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Rolong
The Rolong (pronounced /ˈrɒlɒŋ/; also known as the Barolong) are a Batswana people principal tribe native to Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and South Africa.
The Rolong people's name originated from the clan's first kgosi (king, chief) Morolong, who lived around 1270–1280. The ancient word rola, meaning metal forging and hammering, is believed to be the origin of Morolong's name.
Most Batswana people can trace their roots back to the Barolong, first recorded in 1150. In 1300, the Rolong were located in the southwestern Transvaal; then, in 1400, they moved south and settled between the Molopo and Vaal Rivers.
In 1450, a small group within the Barolong, took it upon themselves to travel northwest into Botswana. The remaining Barolong responded with "Ba ka ya" ("They can depart"), and from this statement the travelling group became an established branch now referred as the Bakaa. Not long after, a second group separated themselves from the Barolong, albeit not travelling along the same path as the Bakaa, and established themselves as the Bakgwatheng in Molepolole by 1500.
In the early 1800s, European and American evangelicals organized missionary societies to travel and spread the word of the Bible, as well as to rid the Rolong of their customs that disagreed with their own religious beliefs, such as the paying of dowries, polygamy, rain-making rituals, and adolescent initiation schools. The London Missionary Society (LMS), formed in 1795, and notable member Robert Moffat had a significant impact on the Rolong society, specifically on education, trade and economy, and written language.
The "Barolong Farms" referred to the land situated between the territories of the Bangwaketse and the Barolong until the late 1800s when the latter two clans attempted to claim ownership over it, consequently leading it to become a topic of conflict when the Bechuanaland Protectorate was established in 1885. With assertions of ownership over the territory coming from the numerous Sotho-Tswana clans and the Boers, establishing who had ownership of the land proved difficult.
As a means of resolving the issue, Barolong Chief Montshiwa proposed that the land be used only for agriculture and subsequently allocated to individuals who have the right to own land. Although the Barolong gained legal ownership of the land in 1892, the Bechuanaland Land Commission believed communal land ownership was preferable, as the native people were deemed unprepared for individual land ownership. Following extensive negotiations with the Land Commission, the forty-one plots of farmland were leased to the high-ranking members of the chiefdom (typically the family of the kgosi), who would then be responsible for allocating them.
Polygamy, famine, and disease made it difficult to get an accurate population count of the Rolong, as Claude Reignier Conder reported in his 1887 study; these factors led to significant and unpredictable fluctuations in population. In the end, a rough estimate of 15,000 Rolong in Bechuanaland was recorded.
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Rolong
The Rolong (pronounced /ˈrɒlɒŋ/; also known as the Barolong) are a Batswana people principal tribe native to Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and South Africa.
The Rolong people's name originated from the clan's first kgosi (king, chief) Morolong, who lived around 1270–1280. The ancient word rola, meaning metal forging and hammering, is believed to be the origin of Morolong's name.
Most Batswana people can trace their roots back to the Barolong, first recorded in 1150. In 1300, the Rolong were located in the southwestern Transvaal; then, in 1400, they moved south and settled between the Molopo and Vaal Rivers.
In 1450, a small group within the Barolong, took it upon themselves to travel northwest into Botswana. The remaining Barolong responded with "Ba ka ya" ("They can depart"), and from this statement the travelling group became an established branch now referred as the Bakaa. Not long after, a second group separated themselves from the Barolong, albeit not travelling along the same path as the Bakaa, and established themselves as the Bakgwatheng in Molepolole by 1500.
In the early 1800s, European and American evangelicals organized missionary societies to travel and spread the word of the Bible, as well as to rid the Rolong of their customs that disagreed with their own religious beliefs, such as the paying of dowries, polygamy, rain-making rituals, and adolescent initiation schools. The London Missionary Society (LMS), formed in 1795, and notable member Robert Moffat had a significant impact on the Rolong society, specifically on education, trade and economy, and written language.
The "Barolong Farms" referred to the land situated between the territories of the Bangwaketse and the Barolong until the late 1800s when the latter two clans attempted to claim ownership over it, consequently leading it to become a topic of conflict when the Bechuanaland Protectorate was established in 1885. With assertions of ownership over the territory coming from the numerous Sotho-Tswana clans and the Boers, establishing who had ownership of the land proved difficult.
As a means of resolving the issue, Barolong Chief Montshiwa proposed that the land be used only for agriculture and subsequently allocated to individuals who have the right to own land. Although the Barolong gained legal ownership of the land in 1892, the Bechuanaland Land Commission believed communal land ownership was preferable, as the native people were deemed unprepared for individual land ownership. Following extensive negotiations with the Land Commission, the forty-one plots of farmland were leased to the high-ranking members of the chiefdom (typically the family of the kgosi), who would then be responsible for allocating them.
Polygamy, famine, and disease made it difficult to get an accurate population count of the Rolong, as Claude Reignier Conder reported in his 1887 study; these factors led to significant and unpredictable fluctuations in population. In the end, a rough estimate of 15,000 Rolong in Bechuanaland was recorded.