Sotho, also called Suthu or Suto, linguistic and cultural group of peoples occupying the high grasslands of southern Africa. The main groups are customarily classified as the Transvaal, or northern, Sotho (Pedi, Lovedu, and others); the western Sotho, or Tswana; and the southern Sotho (often called Basuto) of Lesotho and adjoining areas.
Traditionally, most Sotho groups relied both on cultivation and on animal husbandry. Corn (maize) was a staple, and millet, beans, sweet potatoes, and a variety of other crops are also of importance. In modern times, a large proportion of Sotho men are often absent from home as migrant labourers.
The typical settlement pattern was characterized by scattered hamlets of circular huts with mud and wattle or stone walls surmounted by a conical, thatched roof. Towns of considerable size occur among some groups, particularly the Tswana, and among groups organized into Bantu townships in South Africa.
Polygyny was traditionally permitted, and a substantial bridewealth in cattle was paid. Descent, succession, and inheritance were patrilineal, except in the case of one group among whom descent was traced through both the male and female lines.
The advent of Christianity, urbanization, and industrialization have resulted in a progressive breakdown of the Sotho’s traditional culture patterns.