Thomas Larson

Dibebe of the Okavango: the Thrilling, Amazing Adventures of an African Herdboy in 1950 Thomas Larson

This exciting Huckleberry Finn kind of story is about two African herdboys in 1950 going down the Okavango River in a dugout canoe. The beautiful river flows down out of the Benguela Highlands of Angola, crosses the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, then into Botswana where it spreads out through the vast Okavango Delta. The true-to-life adventures of Dibebe and Andara are about hunting, fishing, surviving, visiting friends and kinsmen along the great meandering river. The Hambukushu tribal ceremonies are true to the culture of these remote riverine people. Brave canoemen have traveled through the vast delta in dugout canoes. Bushman paintings can be seen in the mysterious Tsodilo Hills. It is possible that prehistoric peoples left their bones in a cave in these hills. The anthropologist author made eight expeditions from 1950 to 1994 to study the culture of these matrilineal, Bantu-speaking hunters, fishermen, farmers. All events in the story were possible in those long ago days of 1950. This story of karikaripamatango - the olden days - is most informative and educational reading for young people and adults alike!