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Nkoana Clan — History & Meaning
Pedi clan · Sepedi
Totem Crocodile (Kwena/Nkwena in Sesotho sa Leboa). The name itself relates to a young/small one; the Bakoena/Bakwena cluster generally venerate the crocodile.
History & origin
The Bankoana (Bakoana) are part of the wider Sotho-Tswana Bakwena (crocodile) totemic family that dispersed across the highveld and into the Transvaal (Limpopo/Mpumalanga) over centuries. As a Northern Sotho (Bapedi) lineage they settled in the Sekhukhune/Greater Tubatse and surrounding districts of Limpopo. They are one of the recognised morafe (chieftaincy) groupings in the Pedi polity and are commonly counted among the crocodile-venerating clans. Because the name and totem tie them to the broad Bakwena migration, they share deep ancestry with many other crocodile clans of the region.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Nkwana, Kwena, Mokoena, Koena.
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.