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Bakwena Clan — History & Meaning
Sotho clan · Sesotho
Totem kwena (crocodile)
History & origin
Bakwena ("people of the crocodile") are one of the oldest and most senior Sotho-Tswana clans, a branch of the Hurutshe/Kwena stock that fragmented and spread southward from the Transvaal highveld across the Vaal into the Caledon valley over several centuries. The name derives from the crocodile totem (kwena). Many distinct chieftaincies trace back to this stock on both sides of the modern Botswana, North West, Free State and Lesotho regions; the senior Lesotho royal house (the Bamokoteli of Moshoeshoe I) is a Bakwena sub-group. 'Bakwena' is the Tswana/Sepedi spelling; 'Bakoena' is the Sesotho spelling of the same clan.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Mokoena, Kwena, Koena, Sekhonyana, Motloung (in some lineages), Monyane.
We publish the full diboko (clan praises) only once we can verify them against documented tradition — for this clan they are still being confirmed. If you can share an authoritative version, corrections are warmly welcomed.