Oshiwambo language
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Oshiwambo or Oshivambo is a cluster of several very closely related languages in Angola and northern Namibia, notably Kwanyama (or Oshikwanyama), Ndonga and Kwambi.
Over half of the people in Namibia speak Oshiwambo, particularly the Owambo.[citation needed]
[edit] History
After Namibia’s independence in 1990, the area previously known as Owamboland was divided into the regions of Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto. The population, estimated at between 700,000 and 750,000 fluctuates remarkably. This is because of the indiscriminate border drawn up by the Portuguese and Germans during colonial rule, which cut through the Kwanyama tribal area, placing some in Owambo, Angola and others in Namibia, which results in regular cross-border movement.
[edit] Dialects
There are seven dialects in Oshiwambo. The main tribes are the Kwanyama (which means "eaters of meat"), the Ndonga, the Kwambi, the Ngandjera, the Kwaluudhi, the Mbalanthu, the Nkohonkadhi and the Eunda, who are within the tribal area of the Nkolonkadhi. Each has its own dialect but there are only two written languages, namely, OshiNdonga and OshiKwanyama. These languages are also quite similar to the Herero language.
The Owambo are agriculturists and cattle breeders. They plant mahango, a type of millet, which is their staple diet and which they very much prefer above maize. Mahangu is used for brewing beer which is commonly enjoyed. Other crops include maize and sorghum, beans, melons and onions. When the floodwaters from Angola fill the low-lying areas (oshonas), fishing becomes and important economic activity and when the waters subside, the cattle graze on the fresh grass. This then leads to the supply of manure for the gardens which are cultivated on the higher ground between the oshonas. Many men seek employment on mines, farms and in factories and commercial enterprises. Exposure to the business environments created by the Europeans triggered an astonishing development of entrepreneurial activity amongst them and trading in goods is feverishly practiced. So keenly did they take up the challenge and so effectively did they manage enterprises (ranging from small mobile outlets, like a basin carried on the head, or bicycles hung with tantalizing wares bought from shops in the towns near their place of work, that they were thought to be the lost tribe of the Israelites. There are very few families today which are not involved in some form of retailing activity. Many very large wholesale and retail enterprises have developed over the years and a number of the businessmen have extended into other areas of Namibia and some have ventured into Angola The social and cultural evolution which has taken place over the past thirty years or so has changed much of the traditional way of life and many of the typical homesteads have made way for more modern suburbs and villages, the old huts being replaced with brick and corrugated iron structures and the agricultural and cattle herding activities moving away to the rural areas. However, many traditional villages exist and demonstrate the orderliness of their social structure. Family groups live in homesteads that are enclosed with wooden pole fences and are designed to facilitate observance of strict social customs and efficient domestic practices.
