Amharas ( am, አማራ, Āmara; gez, ዐምሐራ, ʾÄməḥära) are a
Semitic-speaking
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
which is indigenous to
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, traditionally inhabiting parts of the northwest
Highlands of Ethiopia, particularly inhabiting the
Amhara Region
The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...
. According to the 2007 national census, Amharas numbered 19,867,817 individuals, comprising 26.9% of Ethiopia's population, and they are mostly
Oriental Orthodox Christian
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent ...
(members of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
).
They are also found within the Ethiopian expatriate community, particularly in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
They speak
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
, an
Afro-Asiatic
The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...
language of the
Semitic branch which serves as one of the five official languages of Ethiopia.
As of 2018, Amharic has over 32 million native speakers and 25 million second language speakers.
Various scholars have classified the Amharas and neighboring populations as
Abyssinians.
Origin
The earliest
extants of the Amhara as a people, dates to the early 12th century in the middle of the Zagwe Dynasty, when the Amhara were recorded of being in conflict in the ''land of Wargih'' against the Wärjih in 1128 AD.
A non-contemporary 13th or 14th century
hagiographical
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...
source from
Saint Tekle Haymanot traces
Amhara even further back to the mid 9th century AD as a location.
Ethnogenesis
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
is a South
Ethio-Semitic
Ethiopian Semitic (also Ethio-Semitic, Ethiosemitic, Ethiopic or Abyssinian) is a family of languages spoken in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan. They form the western branch of the South Semitic languages, itself a sub-branch of Semitic, part of the ...
language, along with
Gurage
The Gurage (, Gurage: ጉራጌ) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia.G. W. E. Huntingford, "William A. Shack: The Gurage: a people of the ensete culture" They inhabit the Gurage Zone, a fertile, semi-mountainous region in ce ...
,
Harari, and others.
Some time before the 1st century AD, the North and South branches of Ethio-Semitic diverged.
Due to the social stratification of the time, the
Cushitic
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa, with minorities speaking Cushitic languages to the north in Egypt and the Sudan, and to the south in Kenya and Tanzania. As o ...
Agaw
The Agaw or Agew ( gez, አገው ''Agäw'', modern ''Agew'') are a pan-ethnic identity native to the northern highlands of Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. They speak the Agaw languages, which belong to the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic la ...
adopted the South Ethio-Semitic language and eventually absorbed the Semitic population. Amharic thus developed with a Cushitic
substratum
In linguistics, a stratum (Latin for "layer") or strate is a language that influences or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum or substrate is a language that has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum or sup ...
and a Semitic
superstratum
In linguistics, a stratum (Latin for "layer") or strate is a language that influences or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum or substrate is a language that has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum or sup ...
. The proto-Amhara, or the northernmost South Ethio-Semitic speakers, remained in constant contact with their North Ethio-Semitic neighbors, evidenced by linguistic analysis and oral traditions. A 7th century southward shift of the center of gravity of the
Kingdom of Aksum
The Kingdom of Aksum ( gez, መንግሥተ አክሱም, ), also known as the Kingdom of Axum or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based primarily in wh ...
and the ensuing integration and Christianization of the proto-Amhara also resulted in a high prevalence of
Geʽez
Geez (; ' , and sometimes referred to in scholarly literature as Classical Ethiopic) is an ancient Ethiopian Semitic language. The language originates from what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Today, Geez is used as the main liturgi ...
sourced lexicon in Amharic. By about the 9th century AD, there was a linguistically distinct ethnic group called the Amhara in the area between the
Tekezé River
The Tekezé or Täkkäze River ( amh, ተከዜ, ti, ተከዘ; originally meaning "river" in Ge’ez, ), also spelled Takkaze, is a major river of Ethiopia. For part of its course it forms a section of the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Erit ...
and the valleys of the eastern tributaries of the
Blue Nile
The Blue Nile (; ) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water ...
.
Etymology
The present name for the Amharic language and its speakers comes from the medieval
province of Amhara. The latter enclave was located around
Lake Tana
Lake Tana ( am, ጣና ሐይቅ, T’ana ḥāyik’i; previously Tsana) is the largest lake in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile. Located in Amhara Region in the north-western Ethiopian Highlands, the lake is approximately long and wid ...
at the headwaters of the
Blue Nile
The Blue Nile (; ) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water ...
, and included a slightly larger area than Ethiopia's present-day
Amhara Region
The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...
.
The further derivation of the name is debated. Popular etymology traces it to ''amari'' ("pleasing; beautiful; gracious") or ''mehare'' ("gracious"). Another popular etymology claims that it derives from
Ge'ez (''ʿam'', "people") and (''ḥara'', "free" or "soldier") although this has been dismissed by
Donald Levine
Don Levine (April 1, 1928 – May 22, 2014) was a business executive at toy manufacturers Hasbro credited as the "father" of G.I. Joe action figures.[Himyarite
The Himyarite Kingdom ( ar, مملكة حِمْيَر, Mamlakat Ḥimyar, he, ממלכת חִמְיָר), or Himyar ( ar, حِمْيَر, ''Ḥimyar'', / 𐩹𐩧𐩺𐩵𐩬) ( fl. 110 BCE–520s CE), historically referred to as the Homerit ...]
s of
ancient Yemen
The ancient history of Yemen (South Arabia) is especially important because Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable popu ...
.
History
![Menelik, king of Shewa 1877](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Menelik%2C_king_of_Shewa_1877.png)
The province of "Amhara" was historically located in the modern province of
Wollo
Wollo (Amharic: ወሎ) was a historical province of northern Ethiopia that overlayed part of the present day Amhara, Afar, and Tigray regions. During the Middle Ages this region was known as Bete Amhara and had Amhara kings. Bete Amhara had ...
(
Bete Amhara
Bete Amhara (Amharic: ቤተ አማራ, Ge'ez: ቤተ ዐምሐራ, translation: "House of Amhara") is a historical region that is located in north central Ethiopia. It covered most of Ethiopia's Wollo Province, along with significant parts of n ...
), in the feudal era, the region which is now known as Amhara was composed of several provinces which had little or no autonomy, these provinces included
Begemder
Begemder ( amh, በጌምድር; also known as Gondar or Gonder, alternative name borrowed from its 20th century capital Gondar) was a province in northwest Ethiopia.
Etymology
A plausible source for the name ''Bega'' is that the word means " ...
,
Dembiya
Dembiya (Amharic: ደምቢያ ''Dembīyā''; also transliterated Dembea, Dambya, Dembya, Dambiya, etc.) is a historic region of Ethiopia, intimately linked with Lake Tana. According to the account of Manuel de Almeida, Dembiya was "bounded on Eas ...
,
Gojjam
Gojjam ( ''gōjjām'', originally ጐዛም ''gʷazzam'', later ጐዣም ''gʷažžām'', ጎዣም ''gōžžām'') is a historical province in northwestern Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos.
Gojjam's earliest western boundary ex ...
, Wollo,
Lasta
Lasta (Amharic: ላስታ ''lāstā'') is a historic district in northern Ethiopia. It is the district in which Lalibela is situated, the former capital of Ethiopia during the Zagwe dynasty and home to 11 medieval rock-hewn churches. Its original ...
,
Shewa
Shewa ( am, ሸዋ; , om, Shawaa), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa (''Scioà'' in Italian language, Italian), is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous monarchy, kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The ...
,
Semien,
Angot
Angot (Amharic language, Amharic: አንጎት, translated as "Neck," possibly referring to the provinces geography) was a historical Provinces of Ethiopia, province in northern Ethiopia. It was bordered on the west by Bugna and the Afar lowlands t ...
, and
Fatagar
A medieval map of Fatagar and surrounding areas
Fatagar (Amharic: ፈጠጋር) was a historical province that separated Muslim and Christian dominions in the medieval Horn of Africa. In the eleventh century it was part of the Muslim states, then ...
.
Evidence of a traceable Christian Axumite presence in Amhara dates back to at least the 9th century CE, when the
Istifanos monastery
Istifanos Monastery (or St Stephen Monastery) is a monastery in Ethiopia, located in Lake Hayq
Lake Hayq ( Amharic: ሐይቅ ሐይቅ, ) is a freshwater lake of Ethiopia. It is located north of Dessie, in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Re ...
was erected on
Lake Hayq
Lake Hayq ( Amharic: ሐይቅ ሐይቅ, ) is a freshwater lake of Ethiopia. It is located north of Dessie, in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region. The town of Hayq is to the west of the lake.
