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| Molepolole |
Population : 67,598.
Elevation:
1,189 m (3,901 ft)
Location: Molepolole, 000, Botswana.
Website: Official
site.
Molepolole is Botswana's biggest village. It
lies in the south east of the county. The people who reside in Molepolole are
the Bakwena, who are one of the eight major tribes in Botswana. The Bakwena
chief was among the three chiefs who went to England to seek protection from
the British in the colonial era. Molepolole serves as the capital of the
Bakwena. It was named after the Molepolole river. Molepolole is 50 km away from
the capital city of Botswana, Gaborone.
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| Molepolole |
Ntsweng was the capital of Bakwena before
they moved to Molepolole. Ntsweng is a historic site located a few kilometers
southeast of Molepolole. The area was first occupied by Bakwena, led by Sechele
I (ruled 1829–92), in 1864. It was abandoned in 1937 when Bakwena were forced
to move to Molepolole by Kgari II, assisted by the colonial administrators
(Schapera, 1943). Ntsweng today consists of a large area covered with traces of
occupation. Most notable are the patterns of stones laid on their edges to form
house foundations which are still visible on the surface. There are also the
ruins of what used to be Sebele II's office which is at present referred to as
Mmakgosi's house. The ruins of that building are situated next to an area which
used to be the royal kraal at Ntsweng but is now the royal cemetery (Morton
& Ramsay, 1990). Several clusters of ruins seem to represent different
wards. Analyses of the settlement layout and soil samples suggest cattle were
often kept in the center of each ward. This seems to follow the "central
cattle pattern", a conceptual model for the organization of settlements
among southern Bantu, where the central placement of the kraal reflects the
central role of cattle in the culture and ideology of the people.
Street
View of Molepolole
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