Diptych: "The Blues". While Marta Rooinasie lives out her day in the nearby Klein Spitzkoppe digging for tourmalines, her Africanis dogs Skrikkie and Wagter (Afrikaans: ‘Little Fright and Guard’) watch over her home, poultry and pigeons; Two years later Marta moves closer to a town where she can send her children to school. Namibia. January 2015 / December 2016
"Thorny Nest". Wagtertjie (Little Watchdog) after a day in the veld guarding 130 sheep. Ganamab farm beneath the Dâures Mountain, Namibia. January 2016
"Lair". Tsetsaub Farm (Khoekhoegowab: Daylight Pit) beneath the Dâures Mountain, Namibia. August 2015
"Thorny Melons". !Nara melons (Acanthosicyos horridus), an essential food source for the Topnaar (ǂAonin) people, are endemic to the Namib Desert. !Upas, Kuiseb River south, Namibia. February 2016
"Donkey Pull". Alfred Xoagub’s donkeys pull him to the Kuiseb River bed, where he will harvest !nara melons (Acanthosicyos horridus) in the dunes, traditionally a seasonal food of the Topnaar (ǂAonin). The plant is collected, its seeds dried and its pulp processed to make anything from cosmetics to yoghurt and fruit rolls. Walvis Bay District, Namibia. February 2015
"In the Shadow of Things". Cornelia Matsuis’s backyard. Septa Aes Farm, Tsiseb Conservancy, Namibia. June 2016
"The Gift". Marta Rooinasi’s gift from her fiancé on the birth of her 5th child, Margaret. Klein Klein Spitzkoppe, Namibia. June 2015
"Death of a Lamb". Maria Hoëses, shepherdess, builds a shelter against wild animal attacks on Tsetsaub farm beneath the Dâures Mountain, Namibia. August 2015
"The Porcupine". Makuri Village, Nyae Nyae Conservancy. Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia. September 2019
"Sacrifice to ǁGamab". Elsie !Uxam’s goat is sacrificed to ǁGamab (Deity) in celebration of her granddaughter’s coming of age. Die Kruising (“The Crossing”), Septa Aes Farm, Namibia. February 2016
"The Owl". Samara, Naukluft Plains, Namibia. May 2015
"Leopard Kill". Charles Uiseb’s dogs feast on the remains of a sheep. Ganamab farm beneath the Dâures Mountain, Namibia. November 2015
"Save the Elephant". A roadside effigy, made by Tolikie Dauseb and guarded by his dog Nando, is meant to attract the occasional passer-by to his semi-precious stones. Uis district, Namibia. July 2018
"Shepherd Dogs and a Cat". Tsetsaub farm beneath the Dâures Mountain. February 2017
"Penduka’s Offspring". Much loved Penduka dies at birth. Septa Aes, Tsiseb Conservancy, Namibia. July 2017
"Last Sighting". Gottlieb ǁGaseb ’s dog disappears into the night, never to return home. February 2018
"Old Soldiers Never Die". A self-portrait effigy by Tolikie Dauseb, aged and grey-bearded, stands on guard at his roadside stall. Uis District, Namibia. October 2014
"Parting Sorrows". Menete Hȗsas with her dog Penduka (Herero for “wake up”) before she leaves for boarding school. Omaruru District, Namibia. March 2015
"The Feast". Evelyn Areses’s goat, mauled by a leopard during the night, succumbs in the morning. Conservancy Officials verify its death and take the leg as evidence for monetary compensation whilst her dogs enjoy the remaining offal. Ganamab Farm, Tsiseb Conservancy, Namibia. June 2016
"Hanging by a Leg". The remaining leg of Evelyn’s goat hangs out to cure. Ganamab Farm, Tsiseb Conservancy, Namibia. June 2016
"Friends on the Dump". Naomi with her dog Blikkie (Tin Can), Old refuse dump, Swakopmund, Namibia. June 2015
"Yellow Dress". Eveline Inuas lives with her dog near the isolated settlement of Sesfontein. Kunene Region, Namibia. October 2017
"My Dog and I". For Ronaldo Karakal, 4 years old, dancing is a passion. Omongwa (“Salt”) Pan, Aminuis, Omaheke Region, Namibia. October 2019
"Solitaire in the Kalahari". Lena Titus, a descendent of Nama legend Hendrik Witbooi, was born in South Africa “when there were no boundaries”. She takes time out from farm work during the heat of day. Sandput Farm, Aroab District, Hardap Region, Namibia. March 2019
"The Dogs of Boesmandrink". The farm name translates literally as “Place where the Bushmen drink”. Route C11, Hardap Region, Namibia. March 2019
"Xhuka #1". Xhuka Shorty, 102 years old. Katumba Village, now a Herero settlement Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia. September 2019
Diptych: "Long Reign". Ferdinand Matsuib’s dog ǂOebes. For fear of frequent animal poaching, Satan the donkey is caged until sunset when she will be released into the veld to graze overnight; ǂOebes with a puppy from her fifth litter. Uis District, Namibia. 2014/2019
Dog Days
Dogs are an integral part of rural life in Namibia. Guarding property, rounding up herds of goats, running alongside laden donkey carts, hunting for scraps, or nurturing the next litter, they are ever present. Constant companions they bear the hardships of life in these arid regions along with their humans. In the heat of the day one may find them lazing under dappled shade, or panting beneath one’s chair. When the desert evenings turn chilly, they dig burrows in the warm sand for shelter. I return frequently to visit families and get to know their hounds (so in the mix of provisions for the people I know I often carry bags of dried seal fat or dogfood). Sometimes on a return visit they run to welcome me, often, however I find they have given up their lives to hunger, or to leopards while defending the livestock, or become roadkill.
The term ‘dog days’ is associated with the hottest period of the year. So named by the Greeks and Romans, “dog days” occurs in late July, around the day when Sirius, the Dog Star, appears to rise just before the sun. This period is often noted as one that brings fever, may be marked by decline or even catastrophe.
Margaret Courtney-Clarke, March 2021