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Batlokwa Clan — History & Meaning
Tswana clan · Setswana
Totem Originally the wild cat (Setswana: nkwe, the 'Tlokwe-cat', now extinct from over-hunting); the Botswana Batlokwa totem is the ant-bear/aardvark (Setswana: thakadu)
History & origin
A Tswana group classed within the wider Bakgatla cluster. Their original totem was a wild cat (nkwe), whose fur was used by chiefs and which was hunted to extinction; the Botswana branch changed to the thakadu (ant-bear/aardvark) after an episode in the wilderness where aardvark holes held life-saving water. The Botswana Batlokwa, led by Kgosi Gaborone, arrived from the Tshwane (Pretoria) area in South Africa around 1887 and settled at Tlokweng on the Notwane River on land granted by Kgosi Sechele of the Bakwena, whose overlordship they acknowledged. (Note: the Sotho Batlokoa under Manthatisi/Sekonyela are a related but distinct Sotho-Tswana lineage.)
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Gaborone, Matlapeng, Tlokwe.
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.