Khama was the eldest son of Segkoma I, who was the chief when David Livingstone, the missionary explorer, first moved northwards through Botswana in the 1840s. Whilst the capital had still been at Shoshong, Livingstone had converted Khama and his brothers to Christianity. Although their father, Segkoma I, had allowed the missionaries to stay with them, and was interested to talk to them, he had refused to give up the traditional ways.
Eventually this led to a war between father and son, which Khama won, becoming king of the Bamangwato. Khama was a poetic visionary who changed the customs of his people in line with his Christian beliefs, and who foresaw the need for strong protection in the colonial carve up of Africa, and campaigned strongly for the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland. (See also the section on ‘People and Culture’.)