History - Bantu-speaking tribes in the Lydenburg area
At the end of the eighteenth century the people of the Eastern Transvaal were organized in groups. Some groups spoke a Nguni dialect while others spoke Sotho/ Tswana.
The Sotho-speaking Pedi arrived relatively late in the Steelpoort valley. They did however build a powerful kingdom in the time of Thulare, 1790-1820, one of the reasons being the excellent pasture and land. They also dominated the trade between the coast and the interior.
Apparently Thulare also protected communities of metal workers who made spears and battle axes. His armies conquered the area between the present-day Phalaborwa, Rustenburg, the Soutpansberg and the Vaal River.
| Posted: 2008/06/19 | |
