The ancestors of the Sotho people entered the area south of the Limpopo River in several migrations. In time, they became dispersed over the vast interior plateau between the eastern escarpment and the arid western regions and formed four subgroups Tswana, North Sotho, South Sotho and East Sotho.
Those who settled in the western regions preferred to be called Batswana (Tswana) while those living in the southern regions called themselves Basotho. The Sothos living in the northern areas also preferred the name Basotho but were sometimes referred to as Pedi.
The Mfecane (Zulu name, also known as the Difaqane or Lifaqane in Sesotho) describes a period of widespread chaos and disturbance in southern Africa during the period between 1815 and about 1840. During this period mass migration of people took place because of the expansion of the Zulu nation under King Shaka.
The Sotho people were also affected, resulting in chiefdoms being disbanded, fields being destroyed and famines
breaking out. During this turbulent time, Moshoeshoe, one of the South Sotho chiefs, employed great military skill and strategy to hold back the advancing Zulu hordes. He collected a large number of followers by offering food and water and a place to stay to the refugees that came his way.
Moshoeshoe and his people became well versed in the strategy of retreating into the flat-topped mountains of Lesotho from where they could defend themselves and wait out attacks from rival groups. By 1831, his strategy had worked so well that he had become the undisputed ruler of the Basotho nation and some of the other Sotho groups became his
allies.
Culture & Traditions
The layout of the traditional village adhered to certain basic principles, personal choice and the topography of the land. The chief’s home would be in the centre of the village with that of his principal wife next to him and the homes of his other wives arranged in order of seniority around his. The court was immediately in front of the chief’s home and next to that were the cattle kraal and stables.
Music and dance have always been an inextricable part of Basotho life. Many of their rituals and social activities were accompanied by song and dance. Three dances; the mokorotlo, the mohobelo and the mokhibo were performed regularly. On special occasions, to honour their chief, the men performed the mokorotlo. This entailed a rhythmical backward and
forward swinging action accompanied by the stamping of feet.
The Basotho used a variety of music instruments such as the morupa, a small drum usually played during the initiation rites of young girls, the lekoko that consisted of a roll of hardened cow hide that when beaten with sticks, produced a dull thumping sound and the lesiba that produced a strangely haunting sound.
The thome, a bow with horsehair or thin wire stretched across it, was attached to a calabash, which acted as a resonator. The player plucked the string or picked at it with a stick.
Cultural Village
Traditions of the Basotho have been preserved in the Basotho Cultural Village within the Golden Gate National Park. The Cultural Village is like a walk down the pathway of time. The main display at the village is a courtyard of Basotho huts from the sixteenth century to the present day, with people outside in traditional dress, playing different roles. Here the lifestyle and architecture of the South Sotho is accurately depicted.
The guided tour will take you into the "khotla", the gathering place of men. The Basotho are very hospitable people, and you will be offered a sip from the traditional beer.
You will also have the opportunity to consult the ngaka, the captain's advisor, in his professional capacity as traditional healer and to allow him to enlighten you as he has been doing for centuries.
You will also pass the tokened where grandmothers used to gather the young girls around them to initiate them in folklore by ways of riddles, fables and marvelous tales.
At your reception you are guaranteed Basotho hospitality at its best. The art gallery boasts work of local artists and a permanent photographic exhibition of the building process of the village and litem' art in the Eastern Free State. The curio shop offers a wide variety of Basotho arts and crafts.
While you're here, you can book to go on the intriguing two-hour Matlakeng Herbal Trail, guided by a traditional healer who gives an informed introduction to veld herbs. The tour also takes in a well-preserved rock painting. Riding on Basotho ponies is possible, but must also be booked beforehand.
There is nothing like a warm traditional Basotho meal in the sandstone amphitheater and the entertaining sounds of the accordion and drum to complete an unforgettable experience.
The heart of the visitor is finally won over by the majesty of the surrounding landscape and by the spiritual ethos of the beautiful Basotho people dancing, singing and rejoicing in sheer well being and to their heart's content.
