Sotho-Tswana
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The Sotho-Tswana is the most commonly accepted name for a group of Bantu peoples that inhabit South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana.
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[edit] Language
- See also: Sotho language group
The differentiation between the various black African groups in South Africa (Sotho-Tswana, Nguni, Venda and Tsonga) is rooted in linguistics. Different Ngunis can converse with each other, as can different Sotho-Tswanas, but the languages of each group are distinct from those of the other, just as Germanic languages are mutually intelligible to an extent, and totally different from Romance languages.
[edit] History
Sometime between 200-500 CE, Bantu peoples, who originated in the Katanga area (today part of the DRC and Zambia), and had been expanding across sub-Saharan Africa, crossed the Limpopo River, entering the area today known as South Africa.
There were two broad waves of Bantu immigration to South Africa; Nguni and Sotho-Tswana. The former (the Xhosa, Zulu and Swazi nations) settled in the eastern coastal regions, while the latter (Tswana, Basotho and Pedi) settled primarily in the area known today as the Highveld - the large, relatively high central plateau of southern Africa.
By 1000 CE the Bantu colonization of most of South Africa had been completed, with the exception of the Western and Northern parts of the Cape (now the Western Cape and Northern Cape)(which were inhabited by Bushmen until Dutch colonisation). Their society was highly decentralized, organized on a basis of kraals (an enlarged clan), headed by a chief, who owed a very hazy allegiance to the nation’s head chief.
Sotho-Tswana society was rocked at the beginning of the 19th century by two developments. The first was the Difaqane ("the crushing"), the forced migration and upheaval caused by the rise of the Zulu nation, which, under the reign of Shaka, evolved within two decades from a typical Bantu decentralized pastoral society into a highly centralized and organized nation-state, with a large and powerful standing army.
The second was the advance of Voortrekkers (Boers or Dutch settlers seeking to leave British rule following the seizure of the Cape Colony from the Netherlands by the British) from the Cape Colony into the interior, Sotho-Tswana territory.
The Basotho (southern Sotho) were blessed to have at this critical time a superb leader, King Moshoeshoe. He was both an able military strategist and sophisticated diplomat. He succeeded in welding the numerous clans into a kingdom capable of repelling attacks by the remnants of Nguni tribes fleeing Zulu conquest of their lands. At the same time he reached an understanding with Shaka, as a result of which the Zulu never attempted to conquer his kingdom.
The Sotho state he created was strong enough to keep the Boers at bay, maintaining the independence and integrity of his kingdom after the formation of the Orange Free State. As tensions between the two Boer republics (Orange Free State and the Transvaal) and the British increased, he was able to skillfully maneuver between them, and to fight to a stalemate when diplomacy failed. As a result Lesotho (or Basutoland as it was previously known), was never part of South Africa, but became a Crown Colony and then an independent nation in 1965.
The northern Sotho ("Sesotho sa Leboa" or "Sepedi") and the Tswana were less fortunate. Retaining the traditional loose political formation, they were overwhelmed by the Matabele, an Nguni tribe closely related to the Zulu who, under their leader Mzilkazi rebelled against Shaka, and fled KwaZulu (Zululand). He depopulated and subjugated a vast area, before finally settling down in the southwestern part of what is modern Zimbabwe, where he built his capital Bulawayo.
Tswana territory was divided by the British and the Boer ZAR (Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek). With the formation of the Union of South Africa following the ZAR’s defeat by the British in the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), some Tswana territory became part of South Africa; the rest became the British colony of Bechuanaland, which then became the independent state of Botswana in 1965.
Botswana is one of post colonial Africa’s few success stories. Since over 95% of its population belongs to a single ethnic group, it has escaped the corruption, tribalism, violence and instability that have plagued so many African countries. It has a fair amount of mineral wealth, and is one of the few African states to provide its citizens with good government and a reasonable standard of living. It has however not escaped the AIDS epidemic which has decimated the population of the entire region.
[edit] Culture
Like other Bantu peoples, some Sotho-Tswana practice traditional Shamanist type religion, based on devotion to ancestors - as intermediaries to god - and spirits. (A person is said to exist for as long as his "shadow" is still felt on earth by living relatives).
Each community has its traditional herbalist healers (ngaka in Sesotho), who also function as shamans, spiritual counselors and protectors against evil spirits and black magic.
Under European influence, most Sotho-Tswana adopted Christianity. Lesotho is predominantly Catholic, a result of King Moshoeshoe's decision to invite French missionary organizations into his kingdom, as part of his diplomatic maneuvers to prevent any single European entity from dominating the area, which he realized would be disastrous for the Basotho people (later developments in neighbouring South Africa a century later proved how astute he had been). Most Tswana and northern Sotho belong to some Protestant denomination.
Contemporary Sotho-Tswana society is adapting to a rapidly urbanising population and culture. In rural areas, traditional culture remains an important force in daily life. In the region's urban areas, which are cosmopolitan, multi-racial and multi-cultural, western cultural norms are predominant.
[edit] Apartheid
Like all non-white South Africans, the Sotho-Tswana people suffered greatly under the apartheid regime that ruled South Africa from 1948-1991. They were forcibly relocated to the economically unsustainable designated homelands (apartheid left the majority African population with about 13% of the land, most of it unsuitable for cultivation). The Bantustan for the Tswana people was Bophuthatswana, while that for the Pedi was Lebowa and for the Sesotho, QwaQwa.
