Otuzo twOvaherero provides valuable information on Ovaherero
patriclans and records folklore and praise poems in Otjiherero.
Previously, these did not exist in written form. The book attempts to
preserve these oral traditions before they disappear. It aims to restore
pride to the Ovaherero, particularly in patrilineages that were
displaced by the Ovaherero-German war of 1904-1907.
Otuzo twOvaherero is structured around the Ovaherero patrilineal
descent system (otuzo) which is the basis of the Ovaherero religion
Oupwee. The surnames and homesteads that belong to the same
patrilineage are grouped together under each patriclan to help the
reader to easily trace the homesteads that belong to one patriclan (and
thus have a common ancestry). The distinct features of each patriclan
are specified in terms of totems, taboos, patriclans which collaborate,
and praise poems of homesteads.
All the patriclans and praise poems in this book were collected from
Ovaherero communities living in Namibia. The author uses the term
'Ovaherero' to include the various groups which speak the common
language Otjiherero and which include the Ovahimba, Ovaherero, Ovatjimba
and Ovambanderu.
This book has the potential to promote unity within the Ovaherero
community by showing how families are connected in lineages which trace
back centuries.
