Home › Clan names › Venda › Netshiavha (Tshiavha)
Netshiavha (Tshiavha) Clan — History & Meaning
Venda clan · Tshivenda
Totem Water / sacred pool association — the Vhatavhatsindi are 'the people of the pool' and ritual custodians of Lake Fundudzi, where the crocodile/python and the lake's waters are sacred. A single named animal totem is not cleanly documented; the documented identity is as water/pool custodians of the Vhatavhatsindi.
History & origin
Netshiavha is the ruling clan-name of Tshiavha and belongs to the Vhatavhatsindi, an old clan grouped with the aboriginal Vhangona/early settlers (in oral tradition said to be among the first arrivals, 'the people of the pool'). The Vhatavhatsindi settled in areas such as Thengwe, Tshiheni and Ha-Mabila, with sub-groups including the Vhakwevho (at Luonde and Luvhola) and the Vhafamadi (at Ha-Mashau). The Netshiavha (Tshiavha) royal family are the recognised custodians of Lake Fundudzi, the sacred lake of the Vhavenda where ancestral rituals and first-fruits (uluma) ceremonies are performed; of the villages around the lake, the Tshiavha royal house is the one that conducts the lake rituals. The Ne- prefix denotes 'ruler/owner of'.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Vhatavhatsindi, Tshiavha, Vhakwevho, Vhafamadi, Nethengwe, Manenzhe.
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.