434:
425:
467:
84:
399:
prisoners held at the camp in
September 1906 having died, it is estimated that eventually only 245 of these prisoners survived. In December 1906, an average of 8.5 prisoners died per day. By March 1907, according to records that do exist, 1,203 Nama prisoners had died on the island. The over-all figure for deaths at the camp has been estimated as being as many as 3,000. Combined with deaths amongst prisoners held elsewhere in LĂźderitz bay, the total may well exceed 4,000.
418:, later a prominent Nazi scientist, on the skulls of dead prisoners and on prisoners with scurvy by Dr. Bofinger. In 2001 a number of these skulls were returned from German institutions to Namibia. The captured women were forced to boil heads of their dead inmates (some of whom may have been their relatives or acquaintances) and scrape remains of their skin and eyes with shards of glass, preparing them for examinations by German universities.
479:
370:
sickness and death amongst the prisoners, with one German technician complaining that the 1,600-strong Nama work force had shrunk to a strength of only 30â40 available for work due to 7â8 deaths occurring daily by late 1906. The policy of forced labour officially ended when prisoner-of-war status for the Herero and Nama was revoked on 1 April 1908, although Herero and Nama continued to labour on colonial projects after this.
91:
229:. Origins of the Herero revolt date back to the 1890s when tribes settled in Namibia came under pressure from the growing number of German settlers wanting their land, cattle, and labor. Factors such as loss of property, increasing debt in an attempt to resettle lost herds, low wages on white-owned farms, and racial inequalities only intensified the hostility between the Herero and the Germans.
68:
309:
The women who are captured and not executed are set to work for the military as prisoners ... saw numbers of them at Angra
Pequena (i.e., LĂźderitz) put to the hardest work, and so starved that they were nothing but skin and bones They are given hardly anything to eat, and I have very often seen them
398:
The precise number of deaths at the camp are unknown. A report by the German
Imperial Colonial Office estimated 7,682 Herero and 2,000 Nama dead at all camps in German South West Africa, of which a significant portion died at Shark Island. A military official at the camp estimated 1,032 out of 1,795
298:
Word quickly spread among the Herero of the conditions at the camp, with prisoners in other parts of German South West Africa reportedly committing suicide rather than be deported to LĂźderitz due to the stories of harsh conditions there in late 1905. Due to the camp's reputation, detainees were not
369:
for use by private companies throughout the LĂźderitz area, working on infrastructure projects such as railway construction, the building of the harbour, and flattening and levelling Shark Island through the use of explosives. This highly dangerous and physical work inevitably led to large-scale
356:
and then by sea to LĂźderitz. The Nama leader, Samuel Isaak, protested this, saying that their transfer to LĂźderitz had not been part of the agreement under which they had surrendered to the
Germans, however, the Germans ignored these protests. By late 1906, 2,000 Nama were held prisoner on the
281:
From early on, large numbers of Herero died in the camp, with 59 men, 59 women and 73 children reportedly dying by late May 1905. Despite this high initial rate of mortality on the island which, with its cold climate, was unsuitable for habitation, particularly for people used to the dry, arid
643:
Die Verhältnisse in
Swakopmund, zu denen sich Tecklenburg äuĂerte, stellten keine Ausnahme dar. Noch schlimmer lagen die Verhältnisse im Konzentrationslager auf der Haifischinsel vor LĂźderitzbucht, dem grĂśĂten Gefangenenlager. Dort wurden sowohl Herero wie Nama interniert und ihrem Schicksal
335:
Other factors such as minimal food rations, uncontrolled diseases, and maltreatment led to high mortality rates. Prisoners typically received a handful of uncooked rice. Diseases such as typhoid spread quickly. Prisoners were concentrated in large, unsanitary living quarters with low medical
390:(a Nama tribe) had surrendered to the Germans, after a visit to the camp in early 1907. After the closing of the camp, prisoners were transferred to an open area near Radford Bay. Whilst mortality rates were still high initially in the new camp, they eventually declined.
