53-810: Bela-Bela ( Tswana/Pedi for "the pot that boils") - formerly known as Warmbaths, Afrikaans : Warmbad- is a town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Deriving its name from the geothermic hot springs around which the town was built. The town is situated in the Waterberg District of the Limpopo Province. It lies off the N1 road between Pretoria and Polokwane (Pietersburg). Its hot springs produce 22,000 litres per hour at 52 °C (126 °F). The main hot springs holiday resort (previously run by state-owned company Aventura, formerly called Overvaal) in
106-494: A South African intellectual and linguist , was one of the first writers to extensively write in and about the Tswana language. The vowel inventory of Tswana can be seen below. Some dialects have two additional vowels, the close-mid vowels /e/ and /o/ . The circumflex on e and o in general Setswana writing is only encouraged at elementary levels of education and not at upper primary or higher; usually these are written without
159-400: A whistle used mostly during celebrations, which comes in a variety of forms). Botswana cultural musical instruments are not confined only to the strings or drums. the hands are used as musical instruments too, by either clapping them together or against phathisi (goat skin turned inside out wrapped around the calf area; it is only used by men) to create music and rhythm. For the last few decades,
212-719: Is a Bantu language spoken in and indigenous to Southern Africa by about 8.2 million people. It is closely related to the Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi language and the Lozi language . Setswana is an official language of Botswana , South Africa , and Zimbabwe . It is a lingua franca in Botswana and parts of South Africa, particularly North West Province . Tswana speaking ethnic groups are found in more than two provinces of South Africa, primarily in
265-522: Is a Motswana and the plural is Batswana. The three main branches of the Tswana tribe formed during the 17th century. Three brothers, Kwena , Ngwaketse and Ngwato , broke away from their father, Chief Malope, to establish their own tribes in Molepolole , Kanye and Serowe , probably in response to drought and expanding populations in search of pasture and arable land. The principal Tswana tribes are the: The largest number of ethnic Tswana people
318-432: Is a pounded or shredded meat and often served with Bogobe (Porridge). Madila is a sour cultured milk prepared from cow and goat milk over a period of time until fully matured for consumption. Traditionally madila were prepared using Lekuka a leather sack or bag used in processing and storing madila. Madila is also traditionally used as relish, eaten with pap. It can also be used in popular Tswana breakfast meal, motogo, to give
371-629: Is located in modern-day South Africa. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in the country, and the Tswana language is one of eleven official languages in South Africa . There were over 4 million Tswana speakers in the country in 2012, with North West Province having a majority of 2,200,000 Tswana speakers. From 1948 to 1994, South African Tswana people were defined by the Apartheid regime to be citizens of Bophuthatswana , one of ten bantustans set up for
424-451: Is mostly vocal and performed, sometimes without drums depending on the occasion; it also makes heavy use of string instruments. Tswana folk music has instruments such as Setinkane (a Botswana version of miniature piano), Segankure/Segaba (a Botswana version of the Chinese instrument Erhu), Moropa (Meropa -plural) (a Botswana version of the many varieties of drums), and phala (a Botswana version of
477-452: Is said to represent a woman; it brings forth light but not as scorching as the Sun (Letsatsi) and its light is associated with happiness. Venus is called Mphatlalatsana (the brilliant and blinding one) by Batswana & Kopadilalelo (seeker of evening meals). Raditladi Basin , a large peak ring impact crater on Mercury with a diameter of 263 km is named after Leetile Disang Raditladi ,
530-459: The North West , where about four million people speak the language. An urbanised variety is known as Pretoria Sotho , and is the principal unique language of the city of Pretoria . The three South African provinces with the most speakers are Gauteng (circa 11%), Northern Cape , and North West (over 70%). Until 1994, South African Tswana people were notionally citizens of Bophuthatswana , one of
583-595: The bantustans of the apartheid regime. The Setswana language in the Northwest Province has variations in which it is spoken according to the ethnic groups found in the Tswana culture (Bakgatla, Barolong, Bakwena, Batlhaping, Bahurutshe, Bafokeng, Batlokwa, Bataung, and Batswapong, among others); the written language remains the same. A small number of speakers are also found in Zimbabwe (unknown number) and Namibia (about 10,000 people). The first European to describe
