Fort Namutoni (also often just Namutoni) is a former police and military station located in the southeast of today's Etosha National Park in Namibia. Today it is the national park's visitor center and an overnight camp for visitors. The name corresponds to the loosely translated “the high place” in the Ovambo language, as the spring is located on a limestone hill.[1]
Like Okaukuejo, Namutoni was built in 1897 by the then German colonial administration in German South West Africa to mark the northern border of the German area of influence and as a control point against the advance of rinderpest from the Ovambo areas to the north. A fortified military facility was built 100 meters from the source in 1901/02, which is why it is also called Fort Namutoni. It formed the eastern link in the chain with Fort Sesfontein and Fort Okaukuejo.
After the start of the Herero uprising in 1904, the fort's military garrison was largely withdrawn to assist farmers in the south of the country who were being harassed by rebellious Herero. All that remained was a “stable guard” of four soldiers and three farmers, which was considered sufficient since the Ovambo north of Namutoni were considered peaceful and had not yet taken part in the Herero uprising. But there were rumors that the Herero also wanted to include the Ovambo in the uprising.
According to the Finnish missionaries, messengers are said to have brought urgent requests from the Herero leaders to the kings and leaders of their related people.[2]
However, if this historical statement stands up to scrutiny, the Ondonga tribe, based north of the salt pan, would have been the only Ovambo tribe to take part in the rebellion.
The surprise in the fort, which was barely manned by only seven soldiers, was certainly great when this tribe attacked LyaMpingana on January 28th with 500 well-armed and equipped warriors under the leadership of King Nehale. However, the small crew managed to repel the Ovambo's first attack and shot around 60 warriors.[2] When the Ovambo then temporarily withdrew, the fort's defenders managed to break out unnoticed under the cover of night and escape to Tsumeb, 100 km away. The now unoccupied Fort Namutoni was stormed by the Ovambo the next day and largely destroyed, but was rebuilt by the German protection force between 1905 and 1907. The Amutuni lyOmanenge battlefield, which commemorates the Battle of Amutuni, has been a national monument since 2019.
In addition to the historical statement that the Ovambo provided protective assistance to the Herero, another reason for this attack is believed to be a not unfounded rumor that the German colonial administration was considering shooting all Ovambo cattle in order to stop the further spread of rinderpest that was rampant there.
During the First World War, the fort served as a prison camp for British soldiers until it had to be handed over to the South African army in 1915 and subsequently fell into disrepair. Only with the founding of the Etosha National Park did the dilapidated fort regain importance; It was rebuilt and declared a national monument in 1950. In 1957 it was initially designed as a base for the park administration and as a very simple rest camp for visitors to the national park, only open in the winter months. The fort itself was partially converted into a museum and is now an official national monument of Namibia. The tourist infrastructure was gradually expanded and improved, making year-round accommodation possible.
Since the mid-2010s, the fort has been largely left to fall into disrepair,[3][4] in December 2020, clean-up work took place following protests.
(Wikipedia)