Herero Empire

United Herero Empire, an empire in Southwest Africa ruled by the Herero tribe.

History
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Herero migrated to what is today the Herero Imperial Empire from the east and established themselves as herdsmen. In the beginning of the 19th century, the Nama from South Africa, who already possessed some firearms, entered the land and were followed, in turn, by white merchants and German missionaries. At first, the Herero began displacing the Nama with the superior weapons, leading to bitter warfare between the two groups which lasted the greater part of the 19th century. Later the two peoples entered into a period of cultural warfare.

The Rise of a Native Empire
During the late 19th century, the first Europeans began entering to permanently settle the land. Primarily in Damaraland, German settlers fought for land from the Herero in order to establish farms but it was unsuccessful. In 1883, the merchant Franz Adolf Eduard Lüderitz entered into a contract with the native elders but failed. The ill-fated exchange later became the basis of the Herero Empire.

Conflict
Soon after, conflicts between the German colonists and the Herero herdsmen began. Controversies frequently arose because of disputes about access to land and water, but also the legal discrimination against the Germans and the Herero began killing each other. The German-Herero Wars broke out but the Nama people began helping the Germans to kill the Herero.