Naomi Ndapewa-oshali Hauwangaa is the owner of the African Wildlife Park on Horse Reality, where the Namib Desert Horses have made their home.
| Naomi Hauwangaa | |
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| Occupation | Owner of the African Wildlife Park |
| Age | 34 |
| Height | 165cm (5’4”) |
| Family Background | Lives in Namibia |
| Link | Here |
¶ Background
Naomi was born in northern Namibia, soon joined by a pair of lively brothers (Hafeni and Kuedhi) and a sister (Monika). Growing up, the Hauwangaa children attended school in the nearby town of Okahandja, and while Hafeni and Monika would eventually master maths and Kuedhi excelled in science class, Naomi was always a natural at languages. When she was still little, she readily added English to her native Oshindonga as well as picked up some Otjiherero from her friends. During secondary school, she took both Afrikaans and German classes. But clearly, she still wasn't satisfied since she pestered her friends to teach her Khoekhoegowab phrases as well!
Halfway through secondary school, Naomi's father secured a job in the capital city Windhoek and the family relocated there despite it greatly upsetting their mother's side of the family. Their dad kept the peace by promising to drive his family back up north during school breaks to visit and to continue helping out on their family farm.
The younger kids had only been allowed to help with the milking and yard tidying, but by the time Naomi entered high school, she was helping herd cattle and guiding the horse treks offered by a nearby guest house (the farm supplied the horses). Naomi loved the times when she got to stay in Windhoek during term break to party with her friends, but she also loved visiting the farm and listening to her grandparents and uncle tell stories about the history of the Ovambo people. She maintains that her time on the farm taught her how important it is to respect the relationships between humanity, animals and the earth, and to treasure her family ties and heritage.
After finishing high school, Naomi started working for a tourism company in Windhoek. During those years she gave tours around the city and also studied French and Portuguese at Namibia University of Science and Technology. Her familiarity with so many languages and her working experience both on the farm and in the city, plus a recommendation from a family friend then gave her an opportunity to travel to the southwesternmost tip of Namibia, to Oranjemund.
Oranjemund had been strictly a diamond mining town, privately owned by the mining company and reserved only for its employees, but recently ownership had been transferred to the Namibian government. The town had promptly been opened and the surrounding portion of the Namib Desert declared a national park to encourage the growth of a fresh tourist industry. Not only to showcase the incredible landscape and biodiversity of the desert but also to provide the locals with alternative jobs to mining. Now operating out of Oranjemund were boating and kayaking trips down the nearby river, ghost town tours, desert safaris and a wild horse experience that all drew visitors as well as workers to cater to those visitors.
Naomi went to work for one of the bigger resorts as a safari and horse experience guide, and it wasn't too long before the town, its land and its animals were as familiar and dear to her as those living on the arid grasslands up north. Her extrovert charm and genuine nature won her friends in both tourism and conservation circles, and that eventually allowed her to make the jump from merely guiding tourists to helping manage the park. Now holding an official park ranger position in one hand, and the reins to Namibia's wilds in the other, Naomi invites you to stay awhile and share her love for the desert.
"Welcome! Namib is a very special place - did you know that it is one of the oldest and largest deserts in the world? Because it is so old, many species evolved right here and can only be found in the Namib Desert!
You can find one of the most magnificent sights where the desert meets the Atlantic Ocean - warm air mixing with the cold water forms a thick fog along the coast. Yes, fog! In the desert! I can only try to describe to you the eerie beauty of a heavy sea mist swirling over ancient sand dunes. A slow, billowing curtain of soft greys and storm blues, the sun's glow marbling through it from above and from deep down the answering glint of the sands. Hambelela Omuwa! It is beautiful.
And if we are very lucky today, you may see ghosts! Haha, I am joking - but the fog has claimed many ships in the past, which is why this area is also known as ‘Skeleton Coast’! The fog is a very important source of moisture for plant life though, which is why you also have a good chance of spotting herds of gemsbok or wild horses wandering through the mists... oh! See, look there!"
¶ Changelog
- Naomi's background story was chosen through a player writing contest on May 4th 2022[1][2]