Activities
We Offer Activities
For Your Engagement
Check out the different activities we have to offer here at Ongula Village Homestead Lodge.
Oshiwambo Homestead Tour
Learn the setup of a homestead and the importance of cultivating the lands (seasonal activity). Learn the use of many endemic trees and their use by the Owambo people.
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- Mahangu (pear millet) is the staple food of the Owambo people and is used in their traditional food and drinks. Take part in the pounding of Mahangu.
- Learn how to make Marula oil ‘Odjove’ in the local language.
- Experience the local distillery and learn how they make ‘Ombike’ schnapps or grappa as called by many.
- Learn how to cook at the open fire in the traditional kitchen known as ‘Epata’ or Elugo in Oshiwambo.
- Basket weaving and pottery: Join the Owambo woman as they demonstrate their weaving and pottery-making skills.
Village Walk
The Ongula Village Walk will usher you to different places in the community, so you can have an insightful look at local homesteads and learn how to pound mahangu and where the local people collect water and firewood. Explore the range of trees and shrubs and their use in the community. Enjoy an atmospheric sundowner under a marula tree and listen to the voices in the surrounding.
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Village sundowner: At the local cuca shops; situated a stone’s throw away from the lodge, you get a glimpse of the nightlife or social life of the locals as you chat with them or get to understand their local brews and the more modern drinks like beer and so forth.
Town Visit to Ondangwa And the Surroundings
Duration: Half day Morning back late afternoon.
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- Nakambale Museum: A legacy from the Finnish missionaries who settled in the area in the 1800s.
- Open Market: An opportunity for guests to buy Owambo souvenirs and see how the locals make their trades.
- Ohanje Craft Centre: Visit the locals as they engage in making crafts from recycled materials.
- A stop over for a picnic lunch before proceeding.
- Oshigambo River: The tour is concluded with a visit to the Oshigambo River as you learn about the fauna and the amazing flora and the historical activity that took place in the 1800s and 1900s.
Music, Drum,
And Dance Experience
Get an experience of one of the important parts of the Owambo culture—“Dancing.”
You get to participate in music lessons and learn some dance moves, how to drum, and the meaning of different traditional songs. You can also just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show as the Ongula Village Lodge kid’s traditional dance group show you how it is done.
Owela
Owela game was traditionally played by elders. Currently, the game is played by both the young and old as a recreational activity. It is played by the Oshiwambo-speaking population of Namibia and Angola. Another name for the Owela game played by other tribes is called “Hus.”
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Traditionally, Owela is played on a four-row trough (Modern on a board) of at least eight holes per row, but no more than 32 and always on an even number.
Owela has been Redesigned/Modernized by a graduate from a local university and is now a product like any other board game. This innovation will ensure that the game will remain alive, and future generations will continue to learn/play it and preserve this cultural heritage.
Owela is not a game of luck. If the game can be promoted even in school, it can enhance students’ mathematical and strategic skills.