Gamo people

The Gamo people are an Ethiopian ethnic group located in the Gamo Highlands of Southern Ethiopia. They are found in more than 40 communities, including Chencha, Bonke, Kucha, Garbansa, Zargula, Kamba, Dorze, Birbir, Ochello, Boroda, Ganta, Gacho Baba, Eligo, Shella, Kolle, Dita, Kogo and Daramalo.[1]

Gamo People
Gamo
Languages
Gamo
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox, Traditional African religion, Protestantism
Related ethnic groups
Dorze people

History

The name "Gamo" means lion,[2] which refers to the group's legacy as one of the Omotic peoples. Along with the Gofa people, they gave their names to the former Gamo-Gofa province of Ethiopia. Gofa broke away from the Gamo-Gofa zone in 2019.

Language
Main article: Gamo-Gofa-Dawro language

Initially, the Gamo language was thought to be a fruit by foreigners, mainly due to the fact that the Gamo people are known for some of their fruits. However, the Ethiopian government eventually officially recognized the language in 2000 to be taught in schools.[3]

Population

The 2007 Ethiopian national census reported that 1,104,360 people (or 1.56% of the Ethiopian population) identified themselves as Gamo, of whom 139,308 were urban inhabitants and 965,052 rural.[4] However it is widely believed that the population of Gamo is considerably higher.[5]

The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is home to the vast majority of the Gamo people.[4]

Economy

The Gamo contributed fruit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, including, but not limited to, bananas, mangos, apples, and papayas. Additionally, the people of Gamo have developed the ability to conserve crop genetic resources while also practising effective farming strategies. This has led them to grow over 65 varieties of barley, over 12 varieties of wheat, over 100 varieties of enset, as well as dozens of varieties of cassava, taro, and yam.[6] Many Gamo people are weavers that make cultural clothes such as kuta, gabi, buloko, and dunguza.

Religion and history

Originally, their belief system was rooted in traditional African religions, closely tied to nature.[7] Today most are members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church or Protestantism P'ent'ay[8] The missionary activities of the Christians has brought disturbances and tensions in the traditional society, threatening the old way of life and the ecological balance.[9]

The Gamo and their strict social hierarchy offer an example of how a caste system manifests itself in material culture. Artisans, such as groundstone makers and potters, rely primarily on craft production for their livelihood. In most parts of the world, traditional crafts are becoming less of an option, since mechanized mills, metals, and plastics are becoming more common.[10]

References
  1. Rave, Thomas (2006). Proceedings of the XVth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Hamburg, July 20-25, 2003. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 9783447047999.
  2. "Gamo in Ethiopia". joshuaproject.net. Joshua Project. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  3. Woldemariam, Hirut (2017). "Language Planning Challenged by Identity Contestation in a Multilingual Setting: The Case of Gamo" (pdf). Semantic Scholar. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  4. "Census 2007, Country Level" Archived November 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Table 3.1
  5. "Socioeconomic and environmental determinants of under-five mortality in Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia: a matched case-control study".
  6. Zulch, Alan. "A Thousand Suns: The View From Ethiopia's Gamo Highlands". Our World.
  7. "Gamo Highlands – Ethiopia".
  8. "Gamo in Ethiopia".
  9. "A Thousand Suns: The View from Ethiopia's Gamo Highlands - Our World".
  10. "(PDF) Culinary Crafts and Foods in Southwestern Ethiopia: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Gamo Groundstones and Pottery". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-09-09.

Further reading


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