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#1732848123217636-528: The dental click /ǀ/ , orthographically ⟨c⟩ ; the lateral click /ǁ/ , orthographically ⟨x⟩ ; and the alveolar click /ǃ/ , orthographically ⟨q⟩ . There are some minor dialectal variations among the consonants between speakers of Tswana. For instance, /χ/ is realised as either /x/ or /h/ by many speakers; /f/ is realised as /h/ in most dialects; and /tɬ/ and /tɬʰ/ are realised as /t/ and /tʰ/ in northern dialects. The consonant /ŋ/ can exist at
689-587: The Batawana and Wayeyi were able to employ additional tricks to lure the invaders towards their ultimate doom. At one point, a calf and its mother were tied to separate trees to make Lotshe's men think that they were finally catching up to their main prize, the elusive Batawana cattle. As they pressed forward, the AmaNdebele were further unnerved by additional hit-and-run attacks and sniping by small bands of Batawana marksmen. Certainly, they could not have been comfortable in
742-553: The British missionary Robert Moffat , who had also lived among the Batlhaping , and published Bechuana Spelling Book and A Bechuana Catechism in 1826. In the following years, he published several other books of the Bible , and in 1857, he was able to publish a complete translation of the Bible. The first grammar of Tswana was published in 1833 by the missionary James Archbell although it
795-539: The British South Africa Company's Police, with an undetermined number of possible colonial volunteers and an additional 700 Tswana (Bechuana) allies who marched on Bulawayo from the south commandeered by Khama III , the most influential of the Batswana chiefs, and a staunch ally of the British. The Salisbury and Fort Victoria columns marched into Bulawayo on 4 November 1893. The Imperial column from Bechuanaland
848-687: The Khwe speaking kingdoms of the same region. The Toutswe were in the eastern region of what is now Botswana, relying on Tswana cattle breeds held in kraals as their source of wealth. The arrival of the ancestors of the Tswana-speaking people who came to control the region (from the Vaal River to Botswana) has yet to be dated precisely. Although CE 600 seems to be a consensus estimate, This massive cattle-raising complex prospered until 1300 CE or so. All these various peoples were connected to trade routes that ran via
901-692: The Limpopo River to the Indian Ocean, and trade goods from Asia, such as beads, made their way to the Batswana. Most likely in exchange for ivory, gold, and rhinoceros horn. The first written records relating to modern-day Botswana appeared in 1824. What these records show is that the Bangwaketse had become the predominant power in the region. Under the rule of Makaba II, the Bangwaketse kept vast herds of cattle in well-protected desert areas and used their military prowess to raid their neighbors. Other chiefdoms in
954-586: The North West, Free State, Northern Cape, and Gauteng provinces. The republic of Botswana (formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland) is named for the Tswana people. The country's eight major tribes speak Tswana , which is also called Setswana. All have a traditional Paramount Chief, styled Kgosikgolo , who is entitled to a seat in the Ntlo ya Dikgosi (an advisory body to the country's Parliament ). The Tswana dynasties are all related. A person who lives in Botswana
1007-416: The amaNdebele to where the main body of defenders were already well entrenched. As they approached the swamp area south of Khutiyabasadi, Lotshe struggled to reunite his men, perhaps sensing that they were approaching a showdown. But, instead, Moremi's Batawana, now joined by Qhunkunyane's Wayeyi, drew the amaNdebele still deeper into the swamps. In this area of poor visibility, due to the thick, tall reeds,
1060-657: The area, by this time, had capitals of 10,000 or so and were fairly prosperous. One of these famous capitals was Kaditshwene which was the cultural capital of the Bahurutshe people, one of the principal Tswana tribes, and a center of manufacturing and trading. it had been founded in the late 1400s on the site of iron and copper ore deposits. The remains of another major Tswana settlement, Kweneng' Ruins , are found in Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve in South Africa. It
1113-422: The battle were also killed while being mercilessly pursued by the Batawana cavalry. Moremi was clearly determined to send a strong message to Lobengula that his regiments were no match. Still others died of exhaustion and hunger while trying to make their way home across the dry plains south of Chobe; the somewhat more hospitable route through Gammangwato having been blocked by Khama. While the battle at Khutiyabasadi
