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Bapedi Clan — History & Meaning
Tswana clan · Setswana
Totem Noko (porcupine).
History & origin
The Bapedi (Pedi/Maroteng), the core of the Northern Sotho, were originally an offshoot of the Tswana-speaking Bakgatla. According to tradition, having previously honoured the monkey/kgabo of the Bakgatla, they found a porcupine quill while crossing the Lulu (Leolo) Mountains and adopted the porcupine (noko) as their totem. By about 1650 the ruling Maroteng line had settled south of the Steelpoort River in what is now the Sekhukhune district of Limpopo. From the second half of the 18th century they built the Pedi paramountcy, reaching its height under Thulare (c. 1790-1820). The polity was disrupted during the difaqane by Ndwandwe invaders, then re-established under Sekwati and his son Sekhukhune I, who fought notable wars against the Boers and the British in the 1870s. The Bapedi remain centred in the Sekhukhune region of Limpopo Province.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Maroteng (royal line), Sekhukhune, Bakgatla (parent group).
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.