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67-744: The Sotho-Tswana, also known as the Sotho or Basotho , although the term is now closely associated with the Southern Sotho peoples are a meta-ethnicity of Southern Africa . They are a large and diverse group of people who speak Sotho-Tswana languages . The group is predominantly found in Botswana , Lesotho , South Africa , and the western part of Zambia . Smaller groups can also be found in Namibia and Zimbabwe . The Sotho-Tswana people would have diversified into their current arrangement during

134-474: A Lebollo la banna , or a boy's initiation ceremony, boys wear a loincloth called a tshea as well as colorful blankets. These traditional outfits are often combined with more modern items, like sunglasses. Traditional Sotho healers wear the bandolier, which consists of strips and strings made of leather, sinew, or beads that form a cross on the chest. The bandolier often has pouches of potions attached to it for specific rituals or physical/spiritual protection. It

201-644: A protectorate of Britain. Accordingly, the British administration was established in Maseru , the site of Lesotho's current capital. Local chieftains retained power over internal affairs, while Britain was responsible for foreign affairs and the defense of the protectorate. In 1869, the British sponsored a process to demarcate the borders of Basutoland. While many clans had territory within Basutoland, large numbers of Sesotho speakers resided in areas allocated to

268-483: A wrap , and it can be used to carry infants on their backs. Special clothing is worn for special events like initiation rites and traditional healing ceremonies. For a Lebollo la basadi , or girl's initiation ceremony, girls wear a beaded waist wrap called a thethana that covers the waist, particularly the crotch area and part of the buttocks. They also wear gray blankets and goatskin skirts. These garments are worn by young girls and women, particularly virgins. For

335-417: A conical hat with a decorated knob at the top that is worn differently for men and women. The Basotho blanket is often worn over the shoulders or waist and protects the wearer against the cold. Although many Sotho people wear westernized clothing, often traditional garments are worn over them. Many Basotho who live in rural areas wear clothing that suits their lifestyles. For instance, boys who herd cattle in

402-831: A daily half-hour Sesotho bulletin. Both SABC and the eTV group produce a range of programs that feature some Sesotho dialogue. In Lesotho, the Lesotho National Broadcasting Service broadcasts to South Africa via satellite pay-TV provider, DStv . Most newspapers in Lesotho are written in Sesotho or both Sesotho and English. There are no fully fledged South African newspapers in Sesotho except for regional newsletters in QwaQwa , Fouriesburg , Ficksburg , and possibly other Free State towns. Currently,

469-625: A derogatory term used by the Swazi to refer to the Pedi in the 1400s. The Swazi called the Bapedi "Abashuntu" because they wore breechcloths made of animal skins tied in knots to cover their private parts. The word "Abashuntu" comes from the verb "uku shunta," which means "to make a knot." Despite the derogatory origins of the term, the Pedi adopted it with pride. They took the name with pride. Other Sotho-speaking groups who also wore breechcloths adopted

536-510: A dispute arose between two junior chiefs, the most senior chief closest to them would be invited to resolve it. Another important factor was that a senior chief or members of his clan could not be summoned to the Kgotla by a junior kgosi or clan member. An additional factor in this question of rank and seniority is that it was determined by birth and could not be changed; this means a chief born of minor status could not change his standing relative to

603-575: A dispute were to arise between any of the offshoot clans, like the Basia and Baphiti, then the Mmakau chief would be tasked with resolving it as their senior. The question of rank and seniority is one that is very important to the Sotho-Tswana. It determines a lot, from family relationships, to village matters to relationships between clans and between the different tribal groups. In a family situation,

670-520: A first language, though they are located mostly in the northern part of the province. Aside from Lesotho and South Africa, 60,000 people speak Silozi (a close relative of Sesotho) in Zambia . Additionally, a few Sesotho speakers reside in Botswana , Eswatini and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia . No official statistics on second language usage are available, but one conservative estimate of

737-511: A higher standard of living. Landowners often participate in subsistence or small-scale commercial farming ventures. However, overgrazing and land mismanagement are growing problems. The allure of urban areas has not diminished, and internal migration continues today for many black people born in Lesotho and other Basotho heartlands. Generally, employment patterns among the Basotho follow

