Kavango :: overview

Forming the border between Namibia and Angola for more than 400km is the Okavango River, lifeline of the Kavango people, who make a living from fishing, cattle farming and cultivating sorghum, millet and maize on the wide fertile plains on either side.

Closely related to the Owambo, the Kavango also originate from the large lakes of East Africa. They first settled near the Kwando River in Angola, moving south of the Okavango River between 1750 and 1800.

Today the Kavango consist of five individual tribes. Each tribe is ruled by a traditional chief or chieftainess, assisted by headmen. The chief has the overall ruling power over his tribe and custodial power over the land that falls within the jurisdiction of that tribe.

The traditional economy in Kavango is based on a combination of horticulture and animal husbandry. An important local industry is woodcarving. Much of the population growth in the Kavango has been due to immigration from Angola.