Lake Hayq is 6.7 km long and 6 km w ...
. Several other sites and monuments indicate the presence of similar Axumite influences in the area, such as the Geta Lion statues, which are located 10 km south of
Kombolcha
Kombolcha () is a town and district in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation between 1842 and 1915 meters above sea level. Some guide books describe Ko ...
, and they are believed to date back to the 3rd century CE, or they may even date back to pre-Axumite times.
In 1998, ancient pieces of pottery were found around tombs in Atatiya in Southern Wollo, in
Habru
Habru ( Amharic: ሀብሩ) is a woreda in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone, Habru is bordered on the south by the Mille River which separates it from the Debub Wollo Zone, on the west by Guba Lafto, on the north by t ...
which is located to the south-east of
Hayq, as well as to the north-east of Ancharo (Chiqa Beret). The decorations and symbols which are inscribed on the pottery substantiate the expansion of Aksumite civilization to the south of Angot.
According to
Karl Butzer
Karl W. Butzer (August 19, 1934 – May 4, 2016) was a German-born American geographer, ecologist, and archaeologist. He received two degrees at McGill University, Montreal: the B.Sc. (hons) in Mathematics in 1954 and later his master's degree in ...
"By 800, Axum had almost ceased to exist, and its demographic resources were barely adequate to stop the once tributary pastoralists of the border marches from pillaging the defenseless countryside." With some of the common people the Axumite elite abandoned Axum in favor of central Ethiopia.
Christian families gradually migrated southward into Amhara and northern Shewa. Population movement from the old provinces in the north into more fertile areas in the south seems to have been connected to the southward shift of the kingdom.
The Amhara people are considered heirs of the
Aksumsite Empire. They have preserved the oral and written cultural and religious traditions of the
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...
.
The Amhara nobles supported the
Zagwe dynasty
The Zagwe dynasty ( Ge'ez: ዛጔ ሥርወ መንግሥት) was an Agaw medieval dynasty that ruled the northern parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea, after the historical name of the Lasta province. Centered at Lalibela, it ruled large parts of the t ...
prince
Lalibela
Lalibela ( am, ላሊበላ) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large and important site ...
in his power struggle against his brothers which led him to make Amharic ''Lessana Negus'' as well as fill the Amhara nobles in the top positions of his Kingdom.
Solomonic Dynasty
Yekuno Amlak
Yekuno Amlak ( Ge’ez: ይኩኖ አምላክ); throne name Tasfa Iyasus (ተስፋ ኢየሱስ; died 19 June 1285) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and the founder of the Solomonic dynasty, which lasted until 1974. He was a ruler from Bete Amhara (in ...
, a prince from
Bete Amhara (lit: House of Amhara) claimed descent from
Solomon
Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
, and established the Solomonic Dynasty in 1270 AD. Yekuno's rule was legitimatized by the Ethiopian Church, after he defeated the last ruler of the Zagwe dynasty at the
Battle of Ansata
The Battle of Ansata was fought in the year 1270 AD between the forces of Yekuno Amlak, future emperor of Ethiopia, and Yetbarak of the Zagwe dynasty. The forces of Yekuno Amlak had received assistance from the Gafat whose commander was an unnam ...
. The
Solomonic dynasty
The Solomonic dynasty, also known as the House of Solomon, was the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire formed in the thirteenth century. Its members claim lineal descent from the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Tradition asserts ...
governed the Ethiopian Empire for many centuries from 1270 AD onwards up until the deposing of
Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
in 1974. The Amhara continuously ruled and formed the political core of the Ethiopian Empire, expanding its borders, its wealth and its international prestige, establishing several medieval royal sites and capitals such as
Tegulet,
Debre Berhan
Debre Birhan () is a city in central Ethiopia. Located in the Semien Shewa Zone of Amhara Region, about 120 kilometers north east of Addis Ababa on Ethiopian highway 2, the town has an elevation of 2,840 meters, which makes it the highest to ...
, Barara (located on
Mount Entoto
Mount Entoto ( am, እንጦጦ) is the highest peak on the Entoto Mountains, which overlooks the city of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. It reaches 3,200 meters above sea level.
Overview
It is a historical place where Emperor Menelik II r ...
, in modern-day
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
),
Gonder
Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on th ...
, and
Magdala
Magdala (Aramaic: מגדלא, ''Magdala'', meaning "tower"; Hebrew: , ''Migdal''; ar, المجدل, ''al-Majdal'') was an ancient Jewish city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, north of Tiberias. In the Babylonian Talmud it is known as Magda ...
.
The Amhara gained political dominance in the
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
through
Amda Seyon
Amda Seyon I ( gez, ዐምደ ፡ ጽዮን , am, አምደ ፅዮን , "Pillar of Zion"), throne name Gebre Mesqel (ገብረ መስቀል ) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1314 to 1344 and a member of the Solomonic dynasty.
He is best known i ...
's conquests of Muslim borderlands, which greatly expanded Ethiopian territory and power in the region that would be maintained for centuries after his death. Amda Seyon asserted the strength of the new Solomonic dynasty and therefore legitimized it. These expansions further provided for the spread of Christianity to frontier areas, sparking a long era of
Christianization
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
, Amharaization, and integration of previously Islamic areas.
[Joanna Mantel-Niećko and Denis Nosnitsin, "cAmdä Ṣəyon I" in Siegbert Uhlig, ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C'' (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003), p. 228.]
![Cristofano dell’Altissimo, Portrait of Lebnä-Dengel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Cristofano_dell%E2%80%99Altissimo%2C_Portrait_of_Lebn%C3%A4-Dengel._c._1552-1568.jpg)
Beginning in the reign of
Wedem Arad
Wedem Arad ( gez, ወደም አራድ; died 1314) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1299 to 1314 and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the brother of Yagbe'u Seyon, and seized power from his nephews.
Reign
Only one military action is recorded ...
, and increasing during the early 15th century, the Emperors sought to make diplomatic contact with European kingdoms for the first time since the Aksumite period. A letter from King
Henry IV of England
Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...
to the Emperor of Abyssinia survives. In 1428, Emperor
Yeshaq sent two emissaries to
Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfonso V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfonso I) from 1442 until his death. He was involved with struggles to the t ...
, who sent return emissaries who failed to complete the return trip.
The first continuous relationship with a European country began in 1508 with Portugal under Emperor
Lebna Dengel, who had just inherited the throne from his father. This proved to be an important development, for when the Empire was subjected to the attacks of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
aligned
Adal Sultanate
The Adal Sultanate, or the Adal Empire or the ʿAdal or the Bar Saʿad dīn (alt. spelling ''Adel Sultanate, ''Adal ''Sultanate'') () was a medieval Sunni Muslim Empire which was located in the Horn of Africa. It was founded by Sabr ad-Din ...
, Portugal assisted the Ethiopian emperor in the
Ethiopian–Adal War
The Ethiopian–Adal War or Abyssinian-Adal War, also known in Arabic as the "Futuḥ al-Ḥabash" ( ar, فتوح الحبش, ''conquest of Abyssinia''), was a military conflict between the Christian Ethiopian Empire and the Muslim Adal Sultana ...
by sending weapons and 400 men, who helped his son
Gelawdewos
Galawdewos ( gez, ገላውዴዎስ, 1521/1522 – 23 March 1559) also known as Mar Gelawdewos ( amh, ማር ገላውዴዎስ), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 3 September 1540 until his death in 1559, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His ...
defeat Ahmad and re-establish his rule.
![Téwodros II - 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/T%C3%A9wodros_II_-_2.jpg)
The Amhara contributed numerous rulers over the centuries, including
Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
,
[Kjetil Tronvoll, ''Ethiopia, a new start?'', (Minority Rights Group: 2000)] whose father was both paternally and maternally Amhara of Solomonic descent.
[Peter Woodward, ''Conflict and peace in the Horn of Africa: federalism and its alternatives'', (Dartmouth Pub. Co.: 1994), p. 29.]
Social stratification
Within traditional Amharic society and that of other local
Afro-Asiatic
The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...
-speaking populations, there were four basic strata. According to the Donald Levine, these consisted of high-ranking clans, low-ranking clans, caste groups (artisans), and slaves.
Slaves were at the bottom of the hierarchy, and were primarily drawn from the pagan
Nilotic
The Nilotic peoples are people indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Among these are the Burun-sp ...
