In search of Batswapong heritage in Lerala
Thalefang Charles | Friday May 13, 2016 15:23
“It actually meant those that come from superior traditional magic powers.”
Batswapong were reputed for possessing exceptional traditional healing powers that attracted the sick and those that wanted to ‘toughen themselves’, to come to the sacred Tswapong Hills.
But that has changed. Moroka believes the current crop of traditional healers in the village are mere chancers. “Owaii, gompeino go setse bashianyana hela, ba ka go bolaisa dilo.”
The youthful chief, however, wants to change that. He wants to inspire Batswapong to learn about their heritage and bring back the reputation the Tswapong area used to possess among the people both east and south of the Limpopo River.
To present the Batswapong heritage, Moroka assembled a team of elders in the village and led me on a guided tour of Old Lerala, affectionately called ‘ko Phadaneng’.
Old Lerala is a picturesque place straddling the Tswapong Hills. These are the sacred hills that Bakgopeng – the revered ancestors of Batswapong reside in. Moroka says the hills are the hub of traditional healing and magic.
“We respect these hills. There are things on these hills that I could not describe to a layman,” he says.
Tswapong Hills are believed to be very spiritual. There are many mysterious legends from these hills. There are stories of huge snakes that can talk, fly and light up.
There are caves that no humans could dare enter although they are wide open. There have been stories about trees that have grown back overnight after being cut off to construct a road that was later abandoned.
Many traditional churches make healing pilgrimages to these hills and colourful candles could be found around the hills from various healing rituals.
However, there are few healers that still hold this great Tswapong Heritage. It is also facing pressure from ‘new’ religious beliefs like Christianity. Moroka says Christianity arrived at old Lerala as recently as 1912. Unlike elsewhere in Africa, where Christ was introduced by white missionaries, the religion was brought by Bangwato to Tswapong. It was in 1912 when Khama III’s daughter with Semane called Bonyerile arrived at Lerala with one Moruti Samuel Moremane to preach the Christian gospel to Batswapong for the very first time.
It is said that Kgosi Ramosoka, son of Mpeo and grandson of Moroka I, who was leading Lerala at the time decided to suspend the rainmaking rituals and experimented with the new religion brought by Khama’s daughter and her preacher.
The story echoes Sechele I’s encounter with Christianity after being converted by David Livingstone at Kolobeng. After their brave decisions to suspend their long-held traditional beliefs in favour of the new white man’s religion, it is recorded that there was a harsh drought that threatened to wipe off the people with famine.
Moruti Moremane, however, managed to set up Sunday schools called ‘dikaelo’ at Old Lerala. We toured the old village with one of the students that attended dikaelo.
Nathaniel Selebatso, who is now a senior pastor at FGAC church at Lerala, showed us the tree that was the Sunday school classroom in the 1940s. Moroka’s great-grandfathers settled at Old Lerala in the mid-1700s. When Sekope and Mapulane crossed the west of Limpopo to the magical hills they settled at Moremi near the mystical Moremi Gorges.
Kgosi Moroka says the son of Sekope called Ramakodilo moved from Moremi and settled at Old Lerala.
The old village was abandoned around 1950 after an outbreak of an unknown disease. The people decided to move to their farmlands out of the hills to present day Lerala. There are still fresh ruins at the old village. Kgosi Moroka says they are in the process of protecting the site.
“We are planning to have this place as a heritage site where we could host visitors to share with them our history and culture,” said Moroka.
“We have identified a rich historical site and we have called key partners like the National Museum and Archaeology Department to explore and advise on how to preserve them.”
He said they are also looking at fencing the site and putting wild animals in the area for tourists. Moroka has also approached the South African tribes that are related to Batswapong to collaborate on a production of various documentaries about Batswapong and tribes around the Limpopo River.