Argobba people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (140,134 (2007 census)[1]) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ethiopia | |
| Languages | |
| Argobba language, Oromo, Amharic language, Arabic, and Saho-Afar | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Amhara, Gurage, Oromo, Somali, Tigray, Tigre and other Ethiosemitic and Cushitic peoples. |
The Argobba are an ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia. A Muslim community, they are spread out through isolated village networks and towns in the northeastern and eastern parts of the country. Group members have typically been astute traders and merchants, and have adjusted to the economic trends in their area. These factors have led to a decline in usage of the Argobba language.[2][3]
Contents
Etymology
Argobba is derived from Arab geba, which means Arabs have entered.[4]
Distribution
Argobba communities can be found in the Afar, Amhara, and Oromia Regions, in and along the Great Rift Valley. They include Yimlawo, Gusa, Shonke, Berehet, Khayr Amba, Melka Jilo, Aliyu Amba, Metehara, Shewa Robit, and the surrounding rural villages.[5]
Language
The Argobba traditionally speak the Argobba language, an Afro-Asiatic tongue of the Semitic branch. In some places, Argobba has homogenized with Amharic. In other areas, the people have shifted to neighboring languages for economic reasons. At this time there are only a few areas left where the Argobba are not at least bilingual in Amharic, Oromiffa or Afar. All of these languages have a literature that can be used to serve the Argobba, even though their current literacy rate in any language is low; the Argobba reportedly do not like to send their children to school because they will be influenced by the non-Moslem world. This is the same reason that the Argobba do not go to court.[3]
See also
- Argobba special woreda in the Afar Regon
- Argobba special woreda in the Amhara Regon
- Argoba Nationality Democratic Organization
References
- ↑ "Census 2007", first draft, Table 5.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Leyew, Zelealem and Ralph Siebert. (2001) "Sociolinguistic survey report of the Argobba language of Ethiopia", SIL International (accessed 25 May 2009)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "Argobba: A language of Ethiopia", Ethnologue website (accessed 25 May 2009)
External links
- Aklilu Asfaw, "A short History of the Argobba", Annales d'Éthiopie, 16 (2000), pp. 173–183.
Further reading
- Abebe Kifleyesus, Tradition and Transformation: The Argobba of Ethiopia. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006. ISBN 978-3-447-05341-9
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Multi-ethnic civic nationalism
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