The Saho are a Cushitic ethnic group who inhabit large sections of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia . They speak Saho as a mother tongue.
34-705: According to Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad, most of the Saho (like the Afar and the Somali ) have a primordial view of their own ethnicity, and claim to be descended from Arabian immigrants; this in turn allows for an identification with the family of Muhammad , and for an association of their history with that of the Near East . The societal structure is patrilineal and hierarchic, with society vertically organized in tribes and clans and families. The tribe ( meela , kisho , or qabila )
68-755: A language ancestral to Beja was spoken in the Nile Valley by the time of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt . From an analysis of the lexicon of the Nubian languages , Marianne Bechhaus-Gerst proposes that when Nubian speakers first reached the Nile Valley ca 1500 BC, they encountered Cushitic-speaking peoples from whom they borrowed a large number of words, mainly connected with livestock production. Roger Blench proposes that an extinct and otherwise unattested branch of Cushitic may be responsible for some of
102-542: A life has become a habit of their nature." In one notable incident, Werner Munzinger , along with his wife, child and a force consisting of 350 soldiers, 2 guns, and 45 camels, arrived in Tadjoura , with their errands being to open up the roads between Ankober and Tadjoura, to enter into communication with King Menelik of Shewa by traversing through the Danakil Desert . On the 14th of November upon reaching Aussa,
136-414: Is called a madarre . A madarre brings forth arguments to his audience and sub-clans or tribes who are involved and tries to win them over. This is discussed with clan or tribal wise men or elders, ukal . On smaller scale conflicts between 2 individuals, one of the 2 takes their grievances to the ukal , they in turn appoint shimagale or mediators for the dispute. Among the Saho there is a sub-clan called
170-464: Is organized into sub-tribes ( gaysha , harak , or ' are ) or clans ( dik or ' are ), but these two concepts are not always clearly distinguished, which are the most important strata because they indicate an individual's "personal descent or origin". Family descent is memorized going back at least 30 or 40 generations. Also memorized and narrated are laws and customs, and consanguinity plays an important role in these traditions, indicating again
204-913: The Afar Ummatah Demokrasiyyoh Focca (AUDF); and the Afar Revolutionary Forces (ARF). A political party, it aims to protect Afar interests. As of 2012, the ARDUF is part of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) coalition opposition party. The Afar principally reside in the Danakil Desert in the Afar Region of Ethiopia , as well as in Eritrea and Djibouti . They number 2,276,867 people in Ethiopia (or 2.73% of
238-655: The Danakil , Adali and Odali , are a Cushitic ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa . They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti , as well as the entire southern coast of Eritrea . The Afar speak the Afar language , which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. Afars are the only inhabitants of the Horn of Africa whose traditional territories border both
272-747: The French Somaliland in Djibouti , but the inland Aussa in the south was able to maintain its independence for longer. Even comparatively fertile and located on the Awash River , it was demarcated from the outside by surrounding desert areas. Ethiopia wanted to neutralize Aussa and prevent them from helping the Italians during the course of the First Italo-Ethiopian War in 1895–1896. The show of Abyssinian force dissuaded
306-531: The Kingdom of Dankali was confined by Abyssinia to its west and Adal Sultanate in the east. He also described that the Afar salt trade was extremely lucrative in the area. The mineral he adds, were considered very cheap in the Afar country, but was very valuable by the time it got to Shewa . Afar society has traditionally been organized into independent kingdoms, each ruled by its own Sultan . Among these were
340-645: The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden . The etymology of the term "Dankali" can be traced back to the Afar language and is derived from the words "dan" (meaning "people" or "nation") and "kali" (referring to the Afar Region). The term has been used for centuries to refer to the Afar people, their language, culture, and way of life. Its usage reflects the Afar people's sense of pride in their unique identity and their determination to preserve their heritage and way of life in
374-712: The Southern and Northern Red Sea regions. The Saho people speak the Saho language as a mother tongue . It belongs to the Saho-Afar dialect cluster of the Lowland East Cushitic languages , which are part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. and is closely related to Afar and Somali . Many Saho people have mingled with other Muslim tribes such as the Jeberti (Tigrinya-speaking Muslims) and
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#1732787449128408-587: The Sultanate of Aussa , Sultanate of Girrifo/Biru, Sultanate of Tadjourah , Sultanate of Rahaito , and Sultanate of Gobaad . In 1577, the Adal leader Imam Muhammed Jasa moved his capital from Harar to Aussa in modern Afar region . In 1647, the rulers of the Emirate of Harar broke away to form their own polity. Harari imams continued to have a presence in the southern Afar Region until they were overthrown in