Shanqella
Shanqella (Amharic: ሻንቅላ ''šanqəlla'' sometimes spelled Shankella, Shangella, Shánkala, Shankalla or Shangalla) is an exonym for a number of ethnic groups that today reside primarily in the westernmost part of Ethiopia near South Sudan ( ...
and
Oromo peoples.
Also known as the ''barya'' (meaning "slave" in Amharic), they were captured during slave raids in Ethiopia's southern hinterland. War captives were another source of slaves, but the perception, treatment and duties of these prisoners was markedly different. According to Levine, the widespread slavery in Greater Ethiopia formally ended in the 1930s, but former slaves, their offspring, and de facto slaves continued to hold similar positions in the social hierarchy.
The separate
Amhara caste system of people ranked higher than slaves was based on the following concepts: (1) endogamy, (2) hierarchical status, (3) restraints on commensality, (4) pollution concepts, (5) traditional occupation, and (6) inherited caste membership.
Scholars accept that there has been a rigid, endogamous and occupationally closed social stratification among the Amharas and other Afro-Asiatic-speaking Ethiopian ethnic groups. Some label it as an economically closed, endogamous class system with occupational minorities, whereas others such as David Todd assert that this system can be unequivocally labelled as caste-based.
Language
The Amhara speak "''Amharic''"("''Amarigna''", "''Amarinya''") as their
mother tongue
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
. Its native speakers account for 29.3% of the Ethiopian population. It belongs to the
Semitic branch of the
Afro-Asiatic
The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...
language family, and is the largest member of the
Ethiopian Semitic
Ethiopian Semitic (also Ethio-Semitic, Ethiosemitic, Ethiopic or Abyssinian) is a family of languages spoken in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan. They form the western branch of the South Semitic languages, itself a sub-branch of Semitic, part of ...
group.
As of 2018 it had more than 57 million speakers worldwide (32,345,260 native speakers plus 25,100,000 second language speakers),
making it the most commonly-spoken language in Ethiopia in terms of first- and second-language speakers, and the second most spoken Semitic language after
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
.
Most of the Ethiopian Jewish communities in Ethiopia and Israel speak Amharic.
Many followers of the
Rastafari
Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...
movement learn Amharic as a second language, as they consider it to be a sacred language.
Amharic is the working language of the federal authorities of the Ethiopian government, and one of the five official languages of Ethiopia. It was for some time also the sole language of primary school instruction, but has been replaced in many areas by regional languages such as
Oromo and
Tigrinya
(; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions.
History and literature
...
. Nevertheless, Amharic is still widely used as the working language of
Amhara Region
The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...
,
Benishangul-Gumuz Region
Benishangul-Gumuz ( am, ቤንሻንጉል ጉሙዝ, Benšangul Gumuz) is a regional state in northwestern Ethiopia to the border of Sudan. It was previously known as Region 6. The region's capital is Assosa. Following the adoption of the 1 ...
,
Gambela Region
The Gambela Region (also spelled Gambella; am, ጋምቤላ), officially the Gambela Peoples' Region, is a regional state in western Ethiopia, bordering South Sudan. Previously known as Region 12, its capital is Gambela. The Region is situated ...
and
. The Amharic language is transcribed using a script (''Fidal'') which is slightly modified from the Ethiopic or
Ge'ez script, an
abugida
An abugida (, from Ge'ez language, Ge'ez: ), sometimes known as alphasyllabary, neosyllabary or pseudo-alphabet, is a segmental Writing systems#Segmental writing system, writing system in which consonant-vowel sequences are written as units; ...
.
Religion
![Gondar Fasiladas Bath Timket](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Gondar_Fasiladas_Bath_Timket.jpg)
For centuries, the predominant
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
of the Amhara has been
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, with the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
playing a central role in the
culture of the country. According to the 2007 census, 82.5% of the population of the
Amhara Region
The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...
was Ethiopian Orthodox; 17.2% of it was
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
, 0.2% of it was
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
(see
P'ent'ay
P'ent'ay (from Ge'ez: ) is an originally Amharic–Tigrinya language term for Pentecostal and other Eastern-oriented Protestant Christians within Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora. Today, the term refers to all Ev ...
) and 0.5% of it was
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
(see
Beta Israel
The Beta Israel ( he, בֵּיתֶא יִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Bēteʾ Yīsrāʾēl''; gez, ቤተ እስራኤል, , modern ''Bēte 'Isrā'ēl'', EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "House of Israel" or "Community of Israel"), also known as Ethiopian Jews ...
).
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church maintains close links with the
Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي ...
. Easter and
Epiphany
Epiphany may refer to:
* Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight
Religion
* Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ
** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...
are the most important celebrations, marked with services, feasting and dancing. There are also many feast days throughout the year, when only vegetables or fish may be eaten.
Marriages are often
arranged
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestra ...
, with men marrying in their late teens or early twenties.
Traditionally, girls were married as young as 14, but in the 20th century, the minimum age was raised to 18, and this was enforced by the Imperial government. After a church wedding, divorce is frowned upon.
Each family hosts a separate wedding feast after the wedding.
Upon childbirth, a priest will visit the family to bless the infant. The mother and child remain in the house for 40 days after birth for physical and emotional strength. The infant will be taken to the church for
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
at 40 days (for boys) or 80 days (for girls).
Culture
Literature
Surviving Amharic literary works dates back to the 14th century, when songs and poems were composed. In the 17th century
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
became the first African language to be translated into
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
when Ethiopian priest and lexicographer
Abba Gorgoryos
Abba Gorgoryos ( Ge'ez: አባ ጎርጎርዮስ; 1595 – 1658) was an Ethiopian priest and lexicographer of noble origin. He is famous for co-authoring encyclopedias with his friend and companion Hiob Ludolf in two Ethiopian languages, Amhari ...
(1595–1658) in 1652 AD made a European voyage to
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Gorgoryos along with his colleague and friend
Hiob Ludolf
Hiob or Job Ludolf ( la, Iobus Ludolfus or '; 15 June 1624– 8 April 1704), also known as Job Leutholf, was a German orientalist, born at Erfurt. Edward Ullendorff rates Ludolf as having "the most illustrious name in Ethiopic scholarship".
L ...
co-authored the earliest grammar book of the Amharic language, an Amharic-Latin dictionary, as well as contributing to Ludolf's book "A History of Ethiopia".
Modern literature in Amharic however, started two centuries later than in Europe, with the Amharic fiction
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
''Ləbb Wälläd Tarik'', published in Rome in 1908, and widely considered the first novel in Amharic, by
Afäwarq Gäbrä Iyäsus. Since then countless literature in Amharic has been published and many modern-day writers in Amharic translate their work into English for commercial reasons.
File:Aba Gorgorios, 1681.jpg, Abba Gorgoryos
Abba Gorgoryos ( Ge'ez: አባ ጎርጎርዮስ; 1595 – 1658) was an Ethiopian priest and lexicographer of noble origin. He is famous for co-authoring encyclopedias with his friend and companion Hiob Ludolf in two Ethiopian languages, Amhari ...
File:Afevork Ghevre Jesus.jpeg, Afäwarq Gäbrä Iyäsus
File:Heruy-Wolde-Selassie-1459998290.jpg, Heruy Wolde Selassie
''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Mekwanint, Blatten Geta'' Heruy Welde Sellase (Ge'ez: ብላቴን ጌታ ኅሩይ ወልደ ሥላሴ ''Blatten-Geta Həruy Wäldä-səllase''; 8 May 1878 – 19 September 1938) was a Ministry of F ...
File:Dr Kebede Mikael.jpg, Kebede Michael
Kebede Mikael ( am, ከበደ ሚካኤል; 2 November 1916 – 12 November 1998) was an Ethiopian-born author of both fiction and non-fiction literature. He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and versatile intellectuals of modern Ethi ...
File:Getatchew Haile.JPG, Getatchew Haile
Getatchew Haile (; April 19, 1931 – June 10, 2021) was an Ethiopian-American philologist widely considered the foremost scholar of the Ge'ez language and one of its most prolific (he published more than 150 books and articles). He was acknowled ...
File:Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin 2.jpg, Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin
Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin ( am, ጸጋዬ ገብረ መድኅን; 17 August 1936 – 25 February 2006) was an Ethiopian poet and novelist. His novels and poets evoke retrospective narratives, fanciful epics, and nationalistic cannonations. Tsegay is co ...
