Bakoena
Encyclopedia
Bakoena, or Bakwena, is one of the three main Basotho
tribes, who speak Sesotho
, the other two being Batlokoa
and Bataung
.
"Koena" is a Sesotho
word meaning "crocodile", and this animal is their totem
.
Basotho
The ancestors of the Sotho people have lived in southern Africa since around the fifth century. The Sotho nation emerged from the accomplished diplomacy of Moshoeshoe I who gathered together disparate clans of Sotho–Tswana origin that had dispersed across southern Africa in the early 19th century...
tribes, who speak Sesotho
Sesotho language
The Sotho language, also known as Sesotho, Southern Sotho, or Southern Sesotho, is a Bantu language spoken primarily in South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages, and in Lesotho, where it is the national language...
, the other two being Batlokoa
Batlokoa
The term Batlokwa refers to several Sotho-Tswana communities that reside in Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa, comprising both the followings of Tlokwa chiefs and more particularly members of clans identified as Tlokwa, or to individuals who identify themselves as of Tlokwa descent. Members of...
and Bataung
Bataung
Bataung is one of the three main Basotho tribes, who speak Sesotho, the other two being Batlokwa and Bakoena."Tau" is a Sesotho word meaning "lion", and this animal is their totem....
.
"Koena" is a Sesotho
Sesotho language
The Sotho language, also known as Sesotho, Southern Sotho, or Southern Sesotho, is a Bantu language spoken primarily in South Africa, where it is one of the 11 official languages, and in Lesotho, where it is the national language...
word meaning "crocodile", and this animal is their totem
Totem
A totem is a stipulated ancestor of a group of people, such as a family, clan, group, lineage, or tribe.Totems support larger groups than the individual person. In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem...
.