442-778: The Sunni sect of Islam. The majority of the Afar had adopted Islam by the 13th century due to the expanding influence of holy men and traders from the Arabian peninsula . The Afar mainly follow the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam. Sufi orders like the Qadiriyya are also widespread among the Afar. Afar religious life is somewhat syncretic with a blend of Islamic concepts and pre-Islamic ones such as rain sacrifices on sacred locations, divination, and folk healing. Socially, they are organized into clan families led by elders and two main classes:
476-619: The Tigre and have as a result adopted those tribes languages. The Saho are predominantly Muslim . Majority of the Saho had adopted Islam by the 13th century due to the growing influence of mystics and traders from the Arabian peninsula . A few Christians , who are also known as the Irob , live in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and the Debub Region of Eritrea. Regarding the customary law of
510-925: The asaimara ('reds') who are the dominant class politically, and the adoimara ('whites') who are a working class and are found in the Mabla Mountains . Clans can be fluid and even include outsiders like the ( Issa clan ). In addition, the Afar are reputed for their martial prowess. Men traditionally carry the jile , a famous curved knife. They also have an extensive repertoire of battle songs. The Afar are mainly livestock holders, primarily raising camels but also tending to goats, sheep, and cattle. However, shrinking pastures for their livestock and environmental degradation have made some Afar instead turn to cultivation, migrant labor, and trade. The Ethiopian Afar have traditionally engaged in salt trading but recently Tigrayans have taken much of this occupation. Cushitic peoples Cushitic-speaking peoples are
544-526: The Afar Region of Ethiopia, as well as in southern Eritrea and northern Djibouti. However, since the Afar are traditionally nomadic herders , Afar speakers may be found further afield. Together, with the Saho language , Afar constitutes the Saho–Afar dialect cluster. Afar people are predominantly Muslim . They have a long association with Islam through the various local Muslim polities and practice
578-648: The Afar sultan Mahammad Hanfare of the Sultanate of Aussa from honouring his treaties with Italy, and instead Hanfare secured a modicum of autonomy within the Ethiopian Empire by accepting Emperor Menelik indirect rule after the war. When a modern administrative system was introduced in Ethiopia after the Second World War, the Afar areas controlled by Ethiopia were divided into the provinces of Eritrea, Tigray, Wollo, Shewa and Hararge. Tribal leaders, elders, and religious and other dignitaries of
612-707: The Afar tried unsuccessfully in the government from 1961 to end this division. Following an unsuccessful rebellion led by the Afar Sultan, Alimirah Hanfare , the Afar Liberation Front was founded in 1975 to promote the interests of the Afar people. Sultan Hanfadhe was shortly afterward exiled to Saudi Arabia . Ethiopia's then-ruling communist Derg regime later established the Autonomous Region of Assab (now called Aseb and located in Eritrea ), although low-level insurrection continued until
646-467: The Afars as being "very tall with ugly faces" and that their hair was plaited like that of women so that it "reached to their waists". The chronicler was greatly impressed by their military prowess, as he states that they were "great fighters", for when they went into battle "they tied the ends of their garments, one man to the next, that they might not flee". They are again mentioned over a century later in
680-585: The Egyptian force was attacked at night by a large number of Afars. The Afar managed massacred their army leaving only a small number left which fled to Tadjoura. Amongst the Egyptian casualties were the leader Munzinger, his wife, and his child. Towards the end of the 19th century, the sultanates of Raheita and Tadjoura on the coasts of the Red Sea have then colonized between European powers: Italy forms Italian Eritrea with Assab and Massawa , and France
714-527: The Gadafur. The Gadafur are an independent sub-clan affiliated with the Minifere tribes and are believed to be originally from the tribe of Gadabuursi. Ibrahim Omer , New Zealand MP Osman Ayfarah, British principal presenter at Al Jazeera Channel (Arabic) who worked for a number of channels including Dubai TV, Al Arabiya and BBC Arabi. Afar people The Afar ( Afar : Qafár ), also known as
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#1732787449128748-430: The Saho, when there is an issue the Saho tend to call for a meeting or conference which they call rahbe . In such a meeting the Saho people discuss how to solve issues related to water, pasture or land, clan disputes and how to alleviate these problems. This is also discussed with neighboring tribes or ethnic groups and sub-clans to reach a consensus. A skilled representative is chosen for this meeting, this representative
