Moshoeshoe IPA: /moʊˈʃweɪʃweɪ/ (c.1786 -March 11, 1870) was born at Menkhoaneng in the Northern part of present-ay Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bakoteli lineage- a branch of the Koena (crocodile) clan(sic). In his early childhood, he helped his father gain power over some other smaller clans. At the age of 34 Moshoeshoe formed his own clan and became a chief. He and his followers settled at the Butha-Buthe Mountain.