Namibia Holiday & Travel - People of Namibia - The Topnaars
Described by anthropologists as the modern descendants of the oldest population group in Namibia, the Topnaars are a hardy group of Khoesan people who have lived on the banks of the Kuiseb River for many years. It is said that centuries ago the Strandlopers, groups of beachcombers who lived a nomadic existence along the seashore, were among the Topnaars’ ancestors. Today the Topnaars tend their sheep and goats in this harsh environment. Some members of the community work in Walvis Bay. The Topnaar people have many unique traditions and customs linked to their existence in the Namib. Belonging to the Khoekhoe people, they speak the Nama language with its guttural clicks and high musical pitch.
Central to the Topnaars’ culinary tradition is the !nara melon, a large, nutritious fruit that is endemic to the Namib and is said to have medicinal properties. The annual harvesting of the melons in the dunes south of Walvis Bay and the traditional methods of preparing them have survived and are practised to this day. Poems in praise of the !nara form part of the Topnaar culture.
