The Herero people are located in southwest Africa encompassing portions of the western Kalahari desert within the country of Namibia bordering on Botswana on the east. Two of the primary settlements are Okakarara and Otjinene. They are Bantu-speaking people, whose subsistence is based on herding. They rely mainly on the meat and milk of large herds of cattle, sheep and goats. In the mid-19th century, horticulture was introduced and eventually it was utilized as part of their subsistence strategy. They grew corn (maize), millet, and cowpeas.
The Herero have lived in the Namibia area for over 350 years. It is believed that they came here from the east African lakes region. They originally settled in the Kaokoland area, a rugged outback area and one of the last remaining wilderness areas in southern Africa. One hundred and fifty years ago the Herero moved to their present location in Namibia.
The social organization of the Herero is based upon autonomous units with residential groups based around extended families. Descent was patrilineal but the preferred mate for a man was from his father's matrilineal clan. Polygyny was common. The traditional religion was a form of ancestor worship, however, some Herero have begun to practice Christianity.
At the end of the 19th century, the Herero were under the colonial rule of the Germans. By 1904, the level of alienation between the Germans and the Herero caused a rebellious struggle between the Herero and the encroaching Germans that lasted for 3 years. The conflict was a result of both the racist attitudes by the Germans as well as a cattle plague, called the rinderpest. Three-quarters of the Herero population was exterminated and the rest were forced to resettle in the mostly inhospitable portions of the Kalahari desert. The retaliation of the German commander, General von Trotha resulted in what was called the "first genocide of the twentieth century."