Koena tribe

The Bakoena or Bakwena ("those who venerate the crocodile") are a large Sotho-Tswana clan in Southern Africa of the southern Bantu group. They can be found in different parts of southern Africa such as Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Eswatini. "Koena" ("Kwena") is a Sotho/Tswana word meaning "crocodile", the crocodile is also their totem (seboko).[1]

Genealogy and history

Earliest ancestor of the Koena clan, Koena, was a grandson of Masilo I, the King of Bahurutse clan around 1360 CE. Koena and his followers settled at Tebang, now called Heidelberg.[2] Around 1500 CE, Bakoena started spreading in the region, from the Lekwa River to Kalahari (Botswana) until settling at Ntsoanatsatsi (mythical origin land of the Sotho-Tswana people) with the Bafokeng around 1580 CE.

Basotho line
  • first leader was Kgosi Napo.
  • Napo begat and was succeeded by his son Motebang
  • Motebang begat and was succeeded by his son Molemo
  • Molemo begat and was succeeded by his son Tsoloane le Tsolo
  • Tsholoane begat and was succeeded by his son Monaheng
  • Monaheng begat and was succeeded by his son Motloang
  • Motloang begat and was succeeded by his son Peete
  • Peete begat and was succeeded by his son Mokhachane
  • Mokhachane begat and was succeeded by his son Moshoeshoe

and it continues to the royal line of Lesotho.

Batswana line

Kgabo II led a small group of Bakwena and crossed the Madikwe River and founded a tribe on the lands of the Bakgatla tribe (whose totem was the blue monkey) which they drove away, modern day Botswana. As the result of a split, several tribes like the Ngwato and Ngwaketse. [3]

References
  1. Rosenberg, Scott; Weisfelder, Richard F. (13 June 2013). Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. p. 45. ISBN 9780810879829.
  2. Eldredge, Elizabeth A. (2015). Kingdoms and Chiefdoms of Southeastern Africa: Oral Traditions and History ... p. 245. ISBN 9781580465144.
  3. Schapera, I. (1980). "Notes on the early history of the Kwena (Bakwena-bagaSechele)". Botswana Notes and Records. 12: 83–87. JSTOR 40980796.
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