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Bakwena-ba-Mogopa Clan — History & Meaning
Tswana clan · Setswana
Totem Crocodile (kwena in Setswana)
History & origin
A Kwena (Bakwena) section of the Sotho-Tswana, whose name 'Bakwena' itself means 'people of the crocodile'. The broader Bakwena trace descent from the ancestor Kwena, a grandson of Masilo, associated with the early Hurutshe/Kwena cluster. Many Bakwena moved eastwards under Kgosi Modimosana across the Elands (Kgatleng) River into the Magaliesberg region. Mogopa, one of Modimosana's sons, broke away with some followers and established a chieftainship on the Crocodile (Oori) River near present-day Madibeng/Brits, North West Province. The Bakwena ba Mogopa are notable in South African history for the apartheid-era forced removal from their land at Mogopa in 1983-84, which became a symbol of resistance to forced removals.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Mogopa, Modimosana, Kwena, Mamogale.
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.