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804-1019: A preference for dense and close settlements, as well as a tradition of large-scale building in stone. The group mainly consists of four clusters: the Southern Sotho (Sotho), the Northern Sotho (which consists of the Bapedi , the Balobedu and others), the Lozi , the Tswana and the Kgalakgadi . A fifth cluster is sometimes referred to as the Eastern Sotho and consists of the Pulana , Kgolokwe , Pai, and others. The Sotho-Tswana are said to contain some Khoe-San ancestry with levels as high as >20%. The Sotho-Tswana ethnic group derives its name from

871-400: A totem, which is usually an animal. Totems are inherited from the father and thus pass like an English surname. The totem animal had traditionally had a status of veneration and avoidance; in particular, it was important not to eat one's totem. In modern Sotho-Tswana society, this is not as strictly observed. Each morafe or sechaba had its own totem. When naming a clan, the name of the founder or

938-567: Is Botha's lark ( Spizocorys fringillaris ) and the two endemic mammals – the Free State pygmy mouse ( Mus orangiae ) and the rough-haired golden mole ( Chrysospalax villosa ). As well as the python, other reptiles include the Nile crocodile ( Crocodylus niloticus ), Nile monitor ( Varanus niloticus ), rock monitor ( Varanus albigularis ), and giant girdled lizard or sungazer ( Smaug giganteus ). Like many other areas of grassland all over

1005-505: Is believed that the San people adopted this bandolier attire for healers during times when the Basotho and the San traded and developed ties through trade, marriage, and friendship. The San people's use of the bandolier can be seen in their rock paintings that date to the 1700s. Highveld The Highveld constitutes almost the whole of the Free State , and Gauteng Provinces, and portions of

1072-527: Is situated between the coastal lowlands to the east and south and the Kalahari Desert to the west. The Sotho-Tswana predominantly inhabited the highlands and steppes, resulting in a relatively lower population density than the Nguni. They were also less reliant on agriculture, instead practicing a mixed economy of farming, herding, and hunting. The 19th century marked a significant period of change for

1139-552: Is the first language of 1.5 million people in Lesotho , or 85% of the population. It is one of the two official languages in Lesotho, the other being English. Lesotho enjoys one of Africa's highest literacy rates, with 59% of the adult population being literate, chiefly in Sesotho. Sesotho is one of the eleven official languages of South Africa . According to the 2011 South African National Census of 2011 , almost 4 million people speak Sesotho as their first language , including 62% of Free State inhabitants. Approximately 13.1% of

1206-510: Is to distinguish between the different clans and the various sub-clans below them. This means distinguishing between clans that share the same totem, like the crocodile, but are distinct, such as the Bapo, Bakwena, Bangwaketse, and Bafokeng of Phokeng. In distinguishing between subclans, an example is the Bakgatla, who separated into Bakgatla ba Kgafela and Bakgatla ba ga Mmakau over who should lead

1273-614: The Basotho ( / b æ ˈ s uː t uː / ), are a Sotho-Tswana ethnic group native to Southern Africa . They primarily inhabit the regions of Lesotho and South Africa . The ancestors of the Sotho people are believed to have originated from Northeast Africa, and migrated south in the fifth century CE. The Sotho people have split into different clans over time as a result of the Mfecane (a series of wars and migrations that took place in

1340-599: The Cape Colony was ceded to Britain at the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars , many farmers opted to leave the former Dutch colony in the Great Trek . They moved inland, where they eventually established independent polities. At the time of these developments, Moshoeshoe I gained control of the Basotho kingdoms of the southern highveld. Universally praised as a skilled diplomat and strategist, he molded

1407-574: The Kingdom of Lesotho . Sesotho is widely spoken throughout the subcontinent due to internal migration . To enter the cash economy, Lesotho men often migrated to large cities in South Africa to find employment in the mining industry . Migrant workers from the Free State and Lesotho thus helped spread Sesotho to the urban areas of South Africa. It is generally agreed that migrant work harmed

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1474-850: The Kruger National Park ). Another well defined boundary is to its north where the Magaliesberg separates the Highveld from the Bushveld. The continuation of the Great Escarpment to the south separates the Highveld from KwaZulu-Natal. The south-eastern portion of the Great Escarpment (that portion of the Great Escarpment most commonly referred to as the Drakensberg ) rises to over 3000 m and forms

