{"id":240670,"date":"2021-12-21T16:57:52","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T15:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/?p=240670"},"modified":"2021-12-21T16:57:58","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T15:57:58","slug":"pedi-people-all-about-their-culture-traditional-foods-and-beliefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/pedi-people-all-about-their-culture-traditional-foods-and-beliefs\/","title":{"rendered":"Pedi People: All about their Culture, Traditional Foods and Beliefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pedi is an ethnic group in South Africa that makes up about 4,972,000 of the population of the country, and 14,000 of them can be found Botswana. They speak the Pedi or Sapedi dialect but it should be noted that their language has a certain similarity to the Northern Sotho language, however, they are not the same. Apart from being one of the major black ethnic groups in South Africa, this ethnic group – the Pedi people – has also produced some notable people like South Africa’s third black president, Kgalema Petrus Motlanthe, and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Just like what is obtainable in most ethnic groups in Africa as a whole, Bapedi or Pedi people are very rich in culture, ranging from their traditional beliefs, traditional foods, wedding and burial rites, as well as age rites. Although Christianity is the religion of most Pedi people, some of them are srtill very much involved in African traditional religion. So far, the influence of civilization and modern technology has done litlle to change the people’s inclination to their tradional practices. If you wish to know about Pedi culture, tradition, and belief, this post will introduce you to all you need to know.<\/p>\n

Brief History Of The Pedi People<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Every community has special myths and legend that can be used to trace their origin and the Pedi people are no exception. Pedi people are believed to have originated from Tswana and are descendants of Kgatla (Bakgatla). Kgatla (Bakgatla) is a Tswana clan that migrated to Bapedi in the 1700. Today, Bopedi is known as Limpopo. They are the first Sotho-Tswana people to be called Basotho. Pedi people are found mostly in the northern provinces of South Africa, in Limpopo and the northern part of Mpumalanga.<\/p>\n

Around 1650, the Pedi people were majorly located around Steelpoort River, and they remained there for many generations. That was where they gained their cultural and linguistic homogeneity. It was only around the 18th century that they began to gain control over the regions around them and gained Pedi paramountcy by bringing other chiefdoms under their control.<\/p>\n

\"Pedi<\/a>
Britain’s Nightmare, King Sekhukhune I, son of Sekwati<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Around 1780\u20131820, the Pedi political entity was ruled by King Thulare, but under his rule, the Pedi power was looked down upon by invaders from the Southeast called Ndwandwe. However, when Sekwati, King Thulare’s son took over, the political entity was stabilized again. When Sekhukhune I, son of Sekwati began his rule, he refused to pay tax to the Transvaal government. This led to the First Sekhukhune War which lasted a couple of months as the Transvaal government declared war against his kingdom (from May to August) in 1876. However, he was victorious, and in 1877, the conditions for peace were met and peace was restored.<\/p>\n

After the British annexed the Transvaal in April 1877, they attacked Sekhukhune again in the Second Sekhukhune War and after repelling several attacks, he was arrested in December 1879. After South Africa’s first war, Sekhukhune was released in 1881 but was murdered by his stepbrother, Mampuru II. During the time of the apartheid in 1885, the Transvaal Republic’s Native Location Commission set aside 1,000 square kilometers of land for the Pedi people.<\/p>\n

Exploring the Pedi Culture and Traditional Beliefs<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Pedi culture is quite diverse, consolidated by years of strong traditional belief systems and lifestyles. Below, we take a look at a number of significant Pedi traditions.<\/p>\n

Pedi People Used To Engage In Patrilocal and Polygyny Marriages<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Marriage among the Pedi people used to be Patrilocal, this is a type of marriage where the couple lived with the husband’s family. Polygamy was more common among those who were rich. They preferred cousin marriage, that is, getting married to their cousins, especially the ruling and chiefly families.<\/p>\n

They saw this as a way to recycle bridal wealth. Cousin marriage implied that both the bride and groom’s family already had close connections, the bridal wealth obtained from the daughter’s marriage was used to get a bride for her brother, in order to pay his sister, he would have to give his daughter in marriage to her son.<\/p>\n

With the introduction of Christianity and civilization, cousin marriage is rarely practiced, and polygamy has also become rare. Separation from a spouse has now become common and some women do not bother getting married, they just raise them in small households, headed by a woman.<\/p>\n

Modern Pedi Marriage<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Although Christianity has now become one of the major religions among the Pedi people, Pedi traditional marriage<\/a> does not take place in a church. It still takes place in the house of either the bride or groom’s parents.<\/p>\n