Setlutlu
{{Short description|Spouse of the Kololo people's chief}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Setlutlu
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
|other names=Masekeletu
| title = Queen consort of the Makololo tribe
| spouse = King Sebetwane
| children = King Sekeletu
| parents =
| relatives = Prince Litali (grandson)
}}
Setlutlu, or Masekeletu, (fl. c. 1836 CE - c. 1855 CE) was the spouse of Sebetwane — a chief of the Kololo people.{{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=John S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GFVFAAAAYAAJ&dq=sekeletu+mother&pg=PA7 |title=The Life and Explorations of David Livingstone, LL. D. |date=1881 |publisher=Belford, Clarke |language=en}}{{Cite book |last1=Phiri |first1=Bizeck Jube |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XkrYEAAAQBAJ&dq=Sekeletu+mother&pg=PA386 |title=Historical Dictionary of Zambia |last2=Shaba |first2=Thokozile |date=2023-08-15 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-4602-6 |language=en}}
Her brother-in-law was King Mbololo.
Biography
Setlutlu was not Kololo by birth; she may have been Batlokoa, or Phuthing.{{Cite book |last=Ellenberger |first=D. Frédéric |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jMwagQ0q-gYC&q=Sekeletu+mother |title=History of the Basuto, Ancient and Modern |date=1912 |publisher=Caxton publishing Company, limited |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Sillery |first=Anthony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ensBAAAAMAAJ&q=%22setlutlu%22 |title=John Mackenzie of Bechuanaland, 1835-1899: A Study in Humanitarian Imperialism |date=1971 |publisher=A. A. Balkema |language=en}} She had been captured during war, and Sebetwane, the Kololo ruler, originally awarded Setlutlu to Lechae, one of his young commanders, to serve as his wife.{{Cite book |last=Mainga |first=Mutumba |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IfpWEAAAQBAJ&dq=Sekeletu+mother&pg=PA87 |title=Bulozi under the Luyana Kings: Political Evolution and State Formation in Pre-Colonial Zambia |date=2010-06-01 |publisher=African Books Collective |isbn=978-9982-24-032-1 |language=en}} Later, Sebetwane took her for himself, and married her.{{Cite journal |last=Kalusa |first=Walima T. |date=2009 |title=Elders, Young Men, and David Livingstone's "Civilizing Mission": Revisiting the Disintegration of the Kololo Kingdom, 1851-1864 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40282430 |journal=The International Journal of African Historical Studies |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=55–80 |jstor=40282430 |issn=0361-7882}}
They had a son, Sekeletu, who later became a ruler, after the death of Sebetwane, and the abdication of Sebetwane's daughter - and chosen successor - Mamochisane. There was debate, however, over whether Sekeletu was a legitimate son of Sebetwane, or whether he should rightly be considered a son of Lechae. Nonetheless, at age 18, he was appointed ruler.
David Livingstone met and interacted with Setlutlu on many occasions, and frequently mentioned her in his accounts of his travels.{{Cite book |last=Livingstone |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUgaAAAAYAAJ&dq=Sekeletu+mother&pg=PA244 |title=Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa: Including a Sketch of Sixteen Years' Residence in the Interior of Africa... |date=1872 |publisher=Harper |language=en}} By this time she was married once again, to a man named Mamire.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b4Q4AQAAMAAJ&q=Mamire&pg=PA56 |title=The Southern Magazine |date=1874 |publisher=Murdoch, Browne & Hill |language=en}} The town she lived in was simply known by her name. She evidently held much influence over the commanders that Sibituane left, and wielded power. For instance, in c. 1854, she assisted David Livingstone by outspokenly supporting his request to Mpolo to free a number of captives. Livingstone himself admiringly commented on her "good sense".{{Cite book |last=Livingstone |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZUgaAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22ma+sekeletu%22&pg=PA267 |title=Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa: Including a Sketch of Sixteen Years' Residence in the Interior of Africa... |date=1872 |publisher=Harper |language=en}} Setlutlu was a grandmother of Princes Litali and Sesane.
References
{{Reflist}}
Literature
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060511000000/http://www.barotseland.com/history3.pdf Makololo interregnum and the legacy of David Livingstone] (PDF)
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