1541-468: The Nguni while others got assimilated into building the Nguni nation. By the 16th century, Iron-working was well established in Basotho communities alongside their Nguni neighbours. Basotho were mostly independent and relatively isolated up until this point in which they occasionally traded with the regions north of their homeland with external links that are described as "Sporadic and Marginal". By at least

1608-581: The Orange Free State , the sovereign voortrekker republic that bordered the Basotho kingdom. King Moshoeshoe died two years later in 1870, after the end of war, and was buried at the summit of Thaba Bosiu. Britain's protection ensured that repeated attempts by the Orange Free State , and later the Republic of South Africa , to absorb part or all of Basutoland were unsuccessful. In 1966, Basutoland gained its independence from Britain, becoming

1675-609: The Witwatersrand , the Magaliesberg , and Vredefort Dome . The Vaal River and its tributaries form the main water drainage system of the Highveld. Tributaries of the Orange River drain the most southerly regions of the Highveld. The Highveld rainy season occurs in summer, with substantial afternoon thunderstorms being typical occurrences in November, December, and January. Frost occurs in winter. Cities located on

1742-530: The grassland acts as a natural filter, providing sources of clean water. Naturally occurring vegetation in the Highveld consists of different types of well-established grassland depending on the varying amounts of rainfall across the area: subtropical and temperate grassland , with true savannah not dominating the ecosystem until more tropical latitudes. The major grass species are Hyparrhenia hirta and Sporobolus pyramidalis and among these are other grasses and herbs. Trees and shrubs never thrived due to

1809-412: The seshweshwe , a traditional Basotho dress. The local traditional dresses are made using colored cloth and ribbon accents bordering each layer. Sotho women often purchase this material and have it designed in a style similar to West and East African dresses. Women often wrap a long print cloth or a small blanket around their waist, either as a skirt or as a second garment over it. This is commonly known as

1876-410: The 15th century, the Sotho-Tswana people had begun to disperse throughout the southern Transvaal highveld . Over the next few centuries, the Sotho-Tswana people continued to disperse and form new chiefdoms. Unlike the Nguni people, who predominantly settled in coastal areas, the Sotho-Tswana found their home in the highlands of South Africa, specifically in the region known as the Highveld. This region

1943-562: The 17th century CE, a series of Basotho kingdoms covered the southern portion of the African plateau (nowadays Free State Province and parts of Gauteng ), North West . Basotho society was highly decentralized, and organized on the basis of kraals , or extended clans, each of which was ruled by its own chief. Chiefdoms were united into loose confederations . In the 1820s, refugees from the Zulu expansion under Shaka came into contact with

2010-571: The 19th century) and colonialism . There are 3 types of Basotho, Northern Sotho , Southern Sotho , Tswana people The British and the Boers ( Dutch descendants ) divided Sotho land amongst themselves in the late 19th century. Lesotho was created by the settlers in the 1869 Convention of Aliwal North following the conflict over land with Moshoeshoe I , the king of the Southern Sothos. The Southern Sotho of Lesotho's identity emerged from

2077-645: The Barolong and Bakgatla have mainly been dismissed; for example, some subclans of Bakgatla, like the Bakgatla ba GaMmakau, acknowledge the Bahurutshe as senior, while the BaKagatla ba ga Kgafela do not. In the case of the Barolong, the Batlhaping, who are an offshoot of the Barolong, acknowledge the Bahurutshe to be senior to the Barolong, while the Barolong do not. The Bafokeng maintain that their split from

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2144-643: The Basotho people residing on the highveld . In 1823, pressure caused one group of Basotho, the Kololo , to migrate north. They moved past the Okavango Swamp and across the Zambezi into Barotseland , (which is now part of Zambia , Angola , Zimbabwe , Botswana , and Namibia ). In 1845, the Kololo conquered Barotseland. At about the same time, the Boers began to encroach upon Basotho territory. After

2211-466: The British defeated the indigenous African groups, and the areas under their control were divided among different territories. South Africa, Bechuanaland (now known as Botswana), Barotseland (now in Zambia), and Basutoland (now Lesotho) emerged as distinct geopolitical entities. This complex historical process shaped the cultural and political landscape of the Sotho-Tswana territories, contributing to

2278-589: The Highveld include Johannesburg , Pretoria , Bloemfontein , Vereeniging , Welkom , Carletonville , and the cities of the West Rand and East Rand . The diamond-mining city of Kimberley lies on the border of the Highveld and the southeastern Kalahari. About half of the gold ever produced in the world has been mined on the Highveld since 1880. The largest deposits are located in the Witwatersrand, which centres on Johannesburg, with smaller deposits in

