Tsandi means “to dig a well”, a reference to a nearby water source known as Otsandi. It is the royal seat of the Uukwaluudhi , a name meaning “the country of people from the same stock”. This refers to the occupation of the area by people from Ongandjera, Uukwambi, Ombadja, Evale in southern Angola and Kaokoland.
The Uukwaluudhi have been ruled by a succession of 12 kings. The eighth king and the first for whom dates are available, King Shikongo shlipinge (1850 to 1902), fortified his royal capital with stones brought from the Kunene River to protect the kingdom against raids. He also had a three- to four metre-high and about 100-kilometre-long brush wood fence built around the kingdom to protect his livestock. But the fence was set alight and burned down when warriors from the neighbouring Ongandjera attacked the Uukwaluudhi kingdom.
Several cattle raids were undertaken against neighbouring kingdoms during King Shikongo shIipinge’s reign. King Niilenge yaAmukwa ascended to the throne in 1902 and was succeeded by King Iita yaNalitoke in 1908. The king signed a declaration recognising the supremacy of the German Emperor over his territory with Major Victor Franke on 26 May 1908. At King Iita yaNalitoke’s request, Franke gave him a letter stating that the Germans would protect him against the Portuguese who had twice raided Uukwaluudhi territory.
Following a visit to Uukwaluudhi by Reverend Martti Rautanen in July/August 1909, King Iita yaNalitoke made land available for a Finnish mission station near his royal court at Tsandi the same year. Work on the mission station began soon afterwards under the first missionary August Hänninen. A boarding school for girls was opened at Tsandi in 1939, as well as a hospital.
King Iita yaNalitoke was succeeded by King Mwaala gwaNashilongo who ruled for 51 years from 1909 to 1960. He is regarded as one of the most popular past kings and allowed mission work to continue, but prohibited the missionaries from conducting trade in Uukwaluudhi.
The hollow trunk of an Omukwa or baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) situated at the junction of the Ongulumbashe–Okahao road served as his office for many years. The King Nashilongo Baobab is also known locally as the Shiwalo Baobab after one of the senior headmen.
King Josia yaShikongo tshaTaapopi succeeded King Nashilongo after his death in 1960. At the time, the royal homestead was at Omathima, about 500 metres east of the current palace.
UUKWALUUDHI ROYAL HOMESTEAD
The royal homestead was moved to Onalushwa in the mid-1960s and when a new palace was built for King Josia yaShikongo tshaTaapopi next to the traditional palace, it was decided to open the old palace to the public.
A high palisade wall encloses the former palace with its labyrinth of passages and 36 areas that serve specific functions such as reception areas, sleeping quarters designated for different members of the royal family, the kitchen and the granary.
Informative displays at the entrance provide an insight into various aspects of the Uukwaluudhi’s history and culture. Visitors can take a guided tour that provides a fascinating insight into the history and way of life of the Uuwkaluudhi. Locally made handicrafts can be bought at the small craft shop.