chiefdom · Central and Southern Africa

Bakwena Chiefdom

1700 CE – 1885 CE (approx.) · capital Molepolole

The Tswana chiefdom of the Kwena, whose ruler Sechele I was David Livingstone's only convert and a shrewd defender of his people.

Origins

The Bakwena trace their origin to a split from the Bahurutshe and later gave rise to the Bangwato and Bangwaketse through further divisions. By the 18th century the Kwena were settled in what is now south-eastern Botswana, though they were scattered during the wars of the 1820s.

Rule and society

Sechele I rebuilt the chiefdom from the 1830s, ruling through the kgotla and ward system. He welcomed David Livingstone, was baptised in 1848, and kept trade routes open to the north. In 1852 Transvaal Boers attacked his town at Dimawe, but Sechele survived and made the Kwena a regional power, settling at Molepolole in the 1860s.

Decline and legacy

Fearing Boer expansion, the Tswana chiefs accepted British protection, and in 1885 Kweneng became part of the Bechuanaland Protectorate. The chiefdom continued under colonial rule and is part of independent Botswana.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bakwena Chiefdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bakwena-chiefdom
MLA
“Bakwena Chiefdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bakwena-chiefdom. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Bakwena Chiefdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bakwena-chiefdom.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bakwena Chiefdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bakwena-chiefdom (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