File:Asfa-Wossen Asserate - 4718.jpg, Asfa-Wossen Asserate
''Le'ul Ras'' (Prince) Dr Asfa-Wossen Asserate (Amharic: አስፋ ወሰን ዓሥራተ; born 31 October 1948, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) is an Ethiopian-German political analyst and consultant for African and Middle-Eastern Affairs and best-se ...
Music
Up until the mid 20th century, Amharic music consisted mainly of religious and secular folk songs and dances.
[Shelemay, pp. 355–356]
''
Qañat'' Amhara secular folk music developed in the countryside through the use of traditionel instruments such as the ''
:masenqo'', a one-string
bowed :lute; the ''
:krar'', a six-string
:lyre; and the ''
washint
Washint (Amharic: ዋሽንት) is an end-blown wooden flute originally used in Ethiopia. Traditionally, Amharic musicians would pass on their oral history through song accompanied by the ''washint'' as well as the krar, a six stringed lyre, and ...
'' flute played by the local village musicians called the
Azmari
An Azmari (Amharic: አዝማሪ) is an entertainer who sings and plays traditional string instruments of the Ethiopian Highlands. Its comparable to medieval European minstrels or bard or West African griots.
''Azmari'', who may be either male ...
s, and the peasantry dancing the ''
Eskista
Eskista (Amharic: እስክስታ) is a traditional Ethiopian cultural dance from the Amhara people, Amhara ethnic group performed by Men, men, Woman, women, and Children, children. It's known for its unique emphasis on intense shoulder movement ...
''; the most well known Amharan folk dance.
The ''
:begena'', a large ten-string lyre; is an important instrument solely devoted to the spiritual part of Amhara music. Other instruments includes the ''Meleket'' wind instrument, and the ''
Kebero
A Kebero () is a double-headed, conical hand drum used in the traditional music of Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia. A piece of animal hide is stretched over each end of the instrument, thus forming a membranophone. A large version of the kebero is al ...
'' and ''Negarit'' drums.
From the 1950s onward foreign influence i.e. foreign educated
Ethiopians
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
and the availability of larger quantities of new instruments led to new genre's of Amharic music and ushered in the 1960s and 1970s
Golden Age of Ethiopian music. The popular Ethio-Jazz genre pioneered by
Mulatu Astatke
Mulatu Astatke (; French pronunciation: Astatqé; born 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician and arranger considered as the father of "Ethio-jazz".
Born in Jimma, Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston where he ...
was created from the ''
Tizita
Tizita/Tezeta/tazata ( am, ትዝታ; en, memory, "nostalgia" or "longing") is one of the Pentatonic scales or Qañat of the Amhara ethnic group.
Etymology and origin
The term ''tizita'' is distinctly Amharic, there's no Geez equivalent, c ...
'' qañat of the Amhara combined with the use of Western instruments. Saxophone legend
Getatchew Mekurya
Getatchew Mekurya (Amharic: ጌታቸው መኩሪያ ወልደ ተክሌ; 14 March 1935 – 4 April 2016) was an Ethiopian jazz saxophonist.
Early career
Mekurya was born on 14 March 1935, in Yifat, Ethiopia. His father was a honey merchant. ...
instrumentalized the Amhara war cry ''Shellela'' into an genre in the 1950s before joining the Ethio-Jazz scene later in his career. Other Amharic artists from the ''Golden age'' such as
Asnaketch Worku
Asnaketch Worku () (born 1935 – 14 September 2011) was an Ethiopian singer who sang in the Amharic language and a ''krar'' instrumentalist, the instrument which symbolized her fame during the 1960s and 1970's. Asnaketch also had a long disti ...
, Bahru Kegne, Kassa Tessema and Mary Armede were renowned for their mastery of traditionel instruments.
The political turmoil during the
Derg
The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...
regime (1974-1991) led to censorship of music; night life came to a standstill through government imposed curfews and the curbing of musical performances. Notable Ethiopian musicians were jailed including those of Amhara descent such as Ayalew Mesfin and
Telela Kebede
Telela Kebede ( am, ቴሌላ ከበደ; born 1938) is a retired Ethiopian singer who gained popularity during Ethiopia's 1960s and 1970s ‘‘''Golden Era''’’ of music.
Early life
Born in 1938 in Kenya to Ethiopian ( Amhara ethnic) pa ...
. A revival of ''
Qene
() is a genre of improvised oral poetry from Ethiopia. The genre originates in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which historically provided traditional religious education, including the composition of qene. Its origins are supposed to d ...
''; Amharic
poetic
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in a ...
songs which uses
double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
known as ''sam-enna warq'' (''wax and gold'') was used for subversive dialogue and resistance to state censorship. Thousands of Ethiopians including musicians migrated during this period to form communities in different countries.
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
songs of resistance against the autocratic
EPRDF
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF; am, የኢትዮጵያ ሕዝቦች አብዮታዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ግንባር, translit=Ye’Ītiyop’iya Ḥizibochi Ābiyotawī Dīmokirasīyawī Ginibari) was an eth ...
regime led by the
TPLF
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF; ti, ህዝባዊ ወያነ ሓርነት ትግራይ, lit=Popular Struggle for the Freedom of Tigray), also called the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, is a left-wing ethnic nationalist paramilitar ...
(1991-2018) continued; with prevailing themes being rampant corruption, economic favoritism, excessive emphasis on ethnic identity and its ability to undermine national unity. Amharic musicians; such as Getish Mamo, Nhatty Man,
Teddy Afro
Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to:
People Nickname
* Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator
* Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer
* Teddy ...
and others turned to the old tradition of ''sam-enna warq'' and used layered expression to evade skirt stringent censorship and oppresive laws (such as the anti-terror law) while reminding the people of their similarities and the importance of maintaining solidarity.
On June 2022
Teddy Afro
Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to:
People Nickname
* Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator
* Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer
* Teddy ...
bashed
Abiy Ahmed
Abiy Ahmed Ali ( om, Abiyi Ahmed Alii; am, አብይ አሕመድ ዐሊ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who has been the 4th prime minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia since 2 April 2018. He won the 2019 ...
and his regime in a critical new song (Na'et), following the
Gimbi massacre
On 18 June 2022, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) was accused of massacring over 500 Amhara civilians in the Gimbi county of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Witnesses said that the OLA intentionally targeted ethnic Amhara people. This attack is part of ...
. In his song he tries to vent the suppressed public anger and indignation, the swelling public resentment to the chaos in the country.
File:Getatchew Mekuria (cropped).jpg, Getatchew Mekurya
Getatchew Mekurya (Amharic: ጌታቸው መኩሪያ ወልደ ተክሌ; 14 March 1935 – 4 April 2016) was an Ethiopian jazz saxophonist.
Early career
Mekurya was born on 14 March 1935, in Yifat, Ethiopia. His father was a honey merchant. ...
(1935-2016)
File:Tilahun.jpg, Tilahun Gessesse
Tilahun Gessesse ( am, ጥላሁን ገሠሠ; 27 September 1940 – 19 April 2009) was an Ethiopian singer regarded as one of the most popular Ethiopian artist of the 20th century. Noted by his tenor voice, he was nicknamed "The Voice" during hi ...
(1940-2009)
File:Eurock2010-34 (cropped).jpg, Alemayehu Eshete
Alemayehu Eshete Andarge ( am, ዓለማየሁ እሸቴ አንዳርጌ; French pronunciation: Alèmayèhu Eshèté; June 1941 – 2 September 2021) was an Ethiopian singer. He had performed since the 1960s and primarily in Amharic. He had been ...
(1941–2021)
File:Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics, Barbican.jpg, Mulatu Astatke
Mulatu Astatke (; French pronunciation: Astatqé; born 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician and arranger considered as the father of "Ethio-jazz".
Born in Jimma, Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston where he ...
(1943–present)
File:Alemu Aga playing Begenna.jpg, Alemu Aga
Alemu Aga ( am, ዓለሙ አጋ; born 1950) is an Ethiopian musician, singer, and master of the Begena.
Life
Born in Entotto, near Addis Ababa, Alemu became interested in the Begena (a ten-stringed member of the lyre family, also known as " ...
(1950–present)
File:Aster Aweke.jpeg, Aster Aweke
Aster Aweke ( am, አስቴር አወቀ; born 1959) is an Ethiopian singer who sings in Amharic. Aster's voice has attracted broader public popularity, especially tracing back in 1990s singles and her single "Abebayehosh" in Ethiopian New Year. ...