1020:
Adhikari, Mohamed. ââStreams of Blood and
Streams of Moneyâ: New Perspectives on the Annihilation of the Herero and Nama Peoples of Namibia, 1904â1908.â Edited by Jeremy Silvester, Jan-Bart Gewald, Casper Erichsen, JĂźrgen Zimmerer, and Joachim Zeller.
286:, the German authorities continued to transfer people from the interior to the island, ostensibly because of a lack of food in the interior, but also because they wished to use the prisoners as labour in constructing a railway connecting LĂźderitz with
322:
A woman, who was so weak from illness that she could not stand, crawled to some of the other prisoners to beg for water. The overseer fired five shots at her. Two shots hit her: one in the thigh, the other smashing her forearm... In the night she
331:
of prisoners by
Germans were reported at the camp. Although some of these cases did result in the perpetrator being successfully punished where a "white champion" took up the victim's cause, the majority of cases went unpunished.
305:, a South African newspaper, also ran stories describing terrible conditions at the camp in late September 1905. One transport rider who was described as having been employed at the camp in early 1905 was quoted as saying:
344:
Whilst the
Germans initially followed a policy of sending people from the south to concentration camps in the north, and vice versa, meaning that Nama prisoners mostly went to concentration camps around the city of
243:
Two months later, the Nama people broke out in a similar rebellion against German colonists. Traditional rivalries prevented the Herero and Nama from joining together, however both groups continued fighting
524:
Nazi Empire: German
Colonialism and Imperialism from Bismarck to Hitler - p. 48 2011 The concentration camp at Shark Island off the coastal city of LĂźderitz became, for all practical purposes, a death camp
273:
Although there are records of Herero prisoners-of-war being held in LĂźderitz Bay as early as 1904, the first references to a camp at Shark Island and the transfer of large numbers of Herero prisoners from
255:
by denying them access to water holes, the colonial authorities adopted a policy of sweeping the bush clear of Herero â both civilians and rebels â and removing them, either voluntarily or by force, to
564:
The Devil's
Handwriting: Precoloniality and the German Colonial State in Qingdao, Samoa, and Southwest Africa George Steinmetz University of Chicago Press p. 173 15 Sep 2008
1170:
1155:
448:, and some of these experiments were conducted by the German doctors to develop their race theories about the evolutionary proximity of black Africans to apes.
546:
Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction - p. 123 Adam Jones - 2010 - It created the German word Konzentrationslager and the twentieth century's first death camp
1160:
433:
644:Ăźberlassen. Die Inhaftierung auf de." reprinted in JĂźrgen Zimmerer Deutsche Herrschaft Ăźber Afrikaner: Staatlicher Machtanspruch und ... (2004). p. 46."
365:
The prisoners held on Shark Island were used as forced labour throughout the camp's existence. This labour was made available by the German army
506:
352:
In response to these concerns, in August 1906 the Germans began to transfer Nama prisoners to Shark Island, sending them by cattle-car to
21:
144:
Officially a prisoner of war camp, in reality a civilian internment camp, described by some as a death camp or even extermination camp
83:
383:
318:
August Kuhlmann was one of the first civilians to visit the camp. What he witnessed shocked him as he described in September 1905:
573:
Possibly the Shark Island Konzentrationslager was the world's first death camp and largely functioned as an extermination centre
349:, by mid-1906 Germans in Windhoek were becoming increasingly concerned about the presence of so many prisoners in their city.
555:
The Nature of Heritage: The New South Africa By Lynn Meskel p. 1872 " the world's first extermination camp on Shark Island"
1150:
582:
Border Conflicts in a German African Colony: Jacob Morengo and the Untold Tragedy of Edward Presgrave P. H. Curson p. 49
1121:
1096:
824:
780:
699:
672:
636:
1140:
1045:
The angel of death has descended violently among them: Concentration camps and prisoners-of-war in Namibia, 1904â08
336:
attention. Beating occurred frequently as the German officials often used the sjambok to force prisoners to work.
