Thamaga
Encyclopedia
Thamaga is a large village located in the Kweneng District
of Botswana
and about 40 km west of the capital city Gaborone
.
The village is dominated by large rock formations, the largest being Thamaga Hill. Thamaga is second in the district to Molepolole
in both size and population. The majority of the residents are from the Bakgatla-ba-ga-Mmanaana Tribe, and their totem is the vervet monkey
(kgabo) and tan/white cow (Mmanaana coloring). A significant amount of archaeological research has taken place in the surrounding area over the last ~20 years, and current research is being conducted by a team from the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Botswana
.
The Bakgatla-ba-ga-Mmanaana settled there in the mid 1930s and they are a break-away group and the same people as Bakgatla-ba-ga-Mmanaana in Moshupa
, just 17 km to the southwest. Most of the old village wards where the tribes men settled from Moshupa maintained the same names as the wards in Thamag. People of any particular wards between the two villages are related and commonly use similar surnames. Even the chiefs of the two villages are of the same blood and use common names of Mosielele's and Gobuamang's.
The area was formerly inhabited by various groups or "Bakgalagadi" (earlier arrivals of Bantu-speaking farmers and herders) and hunter-gatherers ancestral to \he people today called San
, Bushmen
, and Basarwa. The history of these peoples in the Thamaga area, based on radiocarbon dating
, has been traced back at least 5000 years.
Kweneng District
Kweneng is one of the districts of Botswana and is the recent historical homeland of the Bakwena people, the first group in Botswana converted to Christianity by famed missionary David Livingstone. Various landmarks, including Livingstone's Cave, allude to this history...
of Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
and about 40 km west of the capital city Gaborone
Gaborone
' is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 191,776 based on a 2006 survey, about 10% of the total population of Botswana....
.
The village is dominated by large rock formations, the largest being Thamaga Hill. Thamaga is second in the district to Molepolole
Molepolole
Molepolole is Botswana's biggest village. It lies in the south east of the county. The people who reside in Molepolole are the Bakwena, who are one of the eight major tribes in Botswana. The Bakwena chief was among the three chiefs who went to England to seek protection from the British in the...
in both size and population. The majority of the residents are from the Bakgatla-ba-ga-Mmanaana Tribe, and their totem is the vervet monkey
Vervet Monkey
The vervet monkey , or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus....
(kgabo) and tan/white cow (Mmanaana coloring). A significant amount of archaeological research has taken place in the surrounding area over the last ~20 years, and current research is being conducted by a team from the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Botswana
University of Botswana
The University of Botswana, or UB was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has four campuses: two in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. The university is divided into six faculties: Business, Education,...
.
The Bakgatla-ba-ga-Mmanaana settled there in the mid 1930s and they are a break-away group and the same people as Bakgatla-ba-ga-Mmanaana in Moshupa
Moshupa
Moshupa is a large village in the Southern District of Botswana with a population of approximately 20,000 . The people of Moshupa are called the Bakgatla-ba-ga Mmanaana, a group also found in Thamaga. Along with the related BaKgatla-ba-ga Kgafela of Mochudi, they arrived to the region from the...
, just 17 km to the southwest. Most of the old village wards where the tribes men settled from Moshupa maintained the same names as the wards in Thamag. People of any particular wards between the two villages are related and commonly use similar surnames. Even the chiefs of the two villages are of the same blood and use common names of Mosielele's and Gobuamang's.
The area was formerly inhabited by various groups or "Bakgalagadi" (earlier arrivals of Bantu-speaking farmers and herders) and hunter-gatherers ancestral to \he people today called San
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
, Bushmen
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
, and Basarwa. The history of these peoples in the Thamaga area, based on radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
, has been traced back at least 5000 years.
See also
- Mosope RiverMosope RiverThe Mosope River is a natural watercourse in Botswana, passing through the village of moshupa. The Mosope River joins the Kolobeng river to form Metsimotlhaba which joins Notwane river around Mochudi, and continues to the Limpopo river.-References:...