{"id":305,"date":"2013-07-10T21:34:03","date_gmt":"2013-07-10T20:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/?p=305"},"modified":"2020-07-20T00:26:23","modified_gmt":"2020-07-19T23:26:23","slug":"famous-facts-about-tswana-people-culture-and-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/famous-facts-about-tswana-people-culture-and-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Tswana People – Culture, Traditional Attire & Language"},"content":{"rendered":"
Tswana people are Niger-Congo or Bantu-speaking people including all the Sotho-Tswana clans residing either in Botswana, Lesotho or South Africa.\u00a0People all over the world are organized into social groups based on kinship or clan. These groups of people have distinct ways of living depending on their creativity and experiences. Most interesting are the systems that they acquire to help them in communication.<\/p>\n
The Tswana people are as stated, found in Botswana, South Africa<\/a>, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The people got their name in an interesting manner. “Batswana” is the ethnic group or citizens of Botswana who speak the Setswana language and have acquired the Sotho-Tswana culture.\u00a0The word Batswana (Western Sotho) is thought to be an antonym that comes from the meaning of the Sotho-Tswana word \u201ctswa\u201d, which means \u201cto come out of\u201d. The name would be derived from the word \u201cBa ba tswang\u201d eventually shortened to the word Batswana meaning \u201cThe Separatists\u201d or alternatively \u201cthe people who cannot hold together\u201d.<\/p>\n As at 2011, these people dominate Botswana by close to 80%, and they have a very significant population in South Africa.\u00a0They make up more than 1.6 million of Botswana\u2019s 2 million people, and more than 4 million of South Africa’s population.<\/p>\n In the Republic of Botswana, there are eight tribes which speak Tswana and are considered the major tribes. They have Paramount Chiefs, known as Kgosikgolo and who are members of Upper House of Parliament referred to as Ntlo ya Dikgosi. The Tswana tribe three main groups came from three brothers who parted ways with Chief Malope, their father. The three groups are Ngwato, Ngwaketse and Kwena and have established tribes in Serowe, Kanye and Molepolole. They left in search of arable land and pasture after population increase and drought on their father’s land. There are about nine principal tribes of Tswana which include the Babira, Bakwena, Bakgatla, Bangwato, Balete, Barolong, BaNgwaketse, Batlokwa and Batawana.<\/p>\n See Also:\u00a0Facts on Zulu tribe, people, language and culture<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n It is in South Africa where the largest number of Tswana people lives. Under the Apartheid regime, the Tswana people were Bophuthatswana citizen. There are very many Chiefs of Tswana people including the Bafokeng, Batlhaping, Batlokwa, Barolong, Bakgatla, Bahurutshe, Bakwena, Batlharo, Bapo, Baphalane, Batlhako and Bakubung.<\/p>\n The culture of the Batswana, the Tswana people, is dominant among all the other small groups. Cattle keeping has been the source of status and wealth for Tswana people and other minority groups in Botswana. Cattle keeping and Bayei fishing methods of Tswana and Batawana have been used as means to exchange cultural values between different groups of communities. There has been the introduction of western culture among Tswana people in the form of technology, business, media, tourism and consumer goods in urban areas. However, different aspects of cultures such as ritual ceremonies and traditional clothing in rural areas have disappeared. Some like dance and music, cattle keeping and traditional medicine have continued to persist. These changes have brought about improved education and health facilities which have improved the living standards of some people.<\/p>\n They have a very interesting belief system of Cults which were the traditional religions. Modimo was the creator and supreme being, Religious rites included bojale<\/em>\u00a0(female initiation ceremony), gofethla pula<\/em>\u00a0(rain rite) and bogwera<\/em> (male initiation ceremony). There are main denominations today such as Christianity which was introduced by David Livingstone, Lutheran, Anglican, Zion, Roman Catholic and Methodist Church.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Both modern and traditional music and dance have been adopted by Tswana people. They perform these in all their daily activities and ceremonies such as funerals and weddings. Speaking of funeral, as they have become quite expensive do check out these monthly funeral plans<\/a> if you do not want your family to spend a ton of money paying for the funeral. Music and dance are also taught in primary, secondary and even colleges where teachers and students organize music and dance competitions. Traditional dancers also perform in public holidays wearing beaded jewellery and skins.<\/p>\nTswana Tribe<\/h2>\n
Tswana Culture<\/h2>\n
Dance<\/h3>\n