Pedi

The Pedi are a southern African people often called the Northern Sotho because they are a branch of the large Sotho people. However, the Pedi have established their own identity throughout their history. They developed as a separate group in the 16th and 17th centuries through a series of wars and political arrangements. Like so many larger groups in Africa, the Pedi combined with smaller kingdoms to create a larger confederation for defensive and social reasons. The fact that they shared the same language and customs made it easy for them to have a confederation.

When the Pedi were defeated by the armies of the Ndebele king Mzilikazi on his way north, they were scattered until a great king, Sekwati, restored their unity and revived the Pedi people. Of course, they were then engaged in battle against the invading European Boer armies pushing toward the Limpopo River.

One must not assume that the Pedi are a relatively young people, because they have a long history as a part of the body of the Sotho-speaking people. They migrated southward from the region of the Great Lakes in Central Africa around the 14th century and settled in southern Africa. Among the people who settled in what is now South Africa were the Hurutse. The Pedi are related to this group of people. There was a great king named Mokgatla who gave his name to the people called Bakgatla. According to history, Mokgatla withdrew from the group that he had created, and another king, Tabane, split from the main Pedi group as well. Tabane was succeeded by Mostsha, his son, who was then succeeded by his son, Diale.

The Pedi developed a strategy for defending their homesteads that depended on surprise. They were the masters of surprise during encounters with other ethnic groups. The soldiers would march for 2 days in a direction opposite the enemy, giving the impression that they were not going to attack, but were engaged elsewhere, and then suddenly, like a leopard, they would turn and pounce on the enemy's territory. Because they had been defeated by many groups, the Pedi, who were not military in the sense of the Zulu, Ndebele, or Xhosa, had to develop an alternative strategy. The military organization of the Pedi was not a science or a way of life. The Pedi people practiced neighbor-liness and lived as much as possible in harmony with their closest neighbors.

An independent people, the Pedi encouraged each man to be responsible to his family, provide for his children, follow the ideas of his ancestors, and take no prisoners in any warfare. Thus, a king might hold a council with the elders of an [Page 520]area, but in the end, the king's authority was curbed by the will of the majority. In a way, the Pedi represent one of the most nonviolent philosophies in Africa. They have learned to accept their condition as part of their inheritance. Few strive to achieve superiority over their neighbors or to desire the land or wealth of their neighbors. However, in past times, the Pedi have been known to capture women and children and bring them to Pedi territory. These days are long gone, and the Pedi people have established themselves as one of the great peoples of southern Africa. In fact, they believe in their own deities and ancestors and have built much of their ethical life around their faith.

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