The Tswana People
The Tswana People
Tswana is the name applied to a number of groups who all speak the same language and share similar customs but have separate names. Tswana are defined as a member of the Bantu people inhabiting Botswana, western South Africa, and neighboring areas. They are also called Batswana or Bechuana. The language Tswana is defined as the Sotho language of the Tswana people and is a Bantu language. It may also be referred to as Setswana or Sechuana, and it was the first Sotho language written to have a written form. The principal Tswana clans are the: Barôlông, Bakwêna, Bangwaketse, Bamangwato, Batawana, Batlôkwa, Bakgatla, and Balete. None of these people ever knew themselves as the Tswana because foreigners gave them this name, the meaning and origin of which is unknown.
The Tswana people migrated from Eastern Africa into central southern Africa in the 14th century. They lived as hunters, herders, and cultivators in the high plains where there was plenty of game and grass, no serious livestock diseases, and fertile soil. The Tswana were able to grow sorghum, beans, pumpkins, sweet melons, gourds, and after being introduced by the Portuguese, maize was also highly productive. They existed as thriving agricultural communities. The Tswana are Bantu speaking people originated in the Katanga area that is today part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Between 200 and 500 CE, this group expanded across sub-Saharan Africa, crossed the Limpopo River, and entered into the area known today as South Africa. This migration occurred in two broad waves, by the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana. The Sotho-Tswana settled primarily in the Highveld, the large and relatively high central plateau of southern Africa. And, by 1000 CE, the Bantu had colonized most of South Africa, with the exception of the Western Cape and the Northern Cape, which were inhabited by Khoisan people. At the beginning of the 19th century, Sotho-Tswana society was shaken by two
Tswana is the name applied to a number of groups who all speak the same language and share similar customs but have separate names. Tswana are defined as a member of the Bantu people inhabiting Botswana, western South Africa, and neighboring areas. They are also called Batswana or Bechuana. The language Tswana is defined as the Sotho language of the Tswana people and is a Bantu language. It may also be referred to as Setswana or Sechuana, and it was the first Sotho language written to have a written form. The principal Tswana clans are the: Barôlông, Bakwêna, Bangwaketse, Bamangwato, Batawana, Batlôkwa, Bakgatla, and Balete. None of these people ever knew themselves as the Tswana because foreigners gave them this name, the meaning and origin of which is unknown.
The Tswana people migrated from Eastern Africa into central southern Africa in the 14th century. They lived as hunters, herders, and cultivators in the high plains where there was plenty of game and grass, no serious livestock diseases, and fertile soil. The Tswana were able to grow sorghum, beans, pumpkins, sweet melons, gourds, and after being introduced by the Portuguese, maize was also highly productive. They existed as thriving agricultural communities. The Tswana are Bantu speaking people originated in the Katanga area that is today part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Between 200 and 500 CE, this group expanded across sub-Saharan Africa, crossed the Limpopo River, and entered into the area known today as South Africa. This migration occurred in two broad waves, by the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana. The Sotho-Tswana settled primarily in the Highveld, the large and relatively high central plateau of southern Africa. And, by 1000 CE, the Bantu had colonized most of South Africa, with the exception of the Western Cape and the Northern Cape, which were inhabited by Khoisan people. At the beginning of the 19th century, Sotho-Tswana society was shaken by two
Bibliography: “Botswana History.” iExplore.com. 25 Feb. 2008. <http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/ Botswana/History>. Chirenje, J. Mutero. A History of Nothern Botswana 1850-1910. Cranbury: Associated University Presses, Inc., 1977. “Culture and History: People.” Botswana Tourism. 24 Feb. 2008. <http://www. botswana-tourism.gov.bw/culture_and_his/people.html>. Maylam, Paul. Rhodes, the Tswana, and the British. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1980. “People Profile: The Tswana.” 24 Feb. 2008. <http://cesa.imb.org/peoplegroups/tswana. htm> Schapera, I “Sotho-Tswana.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2008. Answers.com. 24 Feb. 2008. <http:// www.answers.com/topic/sotho-tswana>. “South Africa Information.” Art &Life in Africa. 24 Feb. 2008. <http://www.uiowa.edu /~africart/toc/countries/South_Africa.html>. “South Africa Tswana.” Countries of the World. 1996. <http://www.photius.com/ countries/south_africa/society/south_africa_society_tswana.html>. “Tswana.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 24 Feb. 2008. <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9073646>.