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#17328481232171166-702: The borders of Botswana in the Transvaal. In 1852, a coalition of Tswana chiefdoms led by Sechele I resisted Afrikaner incursions, which culminated in the pivotal showdown of the Battle of Dimawe fought with artillery and long range rifles as well as musket fire. Although it was the Boer Commando led by the Boer Commandant-General Pieter Scholtz and Paul Kruger , as officers leading the Boer advance, who started
1219-400: The bridge over what he presumably thought was no more than a small stream. As planned, the bridge collapsed when full of AmaNdebele, who were thus unexpectedly thrown into a deep water channel. Few, if any, would have known how to swim. Additional waves of AmaNdebele found themselves pinned down by their charging compatriots along the river bank, which was too deep for them to easily ford. With
1272-447: The cavalry began to harass the much larger enemy force with lethal hit-and-run volleys. Meanwhile, another group of traditionally armed subjects of the Kgosi also made their presence known. At this point, the AmaNdebele commander, Lotshe, took the bait, dividing his army into two groups. One party pursued Moremi's small force, while the other fruitlessly tried to catch up to what they believed
1325-485: The circumflex. The consonant inventory of Tswana can be seen below. The consonant /d/ is merely an allophone of /l/ , when the latter is followed by the vowels /i/ or /u/ . Two more sounds, v /v/ and z /z/ , exist only in loanwords. Tswana also has three click consonants , but these are only used in interjections or ideophones , and tend only to be used by the older generation, and are therefore falling out of use. The three click consonants are
1378-399: The common characteristics of most nouns within their respective classes. Some nouns may be found in several classes. For instance, many class 1 nouns are also found in class 1a, class 3, class 4, and class 5. Tswana people The Tswana ( Tswana : Batswana , singular Motswana ) are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa . Ethnic Tswana made up approximately 85% of
1431-462: The end of a word without being followed by a vowel (as in Jwaneng and Barolong Seboni ). Stress is fixed in Tswana and thus always falls on the penult of a word, although some compounds may receive a secondary stress in the first part of the word. The syllable on which the stress falls is lengthened. Thus, mosadi (woman) is realised as [mʊ̀ˈsáːdì] . Tswana has two tones , high and low, but
1484-506: The enemy thus in disarray, the signal was given for the main body of defenders to emerge from their tunnels and trenches. A barrage of bullets cut through Lotshe's lines from three sides, quickly turning the battle into a one-sided massacre. It is said that after the main firing had ceased, the Wayeyi used their mekoro to further attack the survivors trapped in the river, hitting them on the head with their oars. In this way, many more were drowned. By
1537-498: The guitar has been celebrated as a versatile music instrument for Tswana music as it offers a variety in string which the Segaba instrument does not have. Other notable modern Tswana music is Tswana Rap known as Motswako . Batswana are noted for their skill at crafting baskets from Mokola Palm and local dyes. The baskets are generally woven into three types: large, lidded baskets used for storage, large, open baskets for carrying objects on
1590-538: The head or for winnowing threshed grain, and smaller plates for winnowing pounded grain. Potters made clay pots for storing water, traditional beer and also for cooking and hardly for commercial use. Craft makers made wooden crafts and they made traditional cooking utensils such as leso and lehetlho, traditional wooden chairs and drums among others. Astronomy is an age old tradition in Africa. As with all other cultures, various ethnic groups developed their own interpretations of
1643-552: The language was the German traveller Hinrich Lichtenstein , who lived among the Tswana people Batlhaping in 1806 although his work was not published until 1930. He mistakenly regarded Tswana as a dialect of the Xhosa , and the name that he used for the language "Beetjuana" may also have covered the Northern and Southern Sotho languages . The first major work on Tswana was carried out by
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1696-459: The latter has a much wider distribution in words than the former. Tones are not marked orthographically , which may lead to ambiguity. An important feature of the tones is the so-called spreading of the high tone. If a syllable bears a high tone, the following two syllables will have high tones unless they are at the end of the word. Tswana orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. The letter š
