Ndou in the sources
Wikipedia’s Venda people article lists Ndou among the Venda clans and describes nothing about it. The one concrete mention we found is in the Commission’s determination on the Vhavenda kingship claim, which records the Vhangona claimant Nephawe’s account that there are four Vhangona traditional leaders today, one of them “Ndou of Thengwe Manenzhe”.
What the sources say
Thengwe and Manenzhe also appear in that account’s list of past Vhangona leaders (as Nethengwe and Manenzhe). The Know My Roots blog gives Matidze, Nethengwe and Manenzhe as the prominent chiefs of the Vhatavhatsindi, who it says settled at Lwandali and Thengwe, but it does not mention Ndou. We have not found a source that says outright how the Ndou relate to the Vhatavhatsindi.
The word ndou means elephant, and Wikipedia calls the legendary Venda chief Thoho-ya-Ndou “Head of the Elephant”. Neither the article nor the Commission links him to a Ndou clan, and we make no such link. See our Masingo and Vhangona pages.
Cautions
This page rests on one line in the Commission’s record of the claimant’s account and an uncited Wikipedia list entry. We found no confirmed totem or praise text; the elephant is not confirmed as this clan’s totem.
Izithakazelo and totem
We are printing no Ndou praises or totem because none has been confirmed. If you belong to the Ndou and recite your praises, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Venda people (tagged as needing more citations; its clan list has no inline citations)
- Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims: Determination on the Vhavenda kingship claim (the Vhangona account, pp. 608 to 609)
- Know My Roots: Venda Clan Names (community blog; no author or citations given, so treat as unverified)
See also Vhangona and Masingo.
Do you belong to the Ndou? Tell us your praises and what elders say about the history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.