Home › Clan names › Tswana › Bakwena-ba-Modimosana
Bakwena-ba-Modimosana Clan — History & Meaning
Tswana clan · Setswana
Totem Crocodile (kwena in Setswana)
History & origin
A senior Kwena (Bakwena) section named after Kgosi Modimosana, under whom many Bakwena migrated eastwards across the Elands (Kgatleng) River and settled at Molokwane on the Ngwaritse (Koster) River on the western edge of the Magaliesberg, North West Province, South Africa. Several further Kwena chieftainships branched from Modimosana's house, including the Bakwena ba Mogopa (founded by his son Mogopa) and sub-houses such as Ramanamela and Maake. Their totem is the crocodile, kwena, from which the wider Bakwena take their name.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Modimosana, Mogopa, Ramanamela, Maake, Kwena.
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.