782-587: The chief tribe of the Asaimara was the Mudaito in the south, to which the sultan of Aussa belonged to. The Modaitos who occupied the region of the lower Awash, were the most powerful tribe, and no European traversed their territory without claiming the right of hospitality or the brotherhood of blood. Some Afars helped the Europeans by providing, for a fee, the security of Western caravans that circulated between
816-773: The early 1990s. In Djibouti, a similar movement simmered throughout the 1980s, eventually culminating in the Afar Insurgency in 1991. After the fall of the Derg that same year, Sultan Hanfadhe returned from exile. In March 1993, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Front (ARDUF) was established. It constituted a coalition of three Afar organizations: the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Union (ARDUU), founded in 1991 and led by Mohamooda Gaas (or Gaaz);
850-633: The eighteenth century by the Mudaito dynasty of Afar who later established the Sultanate of Aussa . The primary symbol of the Sultan was a silver baton , which was considered to have magical properties. The Afar are divided into two subgroups, the Asaimara ("Red Men") and the Adoimara ("White Men"). The Asaimara were regraded as the nobility, whereas the Adoimara were seen as inferior stock. These groups are further subdivided into upwards of 150 sub-tribes,
884-627: The ethnolinguistic groups who speak Cushitic languages natively. Today, the Cushitic languages are spoken as a mother tongue primarily in the Horn of Africa , with minorities speaking Cushitic languages to the north and south in Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, and Tanzania. Donald N. Levine held that Proto-Cushitic was spoken on the Ethiopian Highlands by 5000–4000 BC. Roger Blench hypothesizes that speakers of Cushitic languages may have been
918-462: The face of various historical and contemporary challenges. The earliest surviving written mention of the Afar is from the 13th-century Andalusian writer Ibn Sa'id , who reports of a people called Dankal , inhabiting an area which extended from the port of Suakin , to as far south as Mandeb , near Zeila . The Afar are consistently mentioned in Ethiopian records. They are first mentioned in
952-536: The population of Sahos in Eritrea was about 206,000 in 2016. The Saho represent about 4% of the population of Eritrea as of 2021. A 2012 estimate placed the Saho-speaking population of Ethiopia at 37,000. According to Ethnologue , there are approximately 220,000 total Saho speakers as of 2015. Most are concentrated in Eritrea with the remainder inhabiting Ethiopia. Within Eritrea, the Saho primarily reside in
986-416: The primordial quality of tribal and ethnic identity. Most Saho are pastoralists that also engage in some agriculture but a few groups are settled farmers. The total population of the Saho is unclear due to conflicting figures. However, most Saho reside in Eritrea. According to a 2015 estimate, the total population ranges anywhere from 250,000 to 650,000. According to Saho advocacy groups, they estimated that
1020-705: The producers of "Leiterband" pottery, which influenced the pottery of the Khartoum Neolithic. Erik Becker, in a 2011 investigation of human remains from Leiterband sites in the Wadi Howar, finds the hypothetical connection of Leiterband pottery to speakers of a Cushitic language improbable. The nomadic Medjay and the Blemmyes —the latter possibly a subgroup of the former—are believed by many historians to be ancestors of modern-day speakers of Beja ; there appears to be linguistic continuity, suggesting that
1054-399: The royal chronicles of Emperor Amda Seyon in a campaign beyond the Awash River . The Afar country was originally known in Ethiopian records as "Adal", a word that was used to denote the area of the lower Awash River to the country north of Lake Abbe , which G.W.B Huntingford describes as a "Danakil state in heavily forested region with permeant water and swamps". The chronicler describes
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1088-717: The royal chronicles of Emperor Baeda Maryam . According to his chronicler the ruler of the Danakil offered to intervene and help in the Emperor's campaign against their neighbors, the Dobe'a . He sent the Emperor a horse, a mule laden with dates, a shield, and two spears to show his support, along with a message saying, "I have set up my camp, O my master, with the intention of stopping these people. If they are your enemies, I will not let them pass, and will seize them." According to sixteenth century Portuguese explorer Francisco Álvares ,
1122-543: The southern coast of the Red Sea and central Ethiopia. The Afars were also heavily active in the Red Sea slave trade , serving as guides to Arab slave traders. A major slave route to Arabia crossed through Afar country, with Afars reportedly still actively trading in slaves as recently as 1928. The Afars were consistently viewed as violent and bloodthirsty, and generally had a bad reputation for massacring caravans and expeditions. As Italian explorer L. M. Nesbitt describes: "The Danakils kill any stranger on sight. The taking of
1156-427: The total population), of whom 105,551 are urban inhabitants, according to the most recent census (2007). The Afar make up over a third of the population of Djibouti, and are one of the nine recognized ethnic divisions ( kililoch ) of Ethiopia. Afars speak the Afar language as a mother tongue . It is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. The Afar language is spoken by ethnic Afars in
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