Imvelaphi yamaTswana
Akwaziwa okunengi ngokobana abeSotho bavelaphi amaTswana ayincenye yabo. Ngokoya ngokwendaba eziqoqwako, khabe bahlangana nabantu ekhabe bakhuluma isintu, ebeza e-East African Great Lakes (Victoria kanye ne-Tanganyika), beza eMpumalanga, eminyakeni eminengi eyadlulako. Isiko litho gade bafuye boke lada bahlukana babazinchenyana.
NjengabaSotho, amaphethini wabo wokuhlala kanye nendawo zabo zokuhlala zabanjwa zizipi zekuthomeni kweminyaka yabo-1800 ukuya ngeskhathi sokuvuka kwamandla kwakaShaka. Okungafani nabeSotho, batlama ubukhosi obuhlukeneko ebziwa ngentjhaba enarheni esele ebizwa bona yiBotswana namhlanjesi.
Kunokobana batlame isiqhema sinye bahlala enarheni eyomileko, lapha bathola khona abathwa sele bahlala nabanye abantu ababafundisa ukulima eenarheni ekhabe bazuma kizo.
Iindawo Zokuhlala zamaTswana
Hlangana kwabathoma ukuhlala kokuthoma epumalanga, iincenye ezivundileko zenarha esele ibizwa bona seBotswana kwanjesi gade kumaKgalagadi. Lokha abezimu babaRolong kanye nababaTlhaping bahlala enarheni ephezulu emlanjeni weMolapo kancani kancani bafudukela eTjingalanga kanye nePumalanga, lapha bathatha khona inarha yeKgalagadi kanye neyabathwa. Ekhabe bangafuni kobana inarhabo ithathwe babakatelela kobana bafuduke erhalawombei leKalahai nekukulapho abanye babo basahlala kwanjesi. Inarha ezombeleze lapha sele kubizwa bona se-Runstenburg, Zeerust kanye ne-Litcheburg eSewula Africa esifundeni sange-North West Province kwahlala ama-Hurutshe, Kwena kanye nabaKgatla, amahlalo wabo kwanjesi akhombisa ukubakhona kwamaTswana okuqinileko. Ukuba khona kwabo okuqinileko namhlanjesi kusabonakala kodwana sele bahlukana kunekuthomeni okwenza bona bangasabonakala khulu, sele bazele eendaweni zoke zeRhawudeni.
Ubufazibukhombisa bona abezimu bamaTswana wanamhlanje gade e-Highveld kusukela ngabo-17th century. Iskhathesi kusukela ekuthomeni kwabo-19th century yameregwa ngokobana kube khona ukungwarana ngakwezepolotiki, amalunga aphasi wobukhosi asuka kilabo egade abalandela ayozitlamela zazo iinqhema, ezaduma ngebizo lomdosi phambili wawo omutjha.
Ukusukela ngeminyaka ka-1810, umurhwa loyo waphungulwa mafektha amabili; irarano elenziwa babantu ekhabe bakhuluma isiNguni kanye nabanye bantu abafika ngesikhathi sezipi zakaShaka, kanye nengozi yokuthathelwa inarha lokha amakhuwa nakafika enarheni yabo, kokuthoma azokuzuma inarha kanye nenkomo kwathi lada nakazokuzuma iinsebenzi eziyokusebenza ukwemba idayimani kanye nerhawuda eemayini. Amafekutha la womabili asabisa ubukhosi benkosi zendawo, begoda arholela ekutheni abantu bahlala ngokuhlangana kunangaphambilini. Ngebanga lemiraro ekhabe ilethwa ngezepolotiki khabe sele kubudisi khulu kibo begodu kungakaphephi, aabantu ekhabe bahlala ngaphasi kwamkhosi bangezeleka baqina, begodu gade buvamise kobana bube rondo kube ngilokho esele kubizwa bona yi-sitjhaba namhlanje.
Translated by Busisiwe Prudance Skhosana