1749-734: The lucrative ivory trade, and then used the proceeds to import horses and guns, which in turn enabled them to establish control over what is now Botswana. This process was largely complete by 1880, and thus the Bushmen, the Bakalanga, the Bakgalagadi, the Batswapong and other current minorities were subjugated by the Batswana. Following the Great Trek , Afrikaners from the Cape Colony established themselves on
1802-472: The offensive, it was they who ended up on the retreat, followed by Batswana's retaliatory attacks into the then Transvaal 's Marique district, in which Boer settlements, villages, and farms were scorched. After about eight years of intermittent tensions and hostilities, they eventually came to a peace agreement in Potchefstroom in 1860. From that point on, the modern-day border between South Africa and Botswana
1855-470: The population of Botswana in 2011. Batswana are the native people of south and eastern Botswana and the Gauteng , North West , Northern Cape , Free State , and other provinces of South Africa , where the majority of Batswana are located. The Batswana are a Bantu-speaking mega-ethnicity of many kingdoms, who are native to Southern Africa (Parts of modern day Namibia, Botswana and South Africa) alongside
1908-457: The purpose of defending the policy of denying black Africans citizenship in South Africa. Bogobe is a staple food made from sorghum meal which is often eaten alongside meat or vegetables. The most popular sorghum porridge is Ting. Bogobe jwa Logala/Sengana is a traditional Setswana dish prepared from sorghum porridge mixed/cooked with milk. Seswaa is Botswana's national dish and is often served at weddings, funerals, and other celebrations. Seswaa
1961-561: The soft porridge that sour and milky taste. Batswana wear a cotton fabric known in Setswana as Leteisi and Sotho as Shweshwe . This fabric is often used for wedding celebrations and other traditional celebrations. In Setswana tradition mothers wear mogagolwane, a checkered small blanket during traditional baby-showers, and married women during traditional weddings are identified by it, as well as during various initiation ceremonies. Even during funerals Batswana women don mogagolwane. Tswana music
2014-446: The solar system. Using their natural instrument the eye, Batswana have observed, commented on and named celestial objects of interest to them. There are more telling and specific names that relate to unique stellar patterns and their seasonal appearance e.g. Selemela, Naka, Thutlwa, and Dikolojwane. According to Tswana culture, the stars of Orion's sword were "dintsa le Dikolobe", three dogs chasing three pigs of Orion's belt. The Milky Way
2067-424: The spot by the appearance of Batawana cavalry, who crossed the channel to the island in their sight. In addition, cattle were placed on a small islet adjacent to Kuthiyabasadi, while a group of soldiers now made themselves visible by standing up on the wooden platform. Also at the location was a papyrus bridge that had been purposely weakened at crucial spots. Surveying the scene, Lotshe ordered his men to charge across
2120-495: The time the fighting was over, the blood was reported to have turned the water along the course of the river black. While the total number of casualties at Khutiyabasadi cannot be precisely known, observers in Bulawayo at the time confirmed that over 2,500 men had left on Lotshe's expedition and less than 500 had returned. While the bulk of the amaNdebele losses are believed to have occurred in and around Khutiyabasadi itself, survivors of
2173-469: The town during the Anglo-Boer War , and renamed the post office Warm Baths in 1903, and proclaimed the boundaries of Warmbaths to be the entire farm of Het Bad . In 1920 Warmbaths was proclaimed a township (in the legal, not racial sense) and the township was designed by architect John Abraham Moffat in that year. In 1950, it became a magisterial district . In 1932 Warmbaths became a village town and
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2226-458: The town is still branded Warmbaths . When the Tswana tribes first moved into the region in the 1800s, they discovered hot springs in the area. The Voortrekker Carl Van Heerden established the first Boer farm in what is now Bela-Bela and called it Het Bad . In 1873, President Burgers' Transvaal government bought the land and established a resort called Hartingsburg after the prominent Dutch biologist Pieter Harting . The British occupied
2279-494: The unfamiliar Okavango environment. It was at Kuthiyabasadi that the defenders' trap was finally sprung. At the time, the place was an island dominated by high reeds and surrounded to the west by deep water. In the reeds, three well armed Batawana regiments, joined by local Wayeyi, waited patiently. There they had built a small wooden platform, upon which several men could be seen from across the channel, as well as tunnels and entrenchments for concealment. The AmaNdebele were drawn to
