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Damara (Namibia)

by mark sensen

Explanation of Damara's flag

Explanation of Damara's flag

The proposed flag for Damaraland differs from those of Owambo, Kavango and Caprivi in that it was designed by the South African Bureau of Heraldry.
A request to design arms and a flag was made to the South African State Herald on 2 May 1979. With the request were rough designs and some background information on Damaraland, pointing out that it was essentially a stony semi-desert area with low rainfall. Furthermore, agriculture revolved mainly around cattle, goats and karakul sheep. It was also pointed out that the Damara consist of eight tribes. No mention was made of the 1864 flag and neither was the Bureau of Heraldry then aware that such a flag had existed.
On the strength of the information received, the State Herald devised draft arms and a draft flag based on the shield of the arms. The official description of the flag was as follows:
Quarterly per Scandinavian cross, white and brown, the intersection surmounted by a pale raguly of eight, counterchanged, the projections opposite each other.
In essence a pale raguly was suggested in the shield of the arms to represent the Damara, with the eight projections representing each of the eight tribes. Although the colour brown is not often encountered in heraldry, in this case it was suggested to represent both the arid countryside and the Damara's links with nature.
In October 1979 the State Herald was informed that the draft designs had been accepted by the Damara Representative Authority. However, neither the arms nor the flag were taken into official use because of opposition from certain members in the Legislative Council. The arms were nevertheless incorporated in the Council's mace, while the flag was flown as a unifying symbol at Damara festivals, though not as an official flag.
The matter was overtaken by constitutional changes which occurred in South West Africa /Namibia on 31 May 1980. In terms of Proclamation AG.8, certain provisions of the South West Africa Constitution (1968) were repealed. This brought to an end the existing "homeland" administrative structures in the territory and integrated central government for the whole territory now fell directly under the Administrator-General. This proclamation also made provision for second-tier administrations to be created for the eleven ethnic groups (the (Rehoboth) Basters; the Bushmen; the Caprivians; the Coloureds; the Damaras; the Hereros; the Kavangos; the Namas; the Ovambos; the Tswanas; and the Whites).
These representative authorities largely succeeded the former "homeland" administrations. The white population now became in effect a "white tribe" with its own representative authority similar to the other ethnic groups. The arms and flags of the former "homelands" continued in use, while the administration for whites largely appropriated for itself the arms which had been registered for the Territory as a whole.
This situation prevailed until the implementation of United Nations Resolution 435 on 1 April 1989, prior to elections and the independence of Namibia on 21 March 1990.
Bruce Berry, 25 November 1998

In 1979 a flag was proposed in which a vertical stripe with 8 arms represented the Damara nation and its eight tribes. The flag, and its associated arms, was divided quarterly white and brown with the stripe (which was offset towards the hoist) being countercharged. This flag was flown, although never officially adopted.
-from an article 'Other Flags of Namibia', by W. Smith in The Flag Bulletin No 145 of January April 1992
Stuart Notholt - 1996-09-04

The flag and the coat of arms for the Damara homeland (Damaraland) were developed by the state herald of South Africa after a request from the territory's Secretary of Education and Culture dated 2 May 1979. The Damara Rapresentative Authority accepted the designs, but opposition arose from the Legislative Council and the designs were not officially adopted, even if in some circumstances the flag was used.
The eight "arms" of the raguly stripe represent the Damara nation and its eight tribes. The color brown was chosen to suggest the ties with the arid nature of the land.
An heraldic description of the flag sounds: "quarterly per Scandinavian cross white and brown, the intersection surmounted by a [raguly of eight arms] pale [counterchanged of the same]"
Source: W. Smith, "Damaraland" in The Flag Bulletin XXXI:1/145
Mario Fabretto, 19 November 1998