(1959–present)
File:Teddy Afro.jpg, Teddy Afro
Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to:
People Nickname
* Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator
* Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer
* Teddy ...
(1976–present)
File:Zeritu at the Gumma awards, February 23rd 2015.jpg, Zeritu Kebede
Zeritu Kebede (born 19 February 1984) is an Ethiopian singer, songwriter and actress. A prominent figure in modern Ethiopian music, her songs often incorporate rock and gospel music.
Early life
Zeritu Kebede was born in Addis Ababa on 19 Febr ...
(1984–present)
Art
![Flickr - don macauley - St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Flickr_-_don_macauley_-_St._George.jpg)
Amhara art is typified by religious paintings. One of the notable features of these is the large eyes of the subjects, who are usually biblical figures. It is usually oil on canvas or hide, some surviving from the Middle Ages. The Amhara art includes weaved products embellished with embroidery. Works in gold and silver exist in the form of filigree jewelry and religious emblems.
Kinship and marriage
The Amhara culture recognizes kinship, but unlike other ethnic groups in the Horn of Africa region, it has a relatively lesser role. Household relationships are primary, and the major economic, political and cultural functions are not based on kin relationships among the Amharas. Rather abilities of the individual matter. For example, states Donald Levine, the influence of clergy among the Amhara has been based on "ritual purity, doctrinal knowledge, ability to perform miracles and capacity to provide moral guidance".
The social relationships in the Amhara culture are predominantly based on hierarchical patterns and individualistic associations.
Family and kin relatives are often involved in arranging ''semanya'' (eighty bond marriage, also called ''kal kidan''), which has been most common and allows divorce. Other forms of marriage include ''qurban'', which is solemnized in church, where divorce is forbidden, and usually observed among the orthodox priests.
[Amhara people]
Encyclopædia Britannica (2015)[, Quote: "Temporary marriage (''damoz'') obliges the husband to pay housekeeper's wages for a period stated in advance. (...) The contract, although oral, was before witnesses and was therefore enforceable by court order. The wife had no right of inheritance, but if children were conceived during the contract period, they could make a claim for part of the father's property, should he die."] Patrilineal descent is the norm.
[ While the wife had no inheritance rights, in case a child was conceived during the temporary ''damoz'' marriage, the child could make a claim a part of the father's property.][
]
Cuisine
Amhara cuisine consists of various vegetable or spicy meat side dishes and entrées, usually a wat, or thick stew, served atop injera
Injera (, ; om, Biddeena; ) is a sour fermented pancake-like flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour. In Ethiopia, Eritrea, and some parts of Sudan, injera is the staple. Injera is central to the dining proc ...
, a large sourdough flatbread made of teff flour in the shape of pancakes usually of about 30 to 45 cm in diameter. When eating traditional injera dishes in groups, it's normally it eaten from a mesob (shared food basket), with each person breaking off pieces of injera flatbread using only the right hand, from the side nearest them and dipping it into stew in the center of the basket. There is also a great variety of vegetarian stews such as lentils, ground split peas, grains, accompanied by injera and/or bread.
Amharas adhering to any of the Abrahmic religions do not eat pork or shellfish of any kind for religious reasons. Amhara Orthodox Christians do not consume meat and dairy products (i.e. egg, butter, milk, and cheese) during specific fasting periods, and on every Wednesdays and Fridays except the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...
. On all other days meat and dairy products are allowed. A variety of vegan dishes are consumed during fasting periods.
Ethiopia is a Buna (coffee) exporter, but also has a very large domestic consumer base. During social gatherings Amharas drink Buna in a unique and traditional way known as a coffee ceremony
Coffee ceremony of Ethiopia and Eritrea is a core cultural custom in Ethiopia and Eritrea. There is a routine of serving coffee daily, mainly for the purpose of getting together with relatives, neighbors, or other visitors. If coffee is politely ...
. First the coffee is roasted, then ground and placed in a Jebena
Jebena ( Amharic: ጀበና, Arabic: جبنة) is a traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean coffee pot made of pottery. Locally known as ''jabana'', it is also widely used in Sudan, and the coffee itself is called ''buna''.
Overview
The jebena is m ...
(coffee pot) with boiling water. When ready it is then served to people in little cups, up to three times per ceremony.
The ceremony is typically performed by the woman of the household, or the female host and is considered an honor. Amhara women dress up for the occasion in a kemis, a traditional dress. Other locally produced beverages are tella
''Tella'' or ''talla'' (Amharic ጠላ; om, farsoo, ti, siwa) is a traditional beer from Ethiopia. It is brewed from various grains, typically teff and sorghum. Depending on region, barley, wheat, or maize may be used; spices can also be adde ...
(beer) and tej
Tej (from pronounced ; ; ) is a honey wine, like mead, that is brewed and consumed in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It has an alcohol content generally ranging from 7 to 11%. It is often home processed and consists of three main ingredients; honey, wa ...
(honey wine), which are served and drunk on major religious festivals, Saints Days
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
and weddings.
File:A formal serving of wat atop injera in Brussels, Belgium.jpg , Doro Wot
A stew dish served with beef, lamb, chicken, eggs and variety of vegetables, on top of Injera flatbread.
File:Pepper rolled raw meat.JPG , Gored gored
Gored gored (; ) is a raw beef dish eaten in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Whereas kitfo is minced beef marinated in spices and clarified butter, ''gored gored'' is cubed and left unmarinated. Like kitfo, it is widely popular and considered a national dis ...
A spicy raw beef dish seasoned with a variety of spices.
File:Addis-Abeba-Cuisine éthiopienne (8).jpg , Tibs Tibs or TIBS may refer to:
*Tibs, a form of Ethiopian cuisine
* SMRT Buses, a bus operator in Singapore formerly known as the Trans Island Bus Service
*Tibs the Great, British Post Office cat
*Trojan.Tibs, an alternate name of the Storm Worm
Th ...
Grilled beef with tomato, onions and green peper. There are several variations of Tibs dishes.
File:ShahanFul.jpg , ful
Beans with variety of vegetables, feta cheese and bread, flavored with Berbere
Berbere ( Oromo: ''Barbaree'', am, በርበሬ ''bärbäre'', ti, በርበረ ''bärbärä'') is a spice mixture whose constituent elements usually include chili peppers, coriander, garlic, ginger, Ethiopian holy basil (besobela) seeds, ''kora ...
spice and olive oil.
File:Lalibela-Ethiopie-Fasting food.jpg , Misir Wot
Misir Wot is a Lentil
The lentil (''Lens culinaris'' or ''Lens esculenta'') is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. As a food crop, the largest pro ...
stew, served with a variety of vegetables, there are several variations. This example is served potatoes, beets, apple, salad, paprika and rice atop of injera. A popular vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
dish.
File:ET Amhara asv2018-02 img077 Lake Tana at Bahir Dar.jpg , Tej
Tej (from pronounced ; ; ) is a honey wine, like mead, that is brewed and consumed in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It has an alcohol content generally ranging from 7 to 11%. It is often home processed and consists of three main ingredients; honey, wa ...
Honey Wine.
File:Buna (Ethiopian coffee).jpg , Buna
Amhara coffee culture & hospitality. Young woman in traditional wear serving coffee.
Nature of Amhara ethnicity
Mackonen Michael (2008) noted that the Amhara identity is claimed to be composed of multiple ethnicities by some, whereas others "reject this concept and argue that Amhara exists as a distinctive ethnic group with a specific located boundary". He further noted that "although people from the Ethiopian highland areas think of themselves as Amharas, the Northern Shoans specifically call themselves Amhara. That is why the Oromo and Tigrian discourse associate the Northern Shoans as oppressive‐Amharas."
According to Gideon P. E. Cohen, writing in 2000, there is some debate about "whether the Amhara can legitimately be regarded as an ethnic group, ..given their distribution throughout Ethiopia, and the incorporative capacity of the group that has led to the inclusion of individuals from a wide range of ethnic or linguistic backgrounds". Similarly, Tezera Tazebew notes that "the early 1990s was marked by debates, both popular and scholarly, on the (non-)existence of Amhara as a distinct ethnic group", giving the debate between the academic Mesfin Woldemariam and president of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres (Tigrinya and ; , born Legesse Zenawi Asres; 9 May 1955 – 20 August 2012) was an Ethiopian soldier and politician who served as President of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995 and then Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1995 until his ...
in July 1991 as an example.
