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Batalaote Clan — History & Meaning
Tswana clan · Setswana
Totem Originally a Kalanga group; an animal totem in the Tswana sense is not clearly documented, having been lost with their language and culture during assimilation.
History & origin
The Batalaote are part of the larger Bakalanga (Kalanga) family. Their name derives from a Kalanga sub-tribe led by Dhalaunda, originally called Badhalaunda; the Bangwato altered it to Batalaote (just as they rendered Bakalanga as Bakalaka), reportedly because of difficulty with Kalanga pronunciation. Their early settlement in Botswana was at Senyawe (a hill village in the north-east), where some remain. Many were absorbed into the Ngwato hegemony in central Botswana, and over time they largely lost their original Kalanga language, adopting Sengwato (in Botswana) or Kalanga (in Zimbabwe). Communities are now found across both countries (e.g. Serowe, Mmadinare, Bobirwa in Botswana; Plumtree, Matopos in Zimbabwe).
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Bakalanga / Bakalaka, Badhalaunda (older form).
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.