Hai//om San marginalised as Etosha celebrates centenary

THE 9 000 members of the Hai//om tribe, the largest group of the 30 000 strong San minority in Namibia, have little to celebrate on Friday, when Government throws a party for the centenary of the Etosha National Park, which was their home until they were evicted in 1954.

“There is nothing for us to celebrate,” a member of the Hai//om community told The Namibian. “Etosha was ours, we lost our land and since our eviction 53 years ago we are homeless.”Seventeen years after Independence, the tribe is still marginalised, its members mostly unemployed, eking out a living in tin shacks on the outskirts of Outjo, Otjiwarongo and Tsumeb.A handful of them are employed in the park.According to German social anthropologist Ute Dieckmann, the Hai//om “belonged and still belong to the lowest stratum of Namibian society”.In her book ‘Hai//om in the Etosha Region – a History of Colonial Settlement, Ethnicity and Nature Conservation’, published a few weeks ago, Dieckmann writes that many elderly Hai//kom claim that life (for them) got worse after Independence.”It remains to be seen if the Etosha centenary celebrations 2007 will give the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) grounds to improve their image not only with regard to tourist facilities but also with regard to the living conditions and job opportunities of the residents and former residents of the park,” Dieckmann noted.Her book gives a comprehensive overview of the history of Etosha from German and South African colonial times until after Independence, enriched with many interviews she conducted with Hai//om at different towns, farms and inside Etosha.Dieckmann also mentions the protest the Hai//om held outside the park entrance near Outjo in 1997 to attract attention to their fate.The controversial election of a traditional Hai//om Chief favoured by the Swapo-led Government added to their problems, causing a divide in the community.The vicious cycle of unemployment, low level of education, no access to land and loss of their traditional livelihood as hunters and gatherers aggravated their situation, according to the author.”It is quite foreseeable that that a struggle revolving around claims on Etosha will eventually evolve,” writes Dieckmann.”Given the substantial economic value as Namibia’s primary tourist attraction, it is likely that the Namibian Government will not be very keen on acknowledging rights claimed on Etosha by the Hai//om.”The recently discussed idea of resettling the Hai//kom on (commercial) farms bordering Etosha would need very wise, long-term planning and the involvement of many stakeholders if it is to secure sustainable livelihoods for the Hai//kom,” the author concludes.”Etosha was ours, we lost our land and since our eviction 53 years ago we are homeless.”Seventeen years after Independence, the tribe is still marginalised, its members mostly unemployed, eking out a living in tin shacks on the outskirts of Outjo, Otjiwarongo and Tsumeb.A handful of them are employed in the park.According to German social anthropologist Ute Dieckmann, the Hai//om “belonged and still belong to the lowest stratum of Namibian society”.In her book ‘Hai//om in the Etosha Region – a History of Colonial Settlement, Ethnicity and Nature Conservation’, published a few weeks ago, Dieckmann writes that many elderly Hai//kom claim that life (for them) got worse after Independence.”It remains to be seen if the Etosha centenary celebrations 2007 will give the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) grounds to improve their image not only with regard to tourist facilities but also with regard to the living conditions and job opportunities of the residents and former residents of the park,” Dieckmann noted.Her book gives a comprehensive overview of the history of Etosha from German and South African colonial times until after Independence, enriched with many interviews she conducted with Hai//om at different towns, farms and inside Etosha.Dieckmann also mentions the protest the Hai//om held outside the park entrance near Outjo in 1997 to attract attention to their fate.The controversial election of a traditional Hai//om Chief favoured by the Swapo-led Government added to their problems, causing a divide in the community.The vicious cycle of unemployment, low level of education, no access to land and loss of their traditional livelihood as hunters and gatherers aggravated their situation, according to the author.”It is quite foreseeable that that a struggle revolving around claims on Etosha will eventually evolve,” writes Dieckmann.”Given the substantial economic value as Namibia’s primary tourist attraction, it is likely that the Namibian Government will not be very keen on acknowledging rights claimed on Etosha by the Hai//om.”The recently discussed idea of resettling the Hai//kom on (commercial) farms bordering Etosha would need very wise, long-term planning and the involvement of many stakeholders if it is to secure sustainable livelihoods for the Hai//kom,” the author concludes.