1052:
1004:
The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazis - p. 224 Casper Erichsen,
662:
533:
The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazis - p. 220 Casper Erichsen,
592:
501:
206:
457:
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pick up bits of refuse food thrown away by the transport riders. If they are caught doing so, they are
770:
251:
Following the abandonment of Lothar von Trotha's policy of exterminating Herero within the borders of
1145:
225:
On 12 January 1904, the Herero people rebelled against German colonial rule under the leadership of
491:
252:
186:
124:
1037:
Let Us Die Fighting: The Struggle of the Herero and Nama against German Imperialism (1884â1915)
1108:, Administrator's Office, Windhuk , London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1918. (Blue Book)
990:
Fetzer, Christian (1913â1914). "Rassenanatomische Untersuchungen an 17 Hottentotten Kopfen".
424:
190:
1089:
Germany's Genocide of the Herero: Kaiser Wilhelm II, His General, His Settlers, His Soldiers
629:
In der Hand des Feindes : Kriegsgefangenschaft von der Antike bis zum Zweiten Weltkrieg
217:
men, women, and children died in the camp between March 1905 and its closing in April 1907.
817:
The Kaiser's holocaust : Germany's forgotten genocide and the colonial roots of Nazism
402:
The vast majority of these prisoners died through preventable diseases such as typhoid and
134:
1165:
8:
379:
182:
59:
1117:
1092:
1067:
The Kaiserâs Holocaust: Germanyâs Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism
1048:
820:
776:
695:
668:
664:
The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism
632:
245:
237:
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exacerbated by malnutrition, over-work and the unsanitary conditions in the camps.
67:
689:
593:"Shark Island Concentration Camp â The Holocaust Explained: Designed for schools"
226:
232:
When the Herero rebelled, they killed over 100 German settlers near the town of
483:
328:
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told where they were being sent to reduce the chance of revolt or escape. The
1134:
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1005:
766:
534:
471:
415:
210:
202:
36:
23:
16:
Imperial German concentration camp in Luderitz, colonial Namibia (1905â1907)
1074:
Herero Heroes: A Socio-Political History of the Herero of Namibia 1890â1923
287:
275:
1106:
Report on the natives of South West Africa and their treatment by Germany
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214:
194:
445:
353:
301:
257:
233:
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120:
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defeated the Herero force at the Waterberg River in August 1904.
198:
1114:
VĂślkermord in Deutsch-SĂźdwestafrika: Der Kolonialkrieg 1904â1908
1030:
Modern Genocide: The Definitive Resource and Document Collection
691:
Modern Genocide: The Definitive Resource and Document Collection
537:- 2010 Shark Island was a death camp, perhaps the world's first
403:
610:
608:
439:
Head of Shark Island prisoner used for medical experimentation
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769:(September 2017). "Death and Genocide in Southern Africa".
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283:
111:
Konzentrationslager auf der Haifischinsel vor LĂźderitzbucht
874:
872:
576:
744:
708:
236:. Over 15,000 German reinforcements under the command of
949:
947:
197:, in the far south-west of the territory which today is
1047:. Leiden: University of Leiden African Studies Centre.
959:
932:
920:
884:
869:
857:
775:. New York: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 83â85.
772:
One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps
90:
845:
833:
796:
732:
720:
944:
455:
1171:1907 disestablishments in German South West Africa
688:Bartrop, Paul R.; Jacobs, Steven Leonard (2014).
378:The decision to close the camp was made by Major
168:Unknown (estimates range between 1,032 and 3,000)
1132:
1156:1905 establishments in German South West Africa
1081:History and Historiography: 4 essays in reprint
814:
761:
759:
660:
1111:
614:
507:Research Materials: Max Planck Society Archive
414:In 1906, research was conducted by the doctor
1028:Bartrop, Paul R., and Steven Leonard Jacobs.
992:Zeitschrift fĂźr Morphologie und Anthropologie
687:
386:who had signed the agreement under which the
756:
989:
815:Olusoga, David; Erichson, Casper W (2010).
1112:Zimmerer, JĂźrgen; Zeller, Joachim (2003).
409:
1161:Buildings and structures in ÇKaras Region
661:Erichsen, Casper; Olusoga, David (2010).
293:
1042:
1039:, Akademie-Verlag Berlin, 1986 (3rd Ed.)
977:
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926:
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878:
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819:. London: Faber and Faber. p. 220.
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738:
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384:Schutztruppe of German South West Africa
1083:, Discourse/MSORP, Windhoek, May, 1995.
