ABSTRACT
AFTER Maharero and his warriors had visited Tjamuaha’s grave in 1869, the tribes went back to their distant dwelling-places and left the paramount chief and his subjects in and about Okahandja to settle matters with the Namas. A number of the important chiefs did not even attend the peace conference in 1870. The difficult times were past and the cattle were no longer in danger. Those of the chieftains who did not live on the border were devoting all their efforts to increasing their stock. Maharero, however, lived right on the border and so he had to take upon himself its entire protection. The other chiefs left, therefore, to him the regulation of all the political relationships amongst the allies, for they did not like this man at all, and, rich though he was, they regarded him as far too greedy for a paramount chief. There ought, long ago, to have been a proper fixing of the boundaries of their pasturage between the different chiefs, and there ought, long ago, to have been an agreement as to the rights of the paramount chief, and representatives of the other chiefs should have been appointed on his council, but nothing of the sort had been done. Maharero felt how necessary it was to keep up his connexions with other tribes and took steps to do so. Amongst his many wives, he married in 1871 one of Kambazembi’s daughters, for Kambazembi’s wealth and power were well worth courting. He likewise made a number of visits to different parts of the country, but these were seldom returned.
