Tracing the settlement record of Bakhurutshe of Tonota

ABEL A MABUSE
Correspondent | Friday July 5, 2013 00:00

At the moment, the people of Tonota are making preparations for centenary celebrations of the rich history and culture associated with the people of Tonota. This article attempts to trace the origins of the Bakhurutshe of Tonota and show their diverse settlement history leading to the establishment of Tonota village in 1913. The accounts provided here rely on oral traditions collected in the 1960s by Professor Isaac Schapera and James Mpotokwane.

The present day Bakhurutshe people of Botswana are found in different parts of the country. According to Schapera writings, the most senior group is found at Tonota in the Central District while other large groups are in the North East District such as in Makaleng and in the environs of the Boteti River. Other groups are found among Bangwato at Serowe, the Batawana in the North West, Bakgatla and Bangwaketse in the south. Oral traditions suggest that all these people were at one point under the rule of one chief and that they broke away from the Hurutshe who are now living at Maanwane in the Transvaal area of South Africa.

It is also widely acclaimed that the name Khurutshe that is now associated with them is a corruption of the original name borne out of contact and influence from the Bakalanga they encountered in the Tati Native Reserve. It is believed that the totem of Bahurutshe was Kwena before the tribe adopted Phofhu in honour of their greatest leader, King Phofhu.  When Phofhu (Eiland) became the totem of the tribe, Bakhurutshe began to be known as Baanaphofhu or Badiphofung. The Bakhurutshe, who make up Tonota today, say that they separated from the other Hurutshe people near present day Otse village.

A village with Sotho Tswana stone walls near Manyelanong Hill and surroundings probably marks these villages of the Bahurutshe. According to their traditions, they were led Lesele whose genealogical position remains uncertain among Bakhurutshe elders.

Some say he was son or younger brother of Motebele, the eldest son of Mohurutshe I, the founding father of all Hurutshe tribes. Some say he was the younger brother of Mohurutshe II who lived seven generations after Mohurutshe I. It is suggested that Lesele had insisted on marrying a woman who was disapproved by his seniors and was banished from the tribe.

From Otse, Lesele and his followers moved northwards to Boswelakgosi (near present day Manyana) and encountered the Bakwena under Kgosi Motswasele I. It is widely acclaimed that Lesele found a dispute among the Bakwena concerning Mathiba, head of a section of Bangwato. He, Ngwato, was accused of infringing Kgosi Motswasele's ritual prerogatives of given all his subjects permission to castrate young bulls. Lesele pleaded with Motswasele to spare Mathiba by promising to take him away to avoid a death sentence penalty. Accompanied by the Ngwato, the Khurutshe moved northward and settled at Matlhakoleng in the Marutlwe Hills near Shoshong.

While at Matlhakoleng, Lesele's son Madisakwana and Mathiba's son Kgama were born. The group then moved to Mokokong in the Shoshong area where they found a small group of Bakwena who were later incorporated into Bakhurutshe. These form part of the Kweneng ward of the tribe.From Mokokong, Bakhurutshe moved to Manakalengwe and then to Paje, where Madisakwana and Kgama were baptized. From Paje, they went to Kutswe Hills before settling at present day Serowe. Expeditions were sent out from here to explore the country.

Madisakwana and his regiment went to the present day North East area and beyond. His regiment came back and reported that they found a beautiful area called Selepa which was hilly and well watered, and whose inhabitants, speaking a strange language (Kalanga), were scattered and not that powerful. Lesele decided to settle in this beautiful area and separated with Bangwato peacefully, travelled to the Tati area where their name (Bahurutshe) was corrupted and changed to Bakhurutshe by Bakalanga.

Traditions of Bakhurutshe suggest that they settled first at Ntimbale area before moving to Maitengwe where they lived for many years. From Maitengwe, they moved to Mmadinoge or Old Selepeng. Lesele died at Ntimbale and after his death, Madisakwana led the Bakhurutshe until he was succeeded by his son, Monyai. In turn Monyai was succeeded by his son Makole, who was involved in war with Bangwato. Makole and his eldest son, Mojatho were killed in this war and as Makole's other sons were still too young, his brother Tshume, became the acting chief of Bakhurutshe.

During this period, Bakhurutshe broke; one section fled with Tshume to Bangwato and has been the Bakhurutshe tribe among Bangwato at Serowe until present day. Another section led by Mojatho's uncle, migrated to the west, while another one went eastwards and settled at Messina in the northern Transvaal.After Tshume's departure, Moloise became chief of Bakhurutshe. He begat a son by Mojatho's wife and named him Molebatsi.

After Molebatsi had grown up, the people wanted him to be installed as chief and Moloise refused arguing that Molebatsi was his child. As per Tswana custom, Molebatsi was considered to be Mojatho's lawful heir. Supported by the majority of the people, Molebatsi was finally installed as chief while Moloise and his brother, Lesakane fled to Bangwato.

By 1895, events in the history of Bakhurutshe had changed significantly. They were now living in an area claimed by the Tati Company. Chief Rauwe was the ruler of the Bakhurutshe at that time. The Amandebele of Mzilikazi had raided, seized the land and sold it to the Tati Company, which began controlling the lives of the Bakalnga and Bakhurutshe living in the Tati area. As Schapera reports, '.. in 1913, Rauwe and the greater portion of his tribe left the Tati District and returned to the Ngwato Reserve, where they settled at Tonota. Their migration was due partly to internal political troubles, but the main reason given by them, was that they considered the area assigned to them within the Tati Reserve to be inadequate.  The section remaining behind was under the leadership of Rauwe's paternal cousin, Ramokate, who was henceforth accepted by the Protectorate government as head of all the Bakhurutshe in the Tati District.'