Due to large amounts of assimilation into the northern Amhara culture after Ethiopian imperial expansion, Siegfried Pausewang concluded in 2005 that "the term Amhara relates in contemporary Ethiopia to two different and distinct social groups. The ethnic group of the Amhara, mostly a peasant population, is different from a mixed group of urban people coming from different ethnic background, who have adopted Amharic as a common language and identify themselves as Ethiopians".
In a 2017 article, historian Brian J. Yates notes that some "scholars and politicians have attempted to sketch out what an Amhara is, but there are considerable divergences on the nature of this identity. Some argue that it is a cultural identity; however, much of the scholarship indicates that it is solely a class-based identity, devoid of ethnicity".
Solomon Gashaw asserts that "there is no intra-Amhara ethnic consciousness, except among northern settlers in southern Ethiopia". He notes that most Amharic-speaking people identify by their place of birth. He asks, "what is Amhara domination?", answering: "It is a linguistic and cultural domination by a multi-ethnic group who speak Amharic".
Writing in 1998, Tegegne Teka wrote that "the Amhara do not possess what people usually refer to as objective ethnic markers: common ancestry, territory, religion and shared experience except the language. The Amhara have no claims to a common ancestry. They do not share the same sentiments and they have no mutual interests based on shared understandings. It is, therefore, difficult to conclude that the Amhara belong to an ethnic group. But this does not mean that there is no Amhara identity".
According to ethnographer Donald Levine, writing in 2003 and citing Christopher Clapham, "Only in the last quarter of the 20th cent. has the term mharacome to be a common ethnic appellation, comparable to the way in which Oromo has become generalized
to cover peoples who long knew themselves primarily as Boorana (Boräna), Guğği, Mäč̣č̣a and the like. Even so, Amharic-speaking Šäwans still feel themselves closer to non-Amharic-speaking Šäwans than to Amharic-speakers from distant regions like Gondär and there are few members of the Šäwan nobility who do not have Oromo genealogical links". According to Takkele Taddese, Amharic-speakers tend to be a "supra-ethnic group" composed of "fused stock". Taddese describes the Amhara as follows:
The Amhara can thus be said to exist in the sense of being a fused stock, a supra-ethnically conscious ethnic Ethiopian serving as the pot in which all the other ethnic groups are supposed to melt. The language, Amharic, serves as the center of this melting process although it is difficult to conceive of a language without the existence of a corresponding distinct ethnic group speaking it as a mother tongue. The Amhara does not exist, however, in the sense of being a distinct ethnic group promoting its own interests and advancing the Herrenvolk
The master race (german: Herrenrasse) is a pseudoscientific concept in Nazi ideology in which the putative "Aryan race" is deemed the pinnacle of human racial hierarchy. Members were referred to as "''Herrenmenschen''" ("master humans").
Th ...
philosophy and ideology as has been presented by the elite politicians. The basic principle of those who affirm the existence of the Amhara as a distinct ethnic group, therefore, is that the Amhara should be dislodged from the position of supremacy and each ethnic group should be freed from Amhara domination to have equal status with everybody else. This sense of Amhara existence can be viewed as a myth.
Ethnic consciousness in the past
In the 17th century, Abyssinian traveler Abba Gorgoryos
Abba Gorgoryos ( Ge'ez: አባ ጎርጎርዮስ; 1595 – 1658) was an Ethiopian priest and lexicographer of noble origin. He is famous for co-authoring encyclopedias with his friend and companion Hiob Ludolf in two Ethiopian languages, Amhari ...
states the following in a letter to his German friend Hiob Ludolf
Hiob or Job Ludolf ( la, Iobus Ludolfus or '; 15 June 1624– 8 April 1704), also known as Job Leutholf, was a German orientalist, born at Erfurt. Edward Ullendorff rates Ludolf as having "the most illustrious name in Ethiopic scholarship".
L ...
:
As to my origins, do not imagine, my friend, that they are humble, for I am of the House of Amhara which is a respected tribe; from it come the heads of the Ethiopian people, the governors, the military commanders, the judges and the advisers of the King of Ethiopia who appoint and dismiss, command and rule in the name of the King, his governors, and grandees. "
The rise of ethnic consciousness and nationalism
Zola Moges notes the emergence of Amhara nationalism and ethnic consciousness with origins in the early 1990s but taking clearer shape with the establishment of the National Movement of Amhara in 2018. Moges writes that a "younger generation has adopted its 'Amharaness'; but most ordinary people are yet to fully embrace it, not least because of the lack of any effectively articulated ideological foundation or priorities and the absence of any 'tailor-made' solutions to the challenges facing them".
Amanuel Tesfaye writes that: "While the older Amhara population still detest ethnic identification and ethnic forms of political organization, preferring pan-Ethiopian nationalism
Ethiopian nationalism, also referred to as Ethiopianism or Ethiopianness ( am, ኢትዮጵያዊነት, ''Ityop̣p̣yawinnät''), is a political principle centered on the unification of Ethiopian identity. Originated from throughout ancient hist ...
, the young have no problem pronouncing their Amhara identity, advocating for the protection and advancement of the rights and interests of their ethnic kin within the framework of the multi-nation state, and organizing politically along that particular ethnic identity".
Notable Amharas
* Aba Gorgorios, Catholic priest
*Abebe Aregai
''Ras'' Abebe Aregai (18 August 1903 – 17 December 1960) was an Ethiopian military commander who, during the Italian occupation, led a group of resistance fighters (collectively known as the ''Arbegnoch'' or "Patriots") that operated in ...
, Prime Minister
*Abebe Bikila
''Shambel'' Abebe Bikila ( am, ሻምበል አበበ ቢቂላ; August 7, 1932 – October 25, 1973) was an Ethiopian marathon runner who was a back-to-back Olympic marathon champion. He is the first Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, winnin ...
, Olympic athlete, gold medalist
*Abuna Basilios
Abuna Basilios (23 April 1891 – 13 October 1970) was an Ethiopian-born first Archbishop or Abuna, and later the first Patriarch, of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
Life
Patriarch Abune Basilios was born Gebre Giyorgis Wolde Tsadik in ...
, First Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
*Abuna Theophilos
Abune Theophilos (24 April 1910 – 14 August 1979), also known as Abune Tewophilos, was the second Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He officially succeeded Abuna Basilios in 1971 after he had assumed the role of acting patri ...
, Second Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church
*Abune Petros
Abune Petros (; born Haile Maryam; 1882 – 29 July 1936) was an Ethiopian bishop and martyr, who was known for execution by firearm in 1936 by the Fascist Italians for publicly condemning colonialism, invasion and massacre.
Early life
Ab ...
, patriot
*Afevork Ghevre Jesus
Afäwarq Gäbrä Iyäsus ( am, አፈወርቅ ገብረ ኢየሱስ, āfewerik’i gebire īyesusi; spelled in it, Afevork Ghevre Jesus or Āfeworq Gebre Īyesūs; spelled in English Afewark Gebre Iyasus; 10 July 1868 – 25 September 1947) w ...
, Ethiopian writer
*Afewerk Tekle
Afewerk Tekle (; 22 October 1932 – 10 April 2012) was an Ethiopian artist, particularly known for his paintings on African and Christian themes as well as his stained glass.
Early life and career
Born in Ankober, in Shewa Province, to e ...
, Honorable Laureate Maitre Artiste
*Aklilu Habte-Wold
'' Tsehafi Taezaz'' Aklilu Habte-Wold ( am, አክሊሉ ሀብተ ወልድ; 12 March 1912 – 23 November 1974) was an Ethiopian politician under Emperor Haile Selassie. He was foreign minister of Ethiopia from 1947 to 1958 and Prime Minister f ...
, Prime Minister
*Alemayehu Eshete
Alemayehu Eshete Andarge ( am, ዓለማየሁ እሸቴ አንዳርጌ; French pronunciation: Alèmayèhu Eshèté; June 1941 – 2 September 2021) was an Ethiopian singer. He had performed since the 1960s and primarily in Amharic. He had been ...
, Ethiopian singer
*Alemu Aga
Alemu Aga ( am, ዓለሙ አጋ; born 1950) is an Ethiopian musician, singer, and master of the Begena.
Life
Born in Entotto, near Addis Ababa, Alemu became interested in the Begena (a ten-stringed member of the lyre family, also known as " ...
