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Mbedzi Clan — History & Meaning
Venda clan · Tshivenda
Totem Crocodile (Tshivenda: Ngwena); the clan name is also associated with water / a body of water or river
History & origin
The Vhambedzi (Mbedzi) are counted among the Vhangona, the aboriginal Venda-speaking inhabitants of the area between the Limpopo and Soutpansberg, present before the later Karanga-Rozvi and Singo arrivals. Tradition links them to the Mapungubwe/Limpopo cultural zone and to the early rainmaker/historian lineages (the Luvhimbi of the Mbedzi are remembered as keepers of rain tradition). Their forebears are traced in oral tradition to King Shiriyadenga, and the Mbedzi are described as one of a set of related sister clans descended from his house. The surname Mbedzi remains common on both sides of the Limpopo, being especially numerous in Zimbabwe as well as South Africa's Limpopo Province. Note: some oral accounts give the totem as crocodile while others emphasise the water/river meaning of the name; both appear in documented tradition.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Luvhimbi, Vhangona, Vhandalamo / Mundalamo (listed among the original Vhavenda totem-derived clans).
We publish the full clan names (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.