chiefdom · Central and Southern Africa
Herero Paramountcy
Origins
The Herero, Bantu-speaking cattle herders of central Namibia, had been raided for decades by Jonker Afrikaner's Orlam Afrikaner State. In 1863 they rose under Kamaherero, known as Maharero, at Otjimbingwe and won their independence, confirmed by the Peace of Okahandja in 1870.
Rule and society
Maharero made Okahandja the seat of a paramountcy over many Herero chiefs, though authority was shared with lineage heads. Wealth lay in vast herds, and the holy fire of each homestead linked the living with ancestors. Rhenish missionaries were active, and in 1885 Maharero signed a protection treaty with Germany; Samuel Maharero succeeded him in 1890.
Decline and legacy
Land loss, debt and abuses under German South West Africa led to the Herero rising in January 1904. After the battle of Waterberg, General von Trotha ordered their extermination; most Herero died in the Omaheke desert or in camps.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Herero Paramountcy was a protectorate of German South West Africa1885 CE – 1904 CE
- Herero Paramountcy was conquered by German South West Africa1904 CE
More states of Central and Southern Africa →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Herero Paramountcy. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/herero-paramountcy
- MLA
- “Herero Paramountcy.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/herero-paramountcy. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Herero Paramountcy.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/herero-paramountcy.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Herero Paramountcy’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/herero-paramountcy (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