444:This work was performed at the camp at
98:Location of Shark Island within Namibia
1133:
1091:. Cape Town, South Africa: UCT Press.
1086:
953:
765:
656:
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248:against the German colonial forces.
209:of 1904â08. Between 1,032 and 3,000
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1:
1076:, James Currey, Oxford, 1999.
631:. KĂśln: BĂśhlau. p. 291.
512:
393:
220:
1116:(in German). Berlin: Links.
1043:Erichsen, Casper W. (2005).
263:
7:
1151:Herero and Namaqua genocide
502:Herero and Namaqua Genocide
451:
382:, the new commander of the
207:Herero and Namaqua genocide
10:
1187:
1069:. Faber & Faber, 2010.
1014:
627:Overmans, RĂźdiger (1999).
615:Zimmerer & Zeller 2003
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1025:, no. 34 (2008): 303â320.
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1141:German South West Africa
492:German South West Africa
253:German South West Africa
187:German South West Africa
125:German South West Africa
1087:Sarkin, Jeremy (2011).
410:Medical experimentation
1061:Erichsen, Casper, and
325:
316:
294:Conditions at the camp
667:. Faber & Faber.
320:
307:
201:. It was used by the
72:Prisoners at the camp
37:26.64583°S 15.15389°E
994:(in German): 95â156.
189:. It was located on
135:Imperial German Army
980:, pp. 134â139.
917:, pp. 117â118.
905:, pp. 113â114.
340:Arrival of the Nama
278:are in March 1905.
258:concentration camps
183:concentration camps
42:-26.64583; 15.15389
33: /
1072:Gewald, Jan-Bart.
1035:Drechsler, Horst.
380:Ludwig von Estorff
181:" was one of five
60:Concentration camp
1032:. ABC-CLIO, 2014.
753:, pp. 75â76.
717:, pp. 72â73.
246:guerrilla warfare
238:Lothar Von Trotha
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968:, p. 133.
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893:, p. 113.
883:
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866:, p. 104.
856:
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826:978-0571231416
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782:978-0316303583
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767:Pitzer, Andrea
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879:Erichsen 2005
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865:
864:Erichsen 2005
860:
854:, p. 86.
853:
852:Erichsen 2005
848:
842:, p. 87.
841:
840:Erichsen 2005
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828:
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805:, p. 78.
804:
803:Erichsen 2005
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762:
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751:Erichsen 2005
747:
741:, p. 74.
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715:Erichsen 2005
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535:David Olusoga
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786:. Retrieved
771:
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694:. ABC-CLIO.
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596:. Retrieved
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179:Death Island
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175:Shark Island
174:
173:
160:Herero, Nama
141:Original use
110:
54:Shark Island
18:
954:Sarkin 2011
497:Herero Wars
205:during the
149:Operational
131:Operated by
107:Other names
40: /
1135:Categories
1054:9054480645
788:26 January
598:2024-06-01
513:References
446:Swakopmund
394:Death toll
354:Swakopmund
314:(whipped).
302:Cape Argus
221:Background
25:26°38â˛45âłS
312:sjamboked
264:Operation
234:Okahandja
152:1905â1907
28:15°9â˛14âłE
1166:LĂźderitz
452:See also
357:island.
347:Windhoek
195:LĂźderitz
121:Luderitz
117:Location
1015:Sources
484:Germany
458:Portals
388:Witbooi
374:Closing
215:Namaqua
199:Namibia
157:Inmates
1120:
1095:
1051:
1023:Kronos
1008:- 2010
823:
779:
698:
671:
635:
472:Africa
404:scurvy
211:Herero
165:Killed
323:died.
1118:ISBN
1093:ISBN
1049:ISBN
821:ISBN
790:2020
777:ISBN
696:ISBN
669:ISBN
633:ISBN
329:rape
284:veld
213:and
193:off
177:or "
288:Aus
185:in
1137::
1065:.
946:^
871:^
758:^
651:^
641:.
607:^
290:.
260:.
123:,
1126:.
1101:.
1057:.
829:.
792:.
704:.
677:.
601:.
460::
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