The church developed out of the work of the Finnish Missionary Society that began in 1870 among the Ovambo and Kavango people in the northern area of what became German South-West Africa.
In the plural the mushroom is referred to as Omajowa (with the alternative spelling of omajova or omayova) by both the Herero and Ovambo people of Namibia.
These peoples live in that region, which today is the Cuando Cubango Province, together with other small groups, belonging to the Ovambo, Ganguela or Khoisan.
Ovambo people | Ovambo |
The Turnhalle Conference was attended by 134 members of 11 ethnic groups: Ovaherero, Coloureds, Baster, Tswana, Damara, Ovambo, Caprivians, Nama, Kavango, San, and Whites.