Sotho people - WikiHQ

The Sotho (), also known as the Basotho (), are a Sotho-Tswana ethnic group indigenous to Southern Africa. They primarily inhabit the regions of Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.

The ancestors of the Sotho people are believed to have originated from Northeast Africa, and migrated south in the fifth century AD. 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 the 19th century) and colonialism.

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 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.

History

Early history

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 1500 CE. Separation from the Batswana is assumed to have taken place by the 14th century. Some Basotho people split from 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 the 17th century a series of Basotho kingdoms covered the southern portion of the African plateau (nowadays Free State Province and parts of Gauteng), and 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. came into contact with 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 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 skillfully and systematically unified a loose confederacy of Basotho clans and Nguni tribes that had settled there into what would become a modern state of Lesotho in the southern highveld.

In 1822, Moshoeshoe established the capital at Butha-Buthe, an easily defensible mountain in the northern Drakensberg mountain range, thus laying the foundations of the eventual Kingdom of Lesotho. His capital was later moved to Thaba Bosiu. Missionaries sent by the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society provided the King with foreign affairs counsel and helped to facilitate the purchase of modern weapons. 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) a protectorate of Britain. Accordingly, the British administration was established in Maseru, the site of Lesotho's current capital.

In 1869, the British sponsored a process to demarcate the borders of Basutoland. 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 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. 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 a higher standard of living. Generally, employment patterns among the Basotho follow the same patterns as broader South African society. Historical factors cause unemployment among the Basotho and other Black South Africans to remain high. 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 is the first language of 1.5 million people in Lesotho, or 85% of the population.

Sesotho is one of the eleven official languages of South Africa. Approximately 13.1% of 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. Additionally, a few Sesotho speakers reside in Botswana, Eswatini and the Caprivi Strip of Namibia.

Sesotho is used in a range of educational settings, both as a subject of study and as a medium of instruction. includes Sesotho content.

Clothing

thumb|Basotho in their traditional wear

The Basotho have a unique traditional attire. This includes the mokorotlo, 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.

Basotho herders

Many Basotho who live in rural areas wear clothing that suits their lifestyles. For instance, boys who herd cattle in 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

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 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 a wrap, and it can be used to carry infants on their backs.

Special clothing items

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 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 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.

File:Parade of Basotho women.jpg|Seana Marena woollen tribal blanket traditionally

File:Singing-for-Mokhibo-Lesotho.jpg|alt=Picture of Basotho Women|Basotho women during Mokhibo

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Notable Sotho people

Politics and Royalty

thumb|Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso

Moshoeshoe I, founder of the Basotho nation
Moshoeshoe II, Paramount Chief of Lesotho
Letsie III, King of Lesotho
Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Queen Consort of Lesotho
Pakalitha Mosisili former prime minister of Lesotho
Epainette Mbeki anti-apartheid activist and mother of former South African president Thabo Mbeki
Ntsu Mokhehle former prime minister of Lesotho
Leabua Jonathan former prime minister of Lesotho
Mosiuoa Lekota South African anti-apartheid activist
Hlaudi Motsoeneng South African radio personality, broadcast executive, and politician
Limpho Hani Lesotho born activist and wife of Chris Hani
Phumulo Masualle South African politician and former premier of Eastern Cape province
Tsietsi Mashinini South African student activist, known for leading the 1976 Soweto Uprising against Afrikaans education
Angie Motshekga South African politician
Lechesa Tsenoli South African politician and former deputy Speaker of National Assembly

Business

Phuti Mahanyele, business executive; CEO of Naspers
Kaizer Motaung, business person; chairman of Kaizer Chiefs
David Tlale, business person and prominent fashion designer
Sam Motsuenyane Entrepreneur and founding chairman of African Bank
James Motlatsi former trade unionist and businessman

Entertainment

Nana Coyote, Lesotho born singer
Joshua Pulumo Mohapeloa, music composer
Lira, South African singer
Yvonne Chaka Chaka, South African singer
Michael Mosoeu Moerane, choral music composer
Mpho Koaho is a Canadian-born actor of Sotho ancestry
Terry Pheto, South African actress
Sankomota, Lesotho jazz band
Fana Mokoena, South African actor
Prince Kaybee, South African disc jockey
Kabelo Mabalane, South African musician and one third of the Kwaito group Tkzee
Tsepo Tshola, former lead singer of Sankomota jazz band, gospel artist
Jerry Mofokeng South African actor
Jerry Phele South African actor
David Kau South African comedian
Faith Nketsi South African model and media personality
Natasha Thahane South African actress
Maglera Doe Boy South African rapper

Literature

Thomas Mofolo Lesotho born author

Sports

Khotso Mokoena athlete (Long jump)
Steve Lekoelea South African football player for Orlando Pirates
Aaron Mokoena former football player for Jomo Cosmos, Blackburn Rovers, and Portsmouth FC
Thabo Mooki South African football player who played for Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana
Molefi Olifant South African football administrator
Abia Nale former football player for Kaizer Chiefs
Teboho Mokoena South African football player
Lehlohonolo Seema Lesotho born footballer and coach
Kamohelo Mokotjo South African football player
Relebohile Mofokeng South African football player
Lebohang Maboe South African football player for Mamelodi Sundowns

References