2332-499: Was a great victory for the Batawana and a defeat for the AmaNdebele, for the Wayeyi of the region, the outcome is said to have been a mixed blessing. While they had shared in the victory over the hated Amandebele, one of its consequences was a tightening of Batawana authority in the area over them as Moremi settled for a period at nearby Nokaneng. The First Matabele War was fought between 1893 and 1894 in modern-day Zimbabwe. The British South Africa Company had no more than 750 troops in
2385-479: Was agreed upon, and the Afrikaners and Batswana traded and worked together peacefully. The Batawana's fight against the invading Ndebele of 1884 when the AmaNdebele arrived at Toteng, they found the village abandoned. But, as they settled down to enjoy their bloodless conquest, about seventy mounted Batawana under Kgosi Moremi's personal command appeared, all armed with breech-loading rifles. In classic commando style,
2438-520: Was declared a self-governing state. On 6 December 1977 this 'homeland' was granted independence by the South African government. Bophuthatswana's capital city was Mmabatho and 99% of its population was Tswana speaking. In March 1994, Bophuthatswana was placed under the control of two administrators, Tjaart van der Walt and Job Mokgoro. The small, widespread pieces of land were reincorporated into South Africa on 27 April 1994. Bophuthatswana now forms part of
2491-980: Was established as a town council in 1960. Called Warmbaths in English, the Afrikaans name for the town was Warmbad . On 14 June 2002 the South African government officially renamed the town Bela-Bela (meaning "boiling boiling"). Bela Bela has proven to be a town of intellectual importance through its academic achievements. The town is home to schools like Albert Luthuli Primary School, Bela Bela High school, Hleketane Primary School, Hoërskool Warmbad , Jinnah Park Primary School, Khabele Primary School, Laerskool Warmbad , Maope Secondary School, Mmamakwa Primary School, Mmampatile Primary School, Raeleng High School, Spa Park Primary , Settlers Agricultural High School and Ulando Secondary School. AB de Villiers Tswana language Tswana , also known by its native name Setswana , and previously spelled Sechuana in English,
2544-418: Was introduced in 1937, but the corresponding sound is still sometimes written as ⟨sh⟩. The letters ⟨ê⟩ and ⟨ô⟩ are used in textbooks and language reference books, but not so much in daily standard writing. Nouns in Tswana are grouped into nine noun classes and one subclass, each having different prefixes . The nine classes and their respective prefixes can be seen below, along with a short note regarding
2597-522: Was modelled on a Xhosa grammar. The first grammar of Tswana which regarded it as a separate language from Xhosa (but still not as a separate language from the Northern and Southern Sotho languages) was published by the French missionary, E. Casalis in 1841. He changed his mind later, and in a publication from 1882, he noted that the Northern and Southern Sotho languages were distinct from Tswana. Solomon Plaatje ,
2650-600: Was nowhere to be seen. They had set march on 18 October heading north for Bulawayo and had a minor skirmish with the Matabele near Mphoengs on 2 November. They finally reached Bulawayo on 15 November, a delay which probably saved the Chartered Company's then newly occupied territory being annexed to the imperial Bechuanaland Protectorate . The Bophuthatswana Territorial Authority was created in 1961, and in June 1972 Bophuthatswana
2703-463: Was occupied from the 15th to the 19th century AD and was the largest of several sizeable settlements inhabited by Tswana speakers before European arrival. Several circular stone-walled family compounds are spread out over an area of 10km long and 2km wide. During the 1840s and 1850s, trade with Cape Colony-based merchants opened up and enabled the Batswana chiefdoms to rebuild. The Bakwena, Bangwaketse, Bangwato, and Batawana cooperated to control
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#17328481232172756-407: Was the main body of Batawana. As the invaders generally lacked guns, as well as horses, Moremi continued to harass his pursuers, inflicting significant casualties while remaining unscathed. The primary mission of Moremi's men was not, however, to inflict losses on the enemy so much as to ensnare them in a well designed trap. His force thus gradually retreated northward towards Khutiyabasadi, drawing
2809-418: Was viewed by the Tswana as Molalatladi, the place where lightning rests. It was further believed that this place of rest also kept the sky from collapsing and showed the movement of time. Some even claimed that it turned the sun to the east, in a way to explaining the rising of the sun. It was also believed that it was a supernatural footpath across the sky along which ancestors' spirits walked. The moon (Ngwedi)
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