The What I Learned article series are my favorite. As I have stated before, I love to research. But when you love to research, you go down this perpetual and never-ending ‘rabbit hole’. Publishing my ‘rabbit holes’ is a release for me personally. It gets all of this information out of my head while disseminating information to those interested.
This week, King Moshoeshoe I (c.1776 - 1870) of Lesotho caught my eye.
He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bamokoteli lineage - a branch of the Koena clan
His given name was Lepoqo - meaning ‘disasters’, which resembled the fact that he was born during a time when the Bamokoteli experienced great misfortunes
During his youth, he organized a cattle raid against Ramonaheng and captured several herds; as was the tradition, he composed a poem praising himself; he referred to himself “like a razor which has shaved all Ramonaheng’s beards”, referring to his successful raid
In Sesotho, a razor is said to make a “shoe... shoe…” sound; after that he was affectionately called Moshoeshoe: “the shaver”
Established the nation of Basotho in Basutoland
He was known for his act of friendship toward his beaten enemies
He provided land and protection to people and this strengthened the growing Basotho nation
Although he had ceded much territory (colonizers), he never suffered a major military defeat and retained most of his kingdom and all of his culture
His death in 1870 marked the end of the traditional era and the beginning of the modern colonial period
Moshoeshoe Day is a national holiday in Lesotho; March 11; commemorates the day Moshoeshoe died
Bibliography
Potgieter, J. Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa. 1972 ed., vol. VII, Pretoria, HSRC, 1999.
South African History. “King Moshoeshoe I.” South African History Online, 2020, https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/king-moshoeshoe-i. Accessed 1 December 2020.
Wikipedia. “Moshoeshoe I.” Wikipedia, 23 November 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshoeshoe_I. Accessed 1 December 2020.
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