, musician, singer, and master of the Begena
* Amanuel Gebremichael
*Amda Seyon I
Amda Seyon I ( gez, ዐምደ ፡ ጽዮን , am, አምደ ፅዮን , "Pillar of Zion"), throne name Gebre Mesqel (ገብረ መስቀል ) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1314 to 1344 and a member of the Solomonic dynasty.
He is best known ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Andualem Aragie
Andualem Aragie ( am, አንዱዓለም አራጌ; born 4 November 1972) is an Ethiopian politician and activist who is the Deputy Leader of Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (ECSJ), an opposition party formed after the merger of 7 smaller ...
, Vice President and Press Secretary for the Ethiopian-based Unity for Democracy and Justice
The Unity for Democracy and Justice was an Ethiopian political party. It was founded by Birtukan Midekssa on 20 June 2008, based on the parties that constituted the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. It was a major component in the eight-party M ...
*Asnaketch Worku
Asnaketch Worku () (born 1935 – 14 September 2011) was an Ethiopian singer who sang in the Amharic language and a ''krar'' instrumentalist, the instrument which symbolized her fame during the 1960s and 1970's. Asnaketch also had a long disti ...
, Ethiopian singer
*Asrat Woldeyes
Asrat Woldeyes (Amharic: አስራት ወልደየስ ; June 20, 1928 – May 14, 1999) was an Ethiopian surgeon, a professor of medicine at Addis Ababa University, and the founder and leader of the All-Amhara People's Organization (AAPO). He was j ...
, Surgeon
*Aster Aweke
Aster Aweke ( am, አስቴር አወቀ; born 1959) is an Ethiopian singer who sings in Amharic. Aster's voice has attracted broader public popularity, especially tracing back in 1990s singles and her single "Abebayehosh" in Ethiopian New Year. ...
, Ethiopian singer
*Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel
Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, CM (born 14 July 1948) is an Ethiopian prelate of the Ethiopian Catholic Church, which he has headed since his election as Ethiopian Catholic Archbishop of Addis Abeba in 1999. He is also the chancellor of the ...
, Ethiopian Catholic cardinal, Head of the Ethiopian Catholic Church.
*Baeda Maryam I
Baeda Maryam I ( gez, በእደ ማርያም; Bäˀəda Maryam, meaning "He who is in the hand of Mary"; 1448 – 8 November 1478), otherwise known as Cyriacus was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1468 to 1478, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...
*Bakaffa
Bakaffa ( Ge'ez: በካፋ) birth name: Missah; throne name Aṣma Giyorgis (Ge'ez: ዐፅመ ጊዮርጊስ), later Masih Sagad (Ge'ez: መሲሕ ሰገድ) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 18 May 1721 to 19 September 1730, and a member of the S ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Belay Zeleke
Belay Zeleke ( Amharic: በላይ ዘለቀ, horse name Abba Koster; 1912 – 12 January 1945) was an Ethiopian military commander who led the Arbegnoch resistance movement in Gojjam against the Fascist Italians during the Italian occupation of ...
, patriot
*Dawit I
Dawit I ( gez, ዳዊት) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1382 to 6 October 1413, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the younger son of Newaya Krestos.
Reign
Taddesse Tamrat discusses a tradition that early in his reign, Dawit campaigne ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Dawit II
Dawit II ( gez, ዳዊት; – 2 September 1540), also known by the macaronic name Wanag Segad (ወናግ ሰገድ, ''to whom the lions bow''), better known by his birth name Lebna Dengel ( am, ልብነ ድንግል, ''essence of the vi ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Dawit III
Dawit III ( Ge'ez: ዳዊት), throne name Adbar Sagad (Ge’ez: አድባር ሰገድ), also known as Dawit the Singer was Emperor of Ethiopia from 8 February 1716 to 18 May 1721, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Iyasu I ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
* Ejigayehu Shibabaw, better known as Gigi, Ethiopian singer
* Eleni Gebre-Medhin, prominent female Ethiopian economist.
*Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou ( Gəʿəz ፅጌ ማርያም ገብሩ; born Yewubdar Gebru, December 12, 1923) is an Ethiopian nun known for her piano playing and compositions. , Ethiopian nun known for her piano playing and compositions
*Eskender
Eskender ( gez, እስክንድር, "Alexander"; 15 July 1471 – 7 May 1494) was Emperor of Ethiopia and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was Kwestantinos II (Ge’ez: ቈስታንቲኖስ, "Constantine"). He was the son of Em ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Fasilides
Fasilides ( Ge'ez: ፋሲልደስ; ''Fāsīladas''; 20 November 1603 – 18 October 1667), also known as Fasil, Basilide, or Basilides (as in the works of Edward Gibbon), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1632 to his death on 18 October 1667, and a m ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Gebre Hanna
Aleqa Gebre Hanna ( gez, አለቃ ገብረ ሀና; November 1821 – 1902) was an Ethiopian poet, scholar and religious preacher in 19th-century renowned in Amharic oral tradition for (to quote Donald Levine) his "quick and biting wit." He was ...
, dabtara renowned in Amharic oral tradition
*Gedion Zelalem
Gedion Zelalem (born January 26, 1997) is a professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for FC Den Bosch. Born in Germany, he represented the United States national under-23 team.
After playing for various youth teams in Germany and ...
*Gelawdewos
Galawdewos ( gez, ገላውዴዎስ, 1521/1522 – 23 March 1559) also known as Mar Gelawdewos ( amh, ማር ገላውዴዎስ), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 3 September 1540 until his death in 1559, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Gelila Bekele
Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmak ...
, International model
*Getatchew Haile
Getatchew Haile (; April 19, 1931 – June 10, 2021) was an Ethiopian-American philologist widely considered the foremost scholar of the Ge'ez language and one of its most prolific (he published more than 150 books and articles). He was acknowled ...
, philologist
*Getatchew Mekurya
Getatchew Mekurya (Amharic: ጌታቸው መኩሪያ ወልደ ተክሌ; 14 March 1935 – 4 April 2016) was an Ethiopian jazz saxophonist.
Early career
Mekurya was born on 14 March 1935, in Yifat, Ethiopia. His father was a honey merchant. ...
, Legendary Ethiopian Jazz Saxophonist
* Haddis Alemayehu, Foreign Minister and Novelist
*Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champions ...
, renowned world Athlete
*Haile Gerima
Haile Gerima (born March 4, 1946) is an Ethiopian filmmaker who lives and works in the United States. He is a leading member of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, also known as the Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers. His films have receive ...
, Award-winning writer, producer & director.
*Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Heruy Wolde Selassie
''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Mekwanint, Blatten Geta'' Heruy Welde Sellase (Ge'ez: ብላቴን ጌታ ኅሩይ ወልደ ሥላሴ ''Blatten-Geta Həruy Wäldä-səllase''; 8 May 1878 – 19 September 1938) was a Ministry of F ...
, Foreign Minister
*Iyasu I
Iyasu I ( Ge'ez: ኢያሱ ፩; 1654 – 13 October 1706), throne name Adyam Sagad (Ge'ez: አድያም ሰገድ), also known as Iyasu the Great, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 19 July 1682 until his death in 1706, and a member of the Solomonic ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Iyasu II
Iyasu II ( Ge'ez: ኢያሱ; 21 October 1723 – 27 June 1755), throne name Alem Sagad ( Ge'ez: ዓለም ሰገድ), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1730 to 1755, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Emperor Bakaffa and Empr ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Kebede Michael
Kebede Mikael ( am, ከበደ ሚካኤል; 2 November 1916 – 12 November 1998) was an Ethiopian-born author of both fiction and non-fiction literature. He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and versatile intellectuals of modern Ethi ...
, Ethiopian writer
*Liya Kebede
Liya Kebede ( am, ሊያ ከበደ; born 1 March 1978) is an Ethiopian-born model, maternal health advocate, clothing designer, and actress. She has appeared on the cover of ''Vogue'' three times.
Kebede has served as the WHO's Ambassador for M ...
, International supermodel
*Makonnen Wolde Mikael
''Ras'' Makonnen Wolde Mikael Wolde Melekot (Amharic: ራስ መኮንን ወልደ ሚካኤል ወልደ መለኮት; 8 May 1852 – 21 March 1906), or simply Ras Makonnen, also known as Abba Qagnew (አባ ቃኘው), was a Shewan royal ...
