''Bogwera'' and ''bojale'' are the

rites of passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite ...

for children of the

Tswana people The Batswana (, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu peoples, Bantu Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group native to Southern Africa that are descendants of King Looe (Lowe) who established the Hurutshi tribe in Southern Africa (linguistic ...

that mark their

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

. Boys practice ''bogwera'' and girls practice ''bojale'', and they were historically the most important rites of passage of the Tswana people. Taking place over several months, ''bogwera'' and ''bojale'' were required before one's adulthood was recognised. ''Bogwera'' and ''bojale'' involve both educational and religious components. Boys and girls are sent to schools specifically dedicated to ''bogwera'' and ''bojale'' where they are taught about Tswana history, religion, and cosmology, as well as how to act as adults, to behave toward elders and royalty, and to be obedient. They are also taught about their rights in society and about topics relating to

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

. Instruction takes place through games, puzzles, proverbs, dance, songs, and poems. ''Bojale'' may incorporate the use of an open drum that is meant to symbolise a

womb The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more fertilized eggs until bi ...

and

birth canal In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The vaginal int ...

. ''Bogwera'' began with

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

, but no

female genital cutting Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. FGM prevalence varies ...

took place during ''bojale''. Occasional fatalities occurred at this stage. ''Bogwera'' included a physical element that ''bojale'' did not. Boys were brought out to the wild in the cold to learn herding, hunting, and warfare. Each boy participating in ''bogwera'' in the 19th century was also required to write a praise poem about himself, which he would expand throughout his life. Everyone participating in ''bogwera'' or ''bojale'' was grouped into an

age set In anthropology, an age set is a social category or corporate social group, consisting of people of similar age, who have a common identity, maintain close ties over a prolonged period, and together pass through a series of age-related statuses. ...

called a '' mophato'', and they remained a member of their group for life. Each ''mophato'' functioned as a regiment that could be enlisted by the ''

kgosi A (; ) is the title for a hereditary leader of a Batswana and South Africa peoples tribe. Usage The word "kgosi" is a Setswana term for "king" or "chief". Various affixes can be added to the word to change its meaning: adding the prefix ''di- ...

'' to participate in construction projects or other public services as well as for military or law enforcement purposes. European

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

opposed ''bogwera'' and ''bojale'' when they arrived in present-day Botswana and worked to ban them, replacing the initiation schools with

mission school A mission school or missionary school is a religious school originally developed and run by Christian missionaries. The mission school was commonly used in the colonial era for the purposes of Westernization of local people. These may be day s ...

s. The

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

broke from the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...

in 1917 when it permitted its adherents in the

Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a British protectorate, protectorate established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became the Botswana, Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966. History Scottish missionary ...

to resume ''bogwera'', but this only lasted a few years. The Balete people were the only tribe who still practiced ''bogwera'' and ''bojale'' at the end of the colonial era.

Notes

References

* * {{Cite book , last1=Morton , first1=Barry , last2=Ramsay , first2=Jeff , title=Historical Dictionary of Botswana , publisher=

Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns ...

, year=2018 , isbn=978-1-5381-1133-8 , edition=5th Culture of Botswana Rites of passage