THE POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF THE NGWATO OF BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE*
By I. SCHAPERA
/. Ethnic Composition and Territorial Constitution
THE Native inhabitants of Bechuanaland Protectorate, most of whom belong to the Tswana (Western Sotho) cluster of Bantu-speaking peoples, are politically divided into eight separate tribes (merafe, sing, morafe). Each has its own name, occupies its own territorial reserve within which no European may own land, and, s'ubject to the overriding authority of the British Administration, manages its own affairs under the direction of a chief (kgosi, morena), who is independent of the rest. The Ngwato (commonly termed BaMangwato) are the largest and historically the best-known of these tribes. Their great chief, Kgama III (c. 1837-1923), attained world-wide prominence as a zealous convert to Christianity, a fanatical prohibitionist of alcoholic liquor, and a strong supporter of British imperialism in central South Africa. He promoted in various ways the economic progress of his people, and keenly encouraged the spread of education. The latest census, in May, 1936, showed that no less than 28 per cent, of the population was literate—a factor considerably affecting the modern relationship between the chief and his subjects.2 Kgama's innovations were not confined to this partial acceptance of Western civilization, but included several changes in the legal and administrative system of the tribe. As a result of both this and the active intervention of the British Administration, the Ngwato have departed considerably from their traditional system of government, and so offer an interesting field for the study of African political development.
The tribe occupies a reserve 39,000 square miles in extent,
1 This article is based upon field investigations made in 1935 for the Bechuanaland Protectorate Administration. For a more detailed account of Tswana social and political organization in general, the reader is referred to my Handbook of Tswana Law and Custom (Oxford, 1938), chaps, i-vi, xvi.
2 The corresponding figures for other Tswana tribes are: Kgatla, 28 per cent.; Ngwaketse, 15 per cent.; Kwena, 9 per cent.; Tawana, 1-9 per cent.