, Military officer, diplomat, court official
*Makonnen Endelkachew
'' Ras Betwoded'' Mekonnen Endelkachew (16 February 1890 – 27 February 1963) was an Ethiopian aristocrat and Prime Minister under Emperor Haile Selassie. Mekonnen was born in Addisge, the nephew of the noted Shewan general and politician ...
, Prime Minister
*Menas of Ethiopia
Menas ( gez, ሜናስ, mēnās) or Minas, throne name Admas Sagad I (Ge’ez: አድማስ ሰገድ, died 1563), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1559 until his death in 1563, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was a brother of Gelawdewos ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Menelik II
, spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"''
, alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.)
Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Menen Asfaw
Menen Asfaw (baptismal name: Walatta Giyorgis; 25 March 1889 – 15 February 1962) was Empress consort of the Ethiopian Empire. She was the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie.
Family
Menen Asfaw was born in Ambassel, located in Wollo Province of ...
, Empress of Ethiopia, reign between 2 November 1930 – 15 February 1962
* Mesfin Woldemariam, author, Sakharov prize winning human rights activist and politician.
*Mulatu Astatke
Mulatu Astatke (; French pronunciation: Astatqé; born 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician and arranger considered as the father of "Ethio-jazz".
Born in Jimma, Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston where he ...
, musician, father of Ethio-jazz
*Muluken Melesse
Muluken Melesse (born 1954) is an Ethiopian singer and drummer. He later abandoned his music career to involve himself in the Pentecostal Church.
Biography
Muluken was born in Gojjam, a province in northern Ethiopia now a Zonal Administration in ...
, Music Artist
*Na'od
Na'od ( gez, ናዖድ) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1494 to 31 July 1508, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His reign was marked by internal tension between territories with the assistance of Queen Eleni. He began construct an extravagant ch ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Newaya Krestos
Newaya Krestos ( gez, ንዋየ ክርስቶስ; throne name: Sayf Ar'ed, lit. "sword of terror") was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1344 to 1372, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the eldest son of Amda Seyon I.
Reign
According to James ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Newaya Maryam
Newaya Maryam ( gez, ንዋየ ማርያም; throne name Wedem Asfare or Gemma Asfare) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1372 to 1382, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the eldest son of Newaya Krestos.
Reign
During his reign, Haqq ad-Din ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Sarsa Dengel
Sarsa Dengel ( gez, ሠርጸ ድንግል ; 1550 – 4 October 1597), also known as Sarsa the Great, was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne name was throne name Malak Sagad I (መለክ ሰገድ ).
Biograp ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Seifu Mikael
'' Lij'' Seifu Mikael (Amharic: ልጅ ሰይፉ ሚካኤል, Säyfu Mikāēl, also Sayfu Mikael, Seifu Michael) was an Ethiopian noble, member of the Solomonic dynasty, belonging to the aristocratic Amhara family from Ankober Shewa. He was the ...
, diplomat, governor
* Simegnew Bekele,Chief Project Manager of the GERD
*Susenyos I
Susenyos I ( gez, ሱስንዮስ ; circa 1571-1575 – 17 September 1632), also known as Susenyos the Catholic, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1606 to 1632, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His throne names were Seltan Sagad and Malak Sagad ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam
Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam ( Amharic: ተክለ ሐዋርዓት ተክለ ማሪያም; June 1884 – April 1977) was an Ethiopian politician, an Amhara aristocrat and intellectual of the Japanizer school of thought. He was the primary a ...
, pioneer of Ethiopian and African theater
*Telela Kebede
Telela Kebede ( am, ቴሌላ ከበደ; born 1938) is a retired Ethiopian singer who gained popularity during Ethiopia's 1960s and 1970s ‘‘''Golden Era''’’ of music.
Early life
Born in 1938 in Kenya to Ethiopian ( Amhara ethnic) pa ...
, Ethiopian singer
*Temesgen Tiruneh
Temesgen Tiruneh is the director general of Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service.
On 8 November 2020, Temesgen Tiruneh was appointed to the position of director general of NISS by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in the midst of the Ti ...
Director general of National Intelligence and Security Service
The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) () is an intelligence agency of the Ethiopian federal government tasked with gathering information of national interests. It does counter-terrorism in the country by informing the federal po ...
*Tewodros II
, spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"''
, alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.)
Tewodros II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ቴዎድሮስ, baptized as Gebre Kidan; 1818 – 13 April 1868) was Emperor of Ethiopi ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...
, Ethiopian-Canadian R&B artist
* Wolde Giorgis Wolde Yohannes, Minister of the pen
*Workneh Eshete
''Hakim'' Workneh Eshete or Azaj Warqnah Ishete, also known as Charles Martin (21 October 1864 – 9 October 1952) was the first Ethiopian educated as a medical doctor, and an Ethiopian intellectual. He led the Ethiopian diplomatic mission to t ...
, surgeon and diplomat
*Yaqob
Yaqob I ( gez, ያዕቆብ; c. 1590 – 10 March 1607), throne name Malak Sagad II (Ge'ez: መለክ ሰገድ), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1597 to 1607, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the eldest surviving son of Sarsa Dengel. ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
*Yekuno Amlak
Yekuno Amlak ( Ge’ez: ይኩኖ አምላክ); throne name Tasfa Iyasus (ተስፋ ኢየሱስ; died 19 June 1285) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and the founder of the Solomonic dynasty, which lasted until 1974. He was a ruler from Bete Amhara (in ...
, founder of the Solomonic Dynasty
The Solomonic dynasty, also known as the House of Solomon, was the ruling dynasty of the Ethiopian Empire formed in the thirteenth century. Its members claim lineal descent from the biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Tradition asserts ...
*Yeshaq I
Yeshaq I ( gez, ይሥሐቅ), throne name: Gabra Masqal II (Ge'ez: ገብረ መስቀል) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1414 to 1429/1430, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the second son of Emperor Dawit I.
Ancestry
Of Amhara lin ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
* Yetnebersh Nigussie, is a renowned lawyer and disability rights activist from Amhara Saint, Bete-Amhara (Wello now), Amhara regional state, Ethiopia.
*Yidnekatchew Tessema
Yidnekatchew Tessema ( Amharic: ይድነቃቸው ተሠማ; 11 September 1921 – 19 August 1987) was a footballer in Ethiopia.
Soccer career
He played for his school for five years, for the first Ethiopian soccer team, the St. George Cl ...
, 4th President of CAF
*Zara Yaqob
Zara Yaqob ( Ge'ez: ዘርዐ ያዕቆብ; 1399 – 26 August 1468) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty who ruled under the regnal name Kwestantinos I (Ge'ez: ቈስታንቲኖስ, "Constantine"). He is known for t ...
, Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire
See also
*Amhara genocide
The Amhara genocide is an ongoing and systematic massacre of ethnic Amhara and Agew people in Ethiopia since 1990
Large-scale killings and grave human rights violations followed the implementation of the ethnic-federalist system in the countr ...
*Amhara Region coup d'état attempt
Amhara may refer to:
* Amhara people, an ethnic group of Ethiopia
* Amharic, a language spoken by the Amhara people
* Bete Amhara, a lordship and later province of medieval Ethiopia
* Amhara Province, a historical region of Ethiopia
* Amhara Region ...
*Fano
Fano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by popula ...
*Habesha people
am, ሐበሻ, አበሻ, translit=Häbäša, 'äbäša ti, ሓበሻ, translit=Ḥabäša
, regions =
, languages = Ethiopian Semitic languages
, religions = Predominantly Oriental Orthodox Christianity (Orthodox Te ...
*History of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in Africa, the emergence of Ethiopian civilization dates back thousands of years. Due to migration and imperial expansion, it grew to include many other primarily Afro-Asiatic-speaking communities, includ ...
References
Further reading
* Wolf Leslau
__NOTOC__
Wolf Leslau ( yi, וולף לסלאו; born November 14, 1906 in Krzepice, Vistula Land, Poland; died November 18, 2006 in Fullerton, California) was a scholar of Semitic languages and one of the foremost authorities on Semitic languag ...
and Thomas L. Kane (collected and edited), ''Amharic Cultural Reader''. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2001. .
* Donald N. Levine, ''Wax & Gold: Tradition and Innovation in Ethiopian Culture'' (Chicago: University Press, 1972)
External links
* Lemma, Marcos (MD, PhD).
People of Africa, Amhara Culture and History
{{Authority control
Habesha peoples
Ethnic groups in Ethiopia