Browsing by Author "Rakotsoane, Francis Lobiane Clement"

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    Religion of the ancient Basotho with special reference to "water snake"
    (1996) Rakotsoane, Francis Lobiane Clement; Cumpsty, John S
    It still remains the case that there has been very little attention given to African Traditional Religion in Southern Africa by both Western and African authors. It is not an easy area to research for it no longer exists in its undisturbed coherent form, but only as preserved in fragmented bits of culture. This thesis attempts some reconstruction of Basotho religion just prior to their settlement in Lesotho and the arrival of the Christian traditions. It makes use of whatever sources are available both written and oral including interviews in the field. It also employs Cumpsty's theory of religion to raise some questions about what might be expected given what is known of the pre-history of the people. Through a critical analysis of various Basotho cultural elements, oral prayers, sayings, beliefs, songs, rites of passage and other customs, a picture of early Basotho religion begins to emerge focused around the Supreme Being, Water Snake, and his different manifestations. It seems that we are looking at a group who had never been settled until they came to Lesotho, although they may have remained in particular places for considerable periods of time. On the other hand they were probable not, as some other groups were, consciously migrating, looking for a place of their own. It may well be this situation which is reflected in the constant prioritizing of the high god (Water Snake) in their dealings with the ancestors, and even their direct dealings with Water Snake, while at the same time other aspects of transcendence do not become emphasized.
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    The Southern Sotho's ultimate object of worship : sky-divinity or water-divinity?
    (2001) Rakotsoane, Francis Lobiane Clement; Kwenda, Chirevo
    This thesis is an attempt to find out how much justified the missionaries and some local authors are in identifying Molimo with their Christian God (Sky-Divinity). A critical analysis of various Basotho cultural elements and what the early Basotho told the missionaries reveal that Molimo as an ultimate object of worship in the traditional religion of the Southern Sotho, is Water-Divinity, namely, Water Snake and not a celestial being or Sky-Divinity.