Page 7 - BOLOBEDU K9_Neat

BALOBEDU PEOPLE

Balobedu (BaLodzwi/Bathobolo) is a Khelovedu. of the last male rulers of BaLobedu, King
southern African tribe and an ethnic Mokodo Mohale of the Royal House
group of the Northern Sotho group. Most Khelovedu speakers only learn to of Mohale of BaKwebo as BaLobedu
They were initially known as BaKwebo speak Northern Sotho at school, as such where then known. This tribe is located
(wild pigs).The name “bolobedu” means Northern Sotho is only a second or third at around Ga-Mamaila and Sekhosese
place of tribute, go loba/lobela. Hence language and foreign to them like English township an area known as Boroka which
BaLobedu are people who receive tribute and Afrikaans. Until recently, Khelovedu means north in Khelovedu.
from others.They have their own king- existed only in an unwritten form, and the
dom, the Balobedu Kingdom, within the standard Northern Sotho language and Origins
Limpopo Province of South Africa with a orthography was usually used for teach-
female ruler, the Rain Queen Modjadji. ing and writing. As of 2018, a Khelovedu The Balobedu originally migrated south
dictionary is being compiled and a spe- from present day Zimbabwe and Egypt
Language cific Khilovedu orthography is also in the to their present location in South Africa.
process of being developed. The central tribal village is Khethakoni
Their language is known as Lobedu, in the district of Balobedu. This Kalanga
KheLobedu or Khelovedu, which is a Subgroups migrants consisted of the Mokwebo, who
“non-Pedi” dialect of Northern Sotho. There are three sub-groups of are the ancestors of all wild pig clans (va
Khelovedu is grammatically similar to the Lobedu: ana golove/ba bina kolobe) like Mama-
other Sotho–Tswana languages and bolo Ramafalo and Modjadji, the Neng-
Tshivenda. Khelovedu is also similar to BaLobedu Ba Ga Modjadji (BaLobedu ba wekhulu, who are ancestors of all ele-
the TshiGuvhu and TshiIlafuri dialects of Ha Modjadji), which is the main group of phant clans (Ditlou) and the Ramabulana,
TshiVenda. Mutual intelligibility between BaLobedu and is led by the Royal House ancestors of the other elephant clans
these Venda dialects and Khelovedu is of Modjadji (Ditlou), are also uncles of the Neng-
so high that speakers of this Venda dia- BaLobedu Ba Ga Sekgopo (Balobedu Ba wekhulus. All BaLobedu are descended
lects can effectively communicate with Ha Sekhopo), which are located at Ga-Se- from these three groups BaKwebo, Neng-
Khelovedu speakers without difficulty. kgopo Village. They separated from the wekhulu and Ramabulana. The rest of
A TshiGuvhu speaker can understand a main group of BaLobedu in the late 1700s the people are descendants of East So-
Khelovedu speaker so easily, or vice ver- when the first female ruler of BaLobedu tho or BaLaudi refugees and indigenous
sa, Khelovedu could have easily been was crowned. South Venda groups like BaNgona. As a
classified as a Venda dialect or an inde- BaLobedu Ba Ga Mamaila (BaLobedu ba results the most common animal totems
pendent language. For example, North- Ha Mmamaila), which was founded by among BaLobedu are the wild pig (Goloe/
ern Sotho and its parent dialect Sepedi Prince Mmamaila elder brother of Mod- Kolobe) and the elephant (Dou/Tlou).
have a higher mutual intelligibility with jadji I, who objected to being ruled by
Southern Sotho and Setswana than with women. He was one of the eldest sons