as land areas were claimed for mining, commercial farming, conservation and tourism.

Our film "The Music Returns to Kai-as" documents the first ‘Kai-as Festival’ held from 22-24 May 2019, in which Sesfontein’s Hoanib Cultural Group returned to play – once again – their |gais songs and arus healing dances there. It celebrates peoples’ resilience in the face of the extreme marginalisation and exclusion effected by processes of colonisation and apartheid.

For more information see blog at: futurepasts.net/post/the-music-returns-to-kai-as-a-film-by-future-pasts

30 minute version here: https://vimeo.com/565658576

New book! Etosha Pan to the Skeleton Coast

To be published in a few months' time – "Etosha Pan to the Skeleton Coast: Conservation Histories, Policies and Practices in North-west Namibia", edited by Sian Sullivan, Ute Dieckmann and Selma Lendelvo.

Etosha Pan to the Skeleton Coast examines the conservation histories and concerns of one of southern Africa’s most iconic conservation regions: the variously connected ‘Etosha-Kunene’ areas of north-central and north-west Namibia. This cross-disciplinary volume brings together contributions from a Namibian and international group of scholars and conservation practitioners, working on topics ranging from colonial histories to water management, perceptions of ‘wildlife’ and the politics of belonging. Together, these essays confront a critical question: how can the conservation of biodiversity-rich landscapes be reconciled with historical injustices of social exclusion and marginalisation?

The book is organised in five parts: the first provides a historical backdrop for the book’s detailed case studies, focusing on environmental and conservation policy and legislation; the second investigates post-Independence approaches to conservation; the third focuses on ‘Etosha-Kunene’ ecologies and related management issues; the fourth explores how historical circumstances shape present conservation and cultural landscapes; and the fifth addresses contemporary complexities of lion conservation and community-based natural resource management (CBNRM).

By offering a comprehensive overview of evolving conservation boundaries, policies and practices in the region, this timely volume paves the way for the future design of conservation initiatives that more fully consider and integrate historical and cultural knowledge and diversity. Essential reading for conservation practitioners, policymakers, and academic researchers alike, this volume also serves as a valuable resource for university students interested in conservation studies and histories of conservation.

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Hoanib Cultural Group at film screening in Sesfontein 26 December 2020.jpg

Nami-Daman |Ûmi-oms / Heritage House

A BEE SONG – new single out by Banco de Gaia & Future Pasts

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