And so, who are Bechuana?
I implore non-Kalanga readers to please understand that a cultural genocide was unleashed on Kalangas at attainment of Independence from Britain. Kalanga language and therefore Kalanga culture has been banned in the Kalanga motherland. As a Kalanga, this is why I am angry and why I relentlessly pursue this topic.
And so when the British colonialists met our country's Southern inhabitants for the first time, they referred to the latter as "Bechuana". The so-referred-to Bechuana told the British that they were hearing that term (Bechuana) for the first time; that they in fact were just different tribes with different names - Bakwena, Batlhaping, Barolong etc. But the tribes shared one common language , a dialect of Sumerian/Coptic/Arabic/Sotho language. That language, now called "Sechuana" has been declared the ONLY national language throughout the Kalanga motherland.
Normally the British colonialists, on making contact with local people, would ask the local people what they called themselves. They would then use that name, albeit mispronounced. The Wuta-Ntota were referred to as the "Hottentots". I am not aware of a case where the British colonialists merely pulled a name out of a hat as it were, and named local people accordingly. And so who told the British that our country's Southern inhabitants were "Bechuana"?
Recall that "Barwa" is a word used by Kalangas to refer to speakers of the Sumerian/Coptic/Arabic/Sotho local dialect which purports to be our country's national language. The word "Barwa' is a corruption of the word "Barua", meaning "animal herders/producers" in the local Sumertian/Coptic/Arab/Sotho dialect. A theory has been advanced that the word "Bechuana" was a mispronunciation of the Kalanga word "Badzwana", which is grammatically, a diminutive (spiteful) version of "Barwa". This theory can't be correct. The British have no problem pronouncing the name "Shervanadze", therefore they would have had no problem correctly pronouncing the name "Badzwana". Furthermore, the name "Badzwana" seems to be a grammatically correct but nonexistent diminutive of "Barwa". You see, there is a place not very far from Mapungubwe in Limpopo province of South Africa that is called "SenwaBarwana" (undoubtedly a corruption of the Kalanga word "TjingwaBarwana"), which means "a place where the Barwana drink or water their livestock". Therefore the operative diminutive of the word "Barwa" is not "Badzwana" but "Barwana" in the Kalanga language.
And so back to the question, who told the British that our country's Southern inhabitants were called "Bechuana"? Well, it has to be the inhabitants themselves - the Bakhwana. The word "Bakhwana" is the diminutive case of "Bakhwa". The Bakhwa are "the driers" of the Anunnaki. They are more commonly referred to as "the Bushmen" by the wider world.
Before you scream that "Bechuana" cannot be a mispronunciation of "Bakhwana", think of the English word "character", and ask yourself how else the British could have written "Bakhwana". Again note that "Bakhwana" is an existing, albeit now considered derogatory reference to the "small stature" Bakhwa of the Kalahari desert.
And so the word "Bechuanaland" was originally used by the British to mean "land of Bakhwa (Bushmen)". The Barwa then expropriated the word "Bechuana" to mean themselves; changed its pronunciation from "Bakhwana" to "Batswana", and accordingly named their language "Setswana". When the British left at Independence, Barwa named the country "Botswana", which means "land of the Batswana". Thus our country assumed a stolen identity by transitioning from "land of the Bushmen" to "land of the Batswana (Barwa)". Barwa did not stop there; they then declared their language the ONLY national language, and banned other languages, among them Kalanga, from being taught in schools, from being spoken on the radio, and even from being spoken in traditional community gatherings of their speakers.
The sentiments expressed above are mine, but the discovery that "Bechuana" means "Bakhwana" is not mine. A relative revealed it to me. She was quite convinced of its correctness, but for more than two years I remained unconvinced, UNTIL now!
Bakalanga, will you please wake up!
And so when the British colonialists met our country's Southern inhabitants for the first time, they referred to the latter as "Bechuana". The so-referred-to Bechuana told the British that they were hearing that term (Bechuana) for the first time; that they in fact were just different tribes with different names - Bakwena, Batlhaping, Barolong etc. But the tribes shared one common language , a dialect of Sumerian/Coptic/Arabic/Sotho language. That language, now called "Sechuana" has been declared the ONLY national language throughout the Kalanga motherland.
Normally the British colonialists, on making contact with local people, would ask the local people what they called themselves. They would then use that name, albeit mispronounced. The Wuta-Ntota were referred to as the "Hottentots". I am not aware of a case where the British colonialists merely pulled a name out of a hat as it were, and named local people accordingly. And so who told the British that our country's Southern inhabitants were "Bechuana"?
Recall that "Barwa" is a word used by Kalangas to refer to speakers of the Sumerian/Coptic/Arabic/Sotho local dialect which purports to be our country's national language. The word "Barwa' is a corruption of the word "Barua", meaning "animal herders/producers" in the local Sumertian/Coptic/Arab/Sotho dialect. A theory has been advanced that the word "Bechuana" was a mispronunciation of the Kalanga word "Badzwana", which is grammatically, a diminutive (spiteful) version of "Barwa". This theory can't be correct. The British have no problem pronouncing the name "Shervanadze", therefore they would have had no problem correctly pronouncing the name "Badzwana". Furthermore, the name "Badzwana" seems to be a grammatically correct but nonexistent diminutive of "Barwa". You see, there is a place not very far from Mapungubwe in Limpopo province of South Africa that is called "SenwaBarwana" (undoubtedly a corruption of the Kalanga word "TjingwaBarwana"), which means "a place where the Barwana drink or water their livestock". Therefore the operative diminutive of the word "Barwa" is not "Badzwana" but "Barwana" in the Kalanga language.
And so back to the question, who told the British that our country's Southern inhabitants were called "Bechuana"? Well, it has to be the inhabitants themselves - the Bakhwana. The word "Bakhwana" is the diminutive case of "Bakhwa". The Bakhwa are "the driers" of the Anunnaki. They are more commonly referred to as "the Bushmen" by the wider world.
Before you scream that "Bechuana" cannot be a mispronunciation of "Bakhwana", think of the English word "character", and ask yourself how else the British could have written "Bakhwana". Again note that "Bakhwana" is an existing, albeit now considered derogatory reference to the "small stature" Bakhwa of the Kalahari desert.
And so the word "Bechuanaland" was originally used by the British to mean "land of Bakhwa (Bushmen)". The Barwa then expropriated the word "Bechuana" to mean themselves; changed its pronunciation from "Bakhwana" to "Batswana", and accordingly named their language "Setswana". When the British left at Independence, Barwa named the country "Botswana", which means "land of the Batswana". Thus our country assumed a stolen identity by transitioning from "land of the Bushmen" to "land of the Batswana (Barwa)". Barwa did not stop there; they then declared their language the ONLY national language, and banned other languages, among them Kalanga, from being taught in schools, from being spoken on the radio, and even from being spoken in traditional community gatherings of their speakers.
The sentiments expressed above are mine, but the discovery that "Bechuana" means "Bakhwana" is not mine. A relative revealed it to me. She was quite convinced of its correctness, but for more than two years I remained unconvinced, UNTIL now!
Bakalanga, will you please wake up!
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