2345-562: The Sotho continue to make significant contributions to South African and Lesotho societies. The Basotho nation is a mixture of Bantu-speaking clans that mixed with San people who already lived in Southern Africa when they arrived there. Bantu -speaking people had settled in what is now South Africa by about 500 CE. Separation from the Batswana is assumed to have taken place by the 14th century. Some Basotho people split from

2412-471: The Sotho-Tswana territories due to the expansion of the Nguni people, known as the Mfecane. This expansion prompted local groups to consolidate and form the first states within the region. Notable among these emerging states were the Basotho, Bapedi, and Tswana. One group of Basotho, known as the Kololo , migrated extensively to the north and established their own state in what is now Zambia. During their rule,

2479-590: The animal they venerate could be used. An example is the Bahurutshe, named after the founder Mohurutshe; alternatively, they can also be called Batshweneng after the tshwene (baboon), which they venerate; similarly, Batlhako after the founder; or Batloung after the totem. For some clans, the name of the founder and their totem are the same, like the Bakwena and Bataung, where the founders were named Kwena (crocodile) and Tau (lion), respectively. An important distinction that needs to be made when discussing Sotho-Tswana clans

2546-646: The boundary between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. The latter mountainous region is, however, not generally referred to as Highveld, whose boundary at this point runs just inside the Lesotho-Free State border, about 2,000 m (6,600 ft). From its eastern boundary, the Highveld slopes gently downwards to be bounded by the Great Karoo to the south, the Kalahari desert to the west, the Bushveld to

2613-416: The clan. One faction defied the usual tradition of male leaders and acknowledged the female, Mmakau, as their kgosi. Those who supported Kgafela then broke away. Further offshoots from the Bakgatla are the Bakgatla ba Mmanaana, Bakgatla ba Mmakau, and Bakgatla ba Motsha, who all have the kgabo as their totem. The Bakgatla ba Mmakau would later give rise to Bapedi, BaKholokoe, Batlokwa, BaPhuti and Basia clans If

2680-407: The core Sotho-Tswana body predated the split between Mohurutshe and Kwena, and therefore they are equal in status to the Bahurutshe, if not senior. These disputes over seniority and rank were driven by the quest for benefits and independence, a senior kgosi could demand a payment of tribute from a junior chief, and they could also summon a junior chief or member of his clan to kgotla for a hearing. If

2747-484: The course of the 2nd millennium, but they retain a number of linguistic and cultural characteristics that distinguish them from other Bantu-speakers of southern Africa. These are features such as totemism / diboko a pre-emptive right of men to marry their maternal cousins, and an architectural style characterized by a round hut with a conical thatch roof supported by wooden pillars on the outside. Other major distinguishing features included their dress of skin cloaks and

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2814-734: The creation of Lesotho by the British after the Boers defeated Moshoeshoe I in the Third Basotho War in 1868 and he asked the British for protection. Some of the Southern Sotho speakers who were not part of Moshoeshoe's kingdom when he united some of their tribesmen are living in Gauteng , while some are found in the west of KwaZulu-Natal , the north of the Eastern Cape and most of the Free State province. In modern times,

2881-616: The disparate refugee groups escaping the Difaqane into a cohesive nation. His leadership allowed his small nation to survive the obstacles that destroyed other indigenous South African kingdoms during the 19th century, such as the Zulu Mfecane , the inward expansion of the voortrekkers and the plans of the Colonial Office . In 1822, Moshoeshoe established the capital at Butha-Buthe , an easily defensible mountain in

2948-542: The family life of most Sesotho speakers because adults (primarily men) were required to leave their families behind in impoverished communities while they were employed in distant cities. Attempts by the apartheid government to force Sesotho speakers to relocate to designated homelands had little effect on their settlement patterns. Large numbers of workers continued to leave the traditional areas of Black settlement. Women gravitated towards employment as agricultural or domestic workers while men typically found employment in

3015-433: The formation of diverse states and the interaction between various ethnic groups. The term Basotho can be used to refer to the following: The term Tswana can be used to refer to one of the following: The term Northern Sotho can be used to refer to the following: The term Eastern Sotho can be used to refer to the following: The term Lozi can be used to refer to the following: In Sotho-Tswana society, each member has

