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Introduction
The Kavangos are an ethnic group in northern Namibia, living near the border with Angola.
Numbering about 120,000, they represent 9.3% of the population in the early 2000s.
The Kavangos form the second largest ethnic group in the country.
They mainly live in the north to the border with Angola.
They are traditionally farmers, fishermen and wood carvers.
Divided into five kingdoms, Kavangos arrived in Namibia in the sixteenth century with the push Bantu in South West Africa.
Each of these kingdoms Kavangos is headed by a Hompa or fumu.
It is a matriarchal society and Christian like the Ovambo. Their language is RuKwangali Kavango territory but each is a particular dialect.
Only RuKwangali is written.
During the civil war in Angola in 1975, many refugees (Nyemba) settled in Kavangoland.
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