Tinanatelo: Swati Clan Names and Praises
In Swati culture every clan name, or sibongo, has its own clan praise, its sinanatelo. Together they are tinanatelo, and they follow the clan name and extend it. [1]
The praises tell the history of the people, the surnames related to them, the clan's heroes and its totems. They are used in formal greetings, in giving thanks, in making a request, when speaking to the ancestors, and when asking to enter a homestead. [1]
Swazi tradition distinguishes the founding clans who came with the Dlamini kings, the bemdzabuko, from the Emakhandzambili, those found ahead on the land, and from the clans who joined the kingdom later. [2] [3]
Each clan below has its own page showing what the sources record for it and where each part was read from. [4]
Tinanatelo · siSwati · A–Z
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Questions About Tinanatelo
What are tinanatelo?
Tinanatelo are Swati clan praises. Every sibongo, or clan name, has its own sinanatelo, which follows the clan name and extends it.
When are tinanatelo used?
In formal greetings, in giving thanks, in making a request, when speaking to the ancestors, and when asking permission to enter a homestead.
What do tinanatelo tell you about a family?
They carry the history of the people, the surnames related to them, the clan's heroes and its totems.
How do I find my sinanatelo?
Look up your surname in the A to Z index on this page. Each clan has its own page with what the sources record and where it came from.
If your family holds more than the record does, add what your family holds.
Sources
- [1] Muzi Matfunjwa, "Tinanatelo Temaswati", South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), citing Thwala 2018 and Vilakati and Sibanda 1997
- [2] Wikipedia, "Swazi people"
- [3] Wikipedia, "Emakhandzambili", citing J.S.M. Matsebula, A History of Swaziland, Longman 1988
- [4] The Wozekhaya clan record, compiled from the sources named on each clan page