3082-413: The frequent fires that occurred in the dry season and the heavy grazing (once by wild animals and now by livestock ). The Highveld is home to a number of endangered animals, including straw-coloured fruit bats ; Africa's largest snake, the African rock python ( Python sebae ); mountain zebras ; and South Africa's national bird, the blue crane ( Anthropoides paradiseus ). The only endemic bird species

3149-436: The issue of rank determines when a son will undergo initiation, or receive an inheritance. A further distinction is also made between the senior wife and the junior wife if a man is in a polygamous marriage. As the Sotho-Tswana lived in large villages, seniority and rank also played a part here. The chief's homestead is situated at the center of the village, and thereafter the other citizens are grouped according to rank, with

3216-626: The language is still relatively small. Sesotho has developed a sizable media presence since the end of apartheid . Lesedi FM is a 24-hour Sesotho radio station run by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), broadcasting solely in Sesotho. There are other regional radio stations throughout Lesotho and the Free State. Half-hour Sesotho news bulletins are broadcast daily on the SABC free-to-air channel SABC 2 . Independent TV broadcaster eTV also features

3283-612: The language of the conquerors, Lozi, gained prominence in Zambia. Throughout the 19th century and into the middle of the 20th century, various African groups gradually migrated into the Sotho-Tswana territories, establishing settlements and states. Notable among these were the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The British Empire later laid claim to these territories, resulting in conflicts with local populations. Eventually,

3350-450: The living, and their favor must be cultivated through worship and reverence. Officially, the majority of Lesotho's population is Catholic. The Southern Basotho's heartland is the Free State province in South Africa and neighboring Lesotho. Both of these largely rural areas have widespread poverty and underdevelopment. Many Sesotho speakers live in conditions of economic hardship, but people with access to land and steady employment may enjoy

3417-404: The mainstream South African magazine Bona includes Sesotho content. Since the codification of Sesotho orthography, literary works have been produced in Sesotho. Notable Sesotho-language literature includes Thomas Mofolo 's epic Chaka , which has been translated into several languages, including English and German. The Basotho have a unique traditional attire. This includes the mokorotlo ,

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3484-492: The mining sector. In terms of religion, the central role that Christian missionaries played in helping Moshoeshoe I secure his kingdom helped to ensure widespread Basotho conversion to Christianity. Today, the bulk of Sesotho speakers practice a form of Christianity that blends elements of traditional Christian dogma with local, pre-Western beliefs. Modimo ("God") is viewed as a supreme being who cannot be approached by mortals. Ancestors are seen as intercessors between Modimo and

3551-522: The most junior members living the furthest from the village center. Inter and intra-clan relationships have been a question that has occupied the Sotho-Tswana since the split that occurred between the followers of Mohurutshe and Kwena. While it is generally accepted that the Hurutshe are the senior clan, some of the other clans have disputed this, mainly the Bafokeng, Barolong, and Bakgatla. The claims of

3618-468: The name of their leader as their identity, but naturally, in essence, every Batho/Bantu people is a Mosotho. The term Basotho is now used as a term of pride and unity for the Sotho people. It is a reminder of their shared history and culture and their determination to resist oppression. The ethnonym Batswana is thought to be an anantonym that comes from the meaning of the Sotho-Tswana word "tswa", which means "to come out of". The name would be derived from

3685-566: The north, the Mpumalanga Lowveld to the northeast, KwaZulu-Natal to the east, and the Lesotho Highlands, or Mountains , to the southeast. The Highveld covers an area of almost 400,000 km (150,000 sq mi), or roughly 30% of South Africa's land area. The Highveld terrain is generally devoid of mountains, consisting of rolling plains, especially in the Free State, sometimes interrupted by rocky ridges such as

3752-412: The northern Drakensberg mountain range, thus laying the foundations of the eventual Kingdom of Lesotho. His capital was later moved to Thaba Bosiu . To deal with the encroaching voortrekker groups, Moshoeshoe encouraged French missionary activity in his kingdom. Missionaries sent by the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society provided the King with foreign affairs counsel and helped to facilitate

