THE ABYSSINIANS

Evening Star, Issue 22252, 1 February 1936, Page 2

THE ABYSSINIANS

VARIOUS PEOPLES AND SEVENTY LANGUAGES Who, then, are the people who inhabit a country so diverse, a country of mountain and desert, of burning sun and soft upland mists? They have been estimated to number from four to thirteen millions, but probably eight mil lions would not be far from the mark. So diverse are they that they include some seventy languages and an unknown number of dialects.—Mr J. H. Driberg, in the Cambridge ‘ Review.’ i One of the most helpful and informative articles which have been written about Abyssinia appears in the Cambridge 1 Review.’ It is written by Mr J. H. Driberg, and after describing the country ho writes with evident knowledge of the Abyssinian people. He says:— The Amhara proper, those who speak Amharic, since Ge’oz ceased to bo a spoken language, inhabit the northern provinces of Amhara, Tigre, _ Gojam, and part of Shoa, and administer the southern provinces as governors. They are Somites (or, as some prefer to call them, semiticised Cushites) and, save for certain enclaves of alien stock, are Christians converted from Judaism about the middle of the fourth century. THE LINK WITH EGYPT. They profess a monophysite faith, and though, in fact, an independent communion, are linked to the Coptic Church of Egypt, by which the Archbishop or chief “ Abuna’’—always an Egyptian—is appointed. His headquarters used to be at Ankober, second only to the more ancient Aksum in sanctity, till they were transferred to Addis Ababa, “ the new flower,” after its foundation by Menelik. These four provinces have, with brief interruptions, provided the ruling dynasties of Ethiopia, and in consequence, during the Jong centuries of disunion which followed the Mohammedan invasion. there has been a considerable rivalry between them, a rivalry which has been unsuccessfully exploited _ in the past by Italy when John of Tigre was Emperor, and is not unnaturally being exploited to-day in an attempt to detach Tigre from Shoa. As between Tigre and Amhara the differences, other than linguistic, are slight, hut as a result of Galla influence and a greater degree of intermarriage with neighbouring peoples, the Sboans exhibit wider divergencies. Nevertheless, there is a sufficient homogeneity of culture and physical appearance, "and a unanimity of tradition, language, and civilisation, to justify us in. classifying the Amharic speakers as a single entity. It is extremely improbable that in the face of a common danger they will' allow their individual rivalries to stand in the way of co-operation under nn Emperor who follows so ably in the line of Menelik the unifier. THE BLACK JEWS. 'A curious people, numbering fewer than two hundred thousand, inhabit the rugged mountains of Semyen, North of Lake Tsana. Known as the Falasha, a term derived from “ falas,” “ stranger,” they are commonly referred to as “ black Jews,” though it is not certain that they are even of Semitic origin. Sturdily independent, they refused to accept Christianity when the Amhara were converted, and have ever since continued to jiractise the Jewish faith, while till 1800, when they were subjected to the ruler of Tigre, they had their own kings who claimed descent from David. South of Addis Ababa we find another obscure and isolated group, the Guragwe, who have fine features and are lighter in colour than their 'neighbours. They account for this by claiming descent from a colony of European slaves settled there centuries ago by the rulers of Egypt to work the copper mines, but there is little evidence in support of their claim, and they actually appear to have been emigrants from Tigre and still speak the Tigre dialect. They also live in extremely rugged mountains, where a living by agriculture is hard to come by, and poverty has driven them to Work at Addis Ababa as manual labourers and porters in the most menial capacities. The Karaites originally occupied the Eastern seaboard, where the Danakil, Aussa, and Ogaden Somali live to-day. But early in the sixteenth century the Somali of the Deserts and the Galla, then living exclusively in what are now the Borana and Bale provinces, surged into the mountains under the influence of Islamic zeal. Kara became the Mohammedan capital, and to-day as a result we find enclaves of Galla settled all over the country, forming separate tribes and adopting in some cases the language of their agricultural neighbours. MINERS, TRADERS, AND HAWKERS. Thus the Azebo, to the west of Sakota, speak Tigre; others speak the Shoan dialect; yet others continue to speak their own Galla. Their occupations are now as diverse; while some, particularly in the south, still pursue pastoral activities, others have adopted agriculture, the Walega work the gold mines of Nejo, the Jimma have become the traders and hawkers of middle Ethiopia. A few only have adopted Christianity; and while Islam has made many adherents, most. of the Galla tribes, despite attempts at forcible mass conversions ■ have held fast to their pagan beliefs. In marked contrast to the more adventurous Galla the other Hamites have proved strongly conservative, and appear to prefer their live stock and arid deserts to the agricultural attractions of the mountains. They are all, however, magnificent fighting men, and contribute materially to the strength of the Ethiopian armies, in addition to providing the finest cavalry in the country. SUFFERED MOST FROM SLAVERY. The Western frontiers are occupied by tile negro tribes, who are generically termed Shankalla by the Ethiopians. It is they who have suffered most severely from the incidence of slavery in the" past, and there is nothing to differentiate them from the tribes across the often linguistically and culturally their own kinsmen. These relatively backward pagans are naturally the least interested in the territorial integrity of Ethiopia, and their military contribution cannot be great It is remarkable, however, how readilv they have expressed their resentment at Dm Italian invasion. Even the giosy tribes, the survivors of the earliest inhabitants of , the country, who roam over the whole of South ern Ethiopia in small, isolated groups, living by the chase or on what berries and roots they can collect, or those who, no loss primitive, maintain a precarious existence on Lake Tsana and the Ahhai and on Lake Zwai, with their reed boats reminiscent 'of the Nile—even these have offered what services tlmv fan. md have mobilised their formidable “ Hyaena ” Society in defence of their ancient heritage. A