A Short History of Barolong.(part 3)

Relation to other Tribes.

Nor is it easy to determine the exact relationship of the BaRolong to other Tswana tribes. The BaNgwato and the BaNgwaketse speak of themselves as genealogically related to the BaKwena whom they regard as their seniors, and these three
tribes admit relationship to or descent from the BaHurutshe.

But the BaRolong claim to be entirely unconnected with the former tribes. As far as they are concerned at no time in their remembered history or tradition did they ever with these tribes form part of one political unit from which they hived off for one reason or another.

The BaRolong do, however, recognise the seniority among Tswana tribes of the Hurutshe to whom they give precedence in ritual and ceremony, if they happen to be present. This would seem to imply that the BaRolong separated from these tribes between whom and themselves there is fairly close affinity in language, customs and culture generally, so long ago that they have lost all knowledge of their exact relationship with them.

Stow points out that the early separation of the BaRolong from other Tswana tribes may also be gathered from the fact that the dialect of Tswana which they speak
commonly called Se-Rolong is regarded by the Tswana themselves to be sufficiently distinct to merit a special name. This is of course nothing to go by, because every Tswana group speaking a distinctive dialect of Tswana, for example, Se-Tlhware, Se-Tlhaping, Se-Hurutshe, Se-Ngwato and so forth, considers that it is deserving of a distinctive appellation.

At all events the BaRolong consciousness of their lack of genealogical relationship with the tribes referred to above may be due to the fact that a considerable interval of time separated their departure from their original home from that of the others, or if they left together, they must have parted company very early in their migration southwards.

The BaRolong admit, however, that the BaTlhaping who live to the south of them are related to them and once formed together with them a single tribe having as its seboko (totem) the koodoo (tholo). Here again it is difficult to say when they divided into the two independent tribes which they have since become. It is known, however, that as long ago as in the reign of Tau among the BaRolong, the latter attempted to regain their former hegemony over the Batlhaping,

but their efforts proved abortive. Since the time of Chief Montshiwa among the Tshidi BaRolong and Chief Mankurwane among the Tlhaping fairly good relations have prevailed between the two tribes, partly because of the united front which these Chiefs endeavoured to maintain against European encroachment on the territory which they claimed as their own in the latter part of the last century, but the BaRolong continue to regard the Batlhaping as their juniors in status (bo-monna-bone).