3819-619: The northern Free State near Welkom and Virginia . The Highveld is also exceedingly rich in diamonds , coal , vanadium , and manganese . The pollution in this region is also very high principally due to coal thermal power stations producing nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide . Agriculture on the Highveld is generally dominated by extensive grain production and the grazing of beef cattle , with more intensive production of maize , wheat , sorghum , citrus fruits , groundnuts , sunflowers , and vegetables , occurring in irrigated areas and farmland closer to urban areas. The peat base of

3886-438: The number of people who speak Sesotho as a second (or later) language is 5 million. Sesotho is used in a range of educational settings, both as a subject of study and as a medium of instruction. It is used in its spoken and written forms in all spheres of education, from preschool to doctoral studies. However, the number of technical materials (e.g., in the fields of commerce, information technology, law, science, and math) in

3953-481: The other chiefs. This was mainly to discourage the split up of clans into further sub-clans and the buildup of clans through conquest and warfare. Politics Entertainment Sport 19, https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/77107 20. https://ia601506.us.archive.org/6/items/bantupastpresent00mole/bantupastpresent00mole.pdf 20 https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/9335117 . Sotho people The Sotho ( / ˈ s uː t uː / ), also known as

4020-461: The people who belong to the various Sotho and Tswana clans that live in southern Africa. Historically, all members of the group were referred to as Sothos; the name is now exclusively applied to speakers of Southern Sotho who live mainly in Lesotho and the Free State province in South Africa, while Northern Sotho is reserved for Sotho speakers that inhabit north-eastern South Africa, predominantly in Limpopo . The term Basotho may have originated as

4087-495: The purchase of modern weapons. Aside from acting as state ministers, missionaries (primarily Casalis and Arbousset) played a vital role in delineating Sesotho orthography and printing Sesotho language materials between 1837 and 1855. The first Sesotho translation of the Bible appeared in 1878. In 1868, after losing the western lowlands to the Boers during the Free State–Basotho Wars , Moshoeshoe successfully appealed to Queen Victoria to proclaim Basutoland (modern Lesotho )

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4154-408: The residents of Gauteng speak Sesotho as their first language. In the North West Province , 5% of the population speaks Sesotho as a first language, with a concentration of speakers in the Maboloka region. Three percent of Mpumalanga 's people speak Sesotho as their first language, with many speakers living in the Standerton area. Two percent of the residents of the Eastern Cape speak Sesotho as

4221-464: The rural Free State and Lesotho wear the Basotho blanket and large rain boots ( gumboots ) as protection from the wet mountain terrain. Herd boys also often wear woolen balaclavas or caps year-round to protect their faces from cold temperatures and dusty winds. Basotho women usually wear skirts and long dresses in bright colors and patterns, as well as the traditional blankets around the waist. On special occasions like wedding celebrations, they wear

4288-440: The same patterns as broader South African society. Historical factors cause unemployment among the Basotho and other Black South Africans to remain high. Percent of Sesotho speakers across South Africa: The language of the Basotho is referred to as Sesotho, less commonly known as Sesotho sa borwa . Some texts may refer to Sesotho as "Southern Sotho" to differentiate it from Northern Sotho , also called Sepedi. Sesotho

4355-421: The surrounding areas: the western rim of Lesotho, and portions of the Eastern Cape , Northern Cape , North West , Limpopo , and Mpumalanga Provinces of South Africa. The highest part of the Highveld, around 2,100 m (6,900 ft), is its northeastern well-defined boundary, where the plateau escarpment (the Mpumalanga Drakensberg ) separates it from the Mpumalanga Lowveld , (containing, amongst others,

4422-486: The term as well, and it eventually came to be used to refer to all Sotho people. The Basotho name is thought to be derived from the word "sootho", "brown" , which means the ones with dark/brown melanin. "Ba sootho" directly translates to "They are brown". The use of the word has always been part of the vocabulary of the Sotho-Tswana nation. The word became ascribed to a specific people due to regional conflicts: different Bantu clans split from their ancestor clans and took

4489-467: The word "Ba ba tswang" eventually shortened to the word Batswana meaning "The Separatists" or alternatively "the people who cannot hold together". One of the chief characteristics of the Sotho-Tswana clans is their tendency to break up and hive off. The Sotho-Tswana are a cultural and ethnic group whose ancestors arrived in Botswana and South Africa around 200–500 AD, they are descendents of the khoi people who in Sesotho(Southern Sotho) are known as Baroa. By

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