Batalaote

BaTalaote are an ethnic group found in the central district of Botswana and south-western parts of Zimbabwe. They are part of a large group of ethnic groups called Bakalanga. Over the years Batalaote lost their language and adopted Kalanga for those in Zimbabwe and Sengwato, which is spoken by the Bangwato, for those in Botswana. The Talaunda and the Wadoma could share a common ancestor. Both tribes have significantly high cases of ectrodactyly.

Batalaote (sometimes spelt "Talaunda") meaning glance back while trudging on, are a very large tribe even though they are divided and live in various parts of Botswana and Western Zimbabwe. They are Rozvi people and their totem is a heart/pelo/moyo and they do not pierce their ears. They are a very peaceful tribe which migrated from Zimbabwe; they came from the same region in East Africa as the Shona. They fled Zimbabwe to Senyawe in Botswana because of the intertribal wars. They lived with the Bangwato when they settled in Botswana. Some of them accompanied Ratiltadi and Mpoengs who fled from Kgama into Plumtree, Zimbabwe. The Rozvi are the people from where the Mambo dynasty emerged. It is now thought that these Kalanga/Rozvi people built the Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe ruins.

The Gululu are a smaller family within the Talaunda; their origin dates back to the aftermath of a genocide attempt by King Mzilikazi after Kedikilwe, brother of Musemwe, misled the King on the whereabouts of herds of cattle that belonged to the Talaunda and the Bangwato in Botswana. The survivors of that attack adopted the name Gululu or Gwababa in SiNdebele, as the king's warriors had unwittingly mistaken rustling noises in the bushes made by these Talaunda for creeping Monitor lizards (called Gululu in Kalanga).

Their first settlement in Botswana was in a small village north-east of Botswana called Senyawe, where they lived on a hill. As of 2010^[update] Batalaote are still in Senyawe village. They were divided due to the search for greener pastures, intertribal marriage and intertribal wars. That is why there are some Batalaote in Plumtree, Matopos, Serowe, Mmadinare, Makaleng, Bobirwa.

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