Who the Bataung are
A statement of significance written for the heritage site at Modderpoort, graded by Heritage Free State, describes the Bataung as a tribe of the Basotho. It says they migrated towards the Free State and Lesotho from the north-west, and that they separated from the Bahurutse around 1640. They adopted the lion (tau) as their tribal totem.
Modderpoort
In the late eighteenth century, as the San presence was fading and before the Anglican missionaries arrived, the Bataung settled at Modderpoort. They named the land, which lies between the Platberg and Viervoet mountains, Lekhalong-la-bo-Tau, “the Pass of the Lions”. After the war of 1865 to 1866 with the Boer settlers, the land was ceded to the Free State government. The statement says the Bataung mixed with other peoples more than most tribes did, intermarrying with the Barolong, Batlhaping and Lihoya, as well as with the Griqua, Korannas and San.
What we have not found
This page rests on a single source, a heritage statement for one place. We have not found a published account of the Bataung chiefs, their wider history in Lesotho, or a praise text. Our planning list links the Bataung to the Moletsane royal line, but we have not been able to confirm that from a published source. If you belong to the Bataung and recite the praises, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- SAHRIS: statement of significance for Modderpoort / Lekhalong-la-bo-Tau (graded by Heritage Free State; no individual author named)
Do you belong to the Bataung? Tell us your praises and what elders say about the tribe’s history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.