Location: The Kavango tribe is located between Namibia and Angola along the Okavango River. Kavango covers an area of about 16,000 square miles in the northeastern section of Namibia. In this location, they only have two seasons, summer and winter. During the summer months, it is usually hot and sunny. When February comes, the rainy season begins and lasts only until March. Beginning in May, winter is generally dry and warm throughout the day and at night the temperatures may drop to extremely cold temperatures. Along the coast, the weather is mostly cool and dry year round.
History: The Kavango tribe settled first at Mashi before migrating. This tribe originated from the Wambo tribe, which was from east Africa. The Wambo tribe occupied the region by the Kwando River.
Language: The language of Kavango is one of numerous languages in the Namibian region. Other languages in the area include Ovambo, Bamara, and Herero. Due to German and European settlement in the late 1800's and early 1900's, English has become the official language in Namibia.
Daily Life: The Kavango tribe leads an extremely busy life. The majority of their food sources come from fishing, raising cattle, and hunting big game such as elephants, buffalo, and antelope, along with many other species. They also obtain food by growing maize (Indian corn), millet, and sorghum. The jobs that the Kavango undertake include farming, mining, working in the timber industry and also in urban centers. Their economy is based mainly on horticulture and raising domesticated animals like cattle. The food grown there in one year is only enough to satisfy the people for one year. Each year, they have to begin the process all over and hope for a plentiful harvest and hope for healthy animals. The Kavango's culture continually plays an important role in the way they proceed forward into the future. They carry with them a complex belief system that has been passed down through the generations.
Best Known Feature: Kavango is known for their unique woodcarving and craftsmanship in objects such as bowls, masks, furniture, etc.
Sources:
http://www.go2africa.com/namibia/kavango/kavango-area/
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,56117+4+54745,00.html
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/2/0,5716,45932+1+44889,00.html?query=ka vango
http://www.1uptravel.com/international/africa/namibia/history-culture.html
By: Janice Green