Words: Khumoetsile Seamogano
Visuals: Book by Jim Naughten, Conflict and Costume,
The Herero People of Namibia.
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For the Herero people of Namibia, Botswana, and Angola, traditional dress is far more than fashion. It is a tapestry of memory, resistance, and cultural continuity. In 1904, the Herero nation rose against German colonial forces in a fierce struggle to reclaim their ancestral land. What followed was not just a battle, but one of the first genocides of the 20th century.
An intriguing record by a soldier from the German Schutztruppe stated a day in battle: “Simultaneously the Hereros burst forth; they left the protective thorn abatis and trenches and ran towards [the Germans]—not in a wild, thick mass like the Dervishes at Omdurman, but in a long skirmishing line, crouching and bounding, with great skill… I have roasted in the sun; bullets have whistled around me all day, but I have not set eyes on a single Herero.” The resistance lasted for months. Eventually, German forces encircled the community, driving men, women, and children into the unforgiving Namib desert. Nearly 80% perished from hunger, thirst, and exposure—a haunting loss still etched in the collective memory. Yet the Herero people endured, survived, and are now thriving.
Dress as Remembrance
Today, Herero men wear cavalry-style military uniforms in homage to the German soldiers they defeated, reclaiming symbols of power with quiet audacity.
Herero women, regardless of the season, continue to don voluminous Victorian-era dresses, often adorned with vibrant patterns, paired with headscarves shaped like cattle horns. The headpiece honours the cow, which is an ancestral sacred symbol of an abundant life, status, and wealth. They dance mimicking the graceful, deliberate gait of cattle, further embodying traditions gifted by their forefathers.
A Lens on Legacy
In 2011, photographer Jim Naughten captured this enduring visual language in Conflict and Costume, a book that honours the resilience and beauty of Herero dress. To witness the Herero people is to witness a community who proudly, wears their history in every thread, and fold.
