AbaThembu is a group of Xhosa people speaking another dialect of Xhosa known for their unique clan names. They are a Bantu-speaking people who inhabit the upper reaches of the Mzimvubu River in the Eastern province of South Africa, speaking a dialect of Xhosa language. The AbaThembu and the amaXhosa are believed to have once been one nation, but split due to wars and hunting. So, we are going to talk about a brief history of AbaThembu and their clan names.
History of AbaThembu
According to Xhosa Oral tradition, AbaThembu are people who came from eMbo or Abo-Mbo empire probably near what is today Mozambique. A common ancestor Zwide left eMbo empire deep into Mozambique. This is where he settled and begot Mbulali, who begot Njanye, who begot Mthembu.
Mthembu relocated with his people further South of Mozambique and North East of South Africa in Mbabane, Swaziland where he settled and established the tribe known as Abathembu BakwaMvelase. He had two sons, Ndilo and Mvelase, also known as Qudeni, in KwaMsinga, Natal. Ndilo left and passed away in Msana, Eastern Cape, where his sons were Ntongakazi (dumakazi), Bhomoyi, Mncotshe, Mdlane, Qoma, and Jali. The houses of Mdlane and Jali, Qoma, and Mncotshe were unimportant because their mothers were commoners; the only houses that were respected were those of Bhomoyi and Ntongakazi, also known as Dumakazi.
You can read the entire history here!
The Thembu had a sovereign kingdom prior to the British conquest in the 1800s. The Thembu monarchs are known by their Xhosa clan name, Ntlazi aNkosiyane. Several recent monarchs, such as Sabata Jonguhlanga Dalindyebo and Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, adopted the surname Dalindyebo in honour of a monarch from the 19th century.
Following the conquest, the Thembu were incorporated into Transkei and placed under the control of the Cape Colony. Transkei was a Bantustan, with the exception of a few traders and missionaries. Under apartheid, the Transkei was still considered a Bantustan and was considered the ancestral home of the Xhosa people, together with the Ciskei.
Let’s look at the most common clan names of the AbaThembu
Clan names are considered more important than surnames because they point to a common ancestor. Even when you want to marry, you cannot marry someone with the same clan name as yours because he or she is your relative.
Calling someone by their clan name when you meet them is considered polite, and mentioning the clan name of someone you want to thank is the ultimate form of respect. Members of that clan also occasionally use the clan name as an exclamation.
A woman may adopt her husband’s last name after marriage, but she always retains her own clan name and adds the prefix Ma-. Since they are seen as related, a man and a woman with the same clan name are not allowed to get married.
Here are the most common clan names of Xhosa people of AbaThembu
- Madiba — Dlomo, Madiba, Yem-Yem, Vela bambhentsele, Sophitsho, Ngqolomsila, Tubhana, Qhumpase, Ntande, MThembu, Ncikoza, Mtshikilana, Malangana, Bhomoyi.
- AmaNtande – Dlomo, Sopitsho, Ngqolomsila, Zondwa ziintshaba
- Qithi — Ndinga, Nkomo ayizali izala ngokuzaliswa, uRhadu, uNomsobodwana, uSopitsho uNgqolomsila uYemyem uVela bembhentsele, Zondwa, MThembu)
- Ndungwana – u Bhejula uDiya uMagath’ alukhuni, uVelabembhentsele uHala.
- amaNgxongo, oontsundu, bhomoyi zondwa zintshaba, osophitsho.
- AmaGcina — Xhamela, Helushe, Ncancashe, Magwebulikhula, Malambedlile, Nokwindla, Thyopho ka Phato owathyaphakela eXonxa , Gabul’ ikhula, Malamb’ayendle aty’ igusha athi ziz’ duli zethafa, Nxego, Butsolo beentonga, Dlelanga, Ntlonipho (Bahamba bepheth’isali — ihashe bakulifuman’emlungwini, izinto zabantu abazibi koko bayazigcini, bathi iigusha ziziduli zentaba)
- Qhudeni – UMthembu, uThukela, uQhudeni, uMkhubukeni, uGoza, uMpafane, uMthembu obhuzuzu, odla amathibane az ‘indlala iwile.
- Maya — oMaya, oYem Yem oSophitsho, oMagwa, oNggolomsila, oBhomoyi.
- Mpangela -Mvinjwa, Rhoshana, Ndlazi, Dlomo, Sibetho, Magwala, Gwadzi elisilika bubuhle.
- Mpemvu – ujali ,ujuda, uNtlotshane, Bumela, uNgciva
- Ndala — Ndala ka Momamana, uMncotshe, Msunu Sdumbu, Thole, Ngxunga Smukumuku, Ndithinina )
- Zima — Ceduma, Sopitsho, Bhomoyi, Vela bembhentsele. (AmaZima yinzala ka Zima. Imbali ithi uZima ngumntakwabo Ntade. uNzima wayemdala ngokweminyaka kodwa ezalwa kwindlu yasekunene, uNtande ezalwa nguNdlunkulu (Great House). Sigikelela ukuba bobabini bangoonyana bakaToyi kaCeduma ka Dunakazi ka Bhomoyi ka Thembu ka Ntongakazi ka Malandela ka Njanye ka Sibiside)
Read more about AbaThembu clan names here!
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