SA Sayings

HomeClan namesPedi › Bataung

Bataung Clan — History & Meaning

Pedi clan · Sepedi

Totem Lion (Sotho/Tswana: Tau)

History & origin

The Bataung ('people of the place of lions / lion's den') are a major Sotho clan whose totem is the lion (tau). They are one of the foundational Basotho diboko (clans) frequently cited alongside the Bafokeng, Basia, Bakuena and Makgolokoe in Basotho oral history. Bataung communities are spread across the Free State, Lesotho and Limpopo; in the Northern Sotho region they are counted among the groups historically associated with the wider Sotho-Tswana settlement of the interior.

Associated surnames

Surnames that share this clan: Tau, Moloi, Mokoena (Bataung lines), Lethunya.

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.

More Pedi clan names →