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Meaning of Nama in English:

Nama

Pronunciation /ˈnɑːmə/

nounNama, Namas

  • 1A member of one of the Khoikhoi peoples of South Africa and south-western Namibia. Traditionally nomadic herders and hunter-gatherers, they were displaced from the region near the Cape by Dutch settlers.

    ‘Who would entertain the idea of the San, Damaras, Namas, Tswanas and Hereros returning to their former land/settlements?’
    • ‘The new name immediately softens colonial connotations of Luderitz such as the concentration camp for Namas and Herero refugees of the 1904-1908 genocide.’
    • ‘In a series of genocidal wars from 1904 to 1907, the German military killed three-quarters of the Herero population and nearly one-half the Namas.’
    • ‘I am sure that this project will not only bolster the economy of the Karas Region but will also bring to life the fading culture of the Namas.’
    • ‘Of course, the use of sand as a source of colour reverberates with the desert habitat of the Nama.’

  • 2mass noun The language of the Nama, which belongs to the Khoisan family and is the only language of the Khoikhoi peoples still spoken by a substantial number (over 100,000).

    ‘Three men suddenly attacked him from behind, he just heard someone shouting ‘grab him’ in Damara / Nama.’
    • ‘I could have written this in Damara / Nama, but the intention is for the rest of Namibians to also try and understand that the language is unique in its nature.’
    • ‘I am sure he is aware that all the towns he mentioned have Damara / Nama names as well as in other languages.’

adjective

  • Relating to the Nama or their language.

    ‘The Nama language is highlighted as relevant and useful in a contemporary world, and brought into the mainstream of cultural discourse.’
    • ‘So if a woman happens to marry a Damara or Nama man, she replaces the ‘b’ at the end of his surname to a ‘s’.’
    • ‘No, no one came to help the Herero people except the Nama people, who were fighting their own battles anyway.’
    • ‘The heroes and heroines of Nama tales are sometimes men, sometimes married women who flee with their babies on their backs from ogre husbands, but they are more often young girls, and frequently children.’
    • ‘The resort will consist of eight two-bedroom bungalows, nine double-room bungalows, 10 Nama huts, 11 braai spots and a sauna.’

Origin

The name in Nama.