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Bakwena ba Kgwadi Clan — History & Meaning
Sotho clan · Sesotho
Totem Crocodile (kwena / koena)
History & origin
A house within the Bakoena (crocodile-totem) Sotho cluster. The Bakoena are the senior Basotho lineage from which the Lesotho royal house (Moshoeshoe I) descends, tracing to the wider Kwena/Kgwena dispersal of Sotho-Tswana peoples from the central highveld. 'Kgwadi' designates a specific Bakoena section/lineage. I can confidently attest to Bakoena membership and the crocodile totem; the founder-level genealogy of the Kgwadi house is local clan tradition that I will not fabricate.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Kwena, Koena, Mokoteli.
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.