Damara, noun

/ˈdæmərə/
Forms:
Also Dammara, and (rarely) in shortened form Dama.
Origin:
NamaShow more Adaptation of the feminine plural form of Nama damapBlack people.
The name of an African people of Namibia, used attributively and in Special Combinations
Damara Cattle, Damaraland Cattle, a breed of indigenous cattle, now extinct;
Damara dik-dik, Damaraland dik-dik, the tiny antelope Madoqua kirkii of the Bovidae, found in parts of Namibia and southern Angola;
Damara mother, Damara mother tree, Damara’s mother, Damara’s mother tree, hardekool;
Damara tern, the small migratory seabird Sterna balaenarum of the Laridae.
1856 C.J. Andersson Lake Ngami 319From their quick step, good feet, and enduring powers, the Damara cattle are much prized by the farmer of the Cape-Colony.
1896 R. Wallace Farming Indust. of Cape Col. 256Damaraland cattle are the best of animals for light bullock traffic.
1906 F. Blersch Handbk of Agric. 313South African cattle,..It is very probable that, with the exception of Damaraland, Pondo, and Zulu cattle, few of the indigenous breeds are now found.
1934 C.P. Swart Supplement to Pettman. 38Damaraland Cattle, The most common characteristic of this breed..is their colour which is black and tan, with a tan muzzle.
1971 G. Swanepoel in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. III. 553During the first years of the 20th century pure-bred Damara cattle became extinct owing to the infusion of Afrikander bulls.
1900 W.L. Sclater Mammals of S. Afr. I. 182The Damaraland dik-dik...Nothing regarding the habits of this antelope is recorded except that it inhabits rocky and barren hills near the sea coast, and is difficult to procure owing to its great agility.
[c1936 S. & E. Afr. Yr Bk & Guide 1087The Damaran Dik-Dik or Damaraland Antelope...The largest of the dik-diks.]
1952 L.G. Green Lords of Last Frontier 48The Damara dik dik is a much finer dish. Dik dik occurs in and around the Kaokoveld and again in northern Tanganyika.
1961 O. Levinson Ageless Land 136One may startle a little Damara dikdik, smallest of all the antelope, and not much bigger than a hare.
1971 C.M. Van der Westhuizen in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. IV. 39The Damara dik-dik (M. kirki damarensis)..inhabits the dry western region and ranges from Damaraland to Southern Angola.
1988 M. Spence in Motorist 4th Quarter 4What impresses most about Etosha is the number and variety of game..from the tiny Damaraland dik-dik to long-necked giraffes.
1864 T. Baines Explor. in S.-W. Afr. 147Then there is the Motjeerie, or Damara’s mother, with its rough cruciform points.
1864 T. Baines Explor. in S.-W. Afr. 187The ‘Damara mother’..is really beautiful with her drooping seed, clusters of rich brown yellow, supported by the green of the young leaves and the angularities of her stem softened and half-veiled by them.
1902 G.M. Theal Beginning of S. Afr. Hist. 50The Ovaherero on the western coast believe that human beings and every kind of animal sprang from a particular kind of large tree in their country...For this reason it is now commonly called by the Europeans..the Damara mother tree, Damup, corrupted by the Dutch colonists into Damara, being the Hottentot name of the black people living north of Walfish Bay.
1978 Frost & Johnson in Optima Vol.27 No.4, 106The Damara Tern (Sterna balaenarum), a small seabird endemic to Southern Africa which nests in colonies widely scattered along the coast and feeds on tiny fish or crustaceans captured in sheltered inshore waters, is in danger of extinction.
1983 D. Bickell in E. Prov. Herald 19 Dec. 11The damara tern is another endangered bird species which breeds in the dunes there.
1986 Weekend Argus 9 Aug. (Suppl.) 4The rare Damara terns nest in the dune system.
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