Kavango

people

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June 30, 2026

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The Kavango people are the primary inhabitants of the Kavango geographic region in northeastern Namibia. They are a Bantu-speaking group comprising six distinct tribes. The Kavango people practice dryland cultivation of cereals and raise some cattle, as they have not utilized the irrigation potential of the Okavango River. English is the national language of Namibia, but Kavango languages are spoken by a significant portion of the population. Wood carving is a notable local handicraft among the Kavango people.12

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Kavango
The Bantu-speaking Kavango people, who are the main inhabitants of the area, comprise six different tribes. They practice dryland cultivation of cereals, as the irrigation potential of the river has not been utilized. Some cattle are also raised. The western part of the Caprivi Strip is inhabited…
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The Bantu-speaking Kavango people, who are the main inhabitants of the area, comprise six different tribes. They practice dryland cultivation of cereals, as the irrigation potential of the river has not been utilized. Some cattle are also raised. The western part of the Caprivi Strip is inhabited…
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Namibia
Ethnic and linguistic composition
…two-thirds are Ovambo, with the Kavango, the Herero, the Damara, and the Caprivian peoples following in population size. Other ethnic groups have much smaller populations. Afrikaners and Germans constitute two-thirds and one-fifth of the European population, respectively. Most ethnic Europeans are Namibian citizens, though some have retained South African citizenship.
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…two-thirds are Ovambo, with the Kavango, the Herero, the Damara, and the Caprivian peoples following in population size. Other ethnic groups have much smaller populations. Afrikaners and Germans constitute two-thirds and one-fifth of the European population, respectively. Most ethnic Europeans are Namibian citizens, though some have retained South African citizenship.
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Namibia
Independence before the conquest
To the east the related Kavango peoples had a somewhat similar but weaker state system. On the margins of Namibia—i.e., the Caprivi Strip in the far east and on the margins of the Kalahari—the local peoples and groupings were spillovers from southern Zambia (Barotse) and Botswana (Tswana).
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To the east the related Kavango peoples had a somewhat similar but weaker state system. On the margins of Namibia—i.e., the Caprivi Strip in the far east and on the margins of the Kalahari—the local peoples and groupings were spillovers from southern Zambia (Barotse) and Botswana (Tswana).
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