Thakadu

Friends that visit my house are always asking me why I have a porcelain model of an anteater in my house. It's my totem. If they are white, I have to explain away. Black people get it. But the story is kinda cool. My uncle has a big ant eater at the entrance of his drive way, and another uncle has named his farm Tlokwe. I was the apple of my grandfather's eye, and his nickname for me was Thakadu, so it's always with love when someone in my family calls me an ant eater (aardvark).


Here's the short of the story behind Thakadu.

Ke mo tlokwa Long ago, our totem used to be nkwe before we adopted Thakadu (ant eater) as our totem. This was after our people were preserved by the water found in wells dug out by diThakadu while we were in the wilderness after being defeated by Basotho.

LEBOKO LA BOTLOKWA

Re Mafifatswana a go rekwa ka kgomo,
Mafetakgomo a je motho,
Magadimana ntweng a a ja, ga a gadime,
Ba ha Mmakana a Mosima!
Bag a Musi! Mmolaa-moapei Moapeelwana a sale alla
Bag a Nkwenyana, a Nkwe o apareng?
KE APERE TAU!

I think being named for the anteater is a great honour. It means that like the anteater did for my people so long ago, I am more aware of my ability to preserve people when they are at their most vulnerable. If you ask any of my real friends, they'll tell you that this is definitely one of my more positive traits.