The Dorze are
ethnic group and small community inhabited
Gamo Highlands in southern
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 ...
. They speak
Gamo language
Gamo-Gofa-Dawro is an Omotic language of the Afroasiatic family spoken in the Dawro, Gamo Gofa and Wolayita Zones of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region in Ethiopia. Varieties are spoken by the Gamo, Gofa, Dawro; Blenc ...
, a dialect of
Afroasiatic language
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 ...
.
Population
According to ''
Ethnologue'', the Dorze numbered 29,000 individuals (1994 census), of whom 9,910 were monolingual.
They primarily live in the southern parts of the country, though some have migrated to
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 ...
and other regions. Many reside in villages near the cities of
Chencha and
Arba Minch
Arba Minch (formerly called Ganta Garo) is a city and separate woreda in the southern part of Ethiopia. "Arba Minch" means "40 Springs", originated from the presence of more than 40 springs. It is located in the Gamo Zone of the Southern Nation ...
.
Language
They speak the
Dorze language
Dorze is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in the Gamo Gofa Zone of Ethiopia. Alemayehu Abebe reports that while performing preliminary fieldwork in 1992, he found 14 kebeles in Chencha woreda with Dorze speakers.Alemayehu Abebe"Ometo Dialect Pi ...
, an
Omotic tongue.
Culture
Weaving
Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...
is a primary profession for a number of Dorze. Traditional Dorze textiles are colourful.
They are known for their traditional weaving of
hut
A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, ice, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, hid ...
s made out of local
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
. The huts can last up to 80 years.
Their polyphonic multi-part vocal music features a sophisticated use of
hocket
In music, hocket is the rhythmic linear technique using the alternation of notes, pitches, or chords. In medieval practice of hocket, a single melody is shared between two (or occasionally more) voices such that alternately one voice sounds wh ...
.
Religion
Dorze people originally adhered to
traditional African religions
The traditional beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions.Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009) Molefi Kete Asante Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptura ...
. Most are members to the faith of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
History
Communities of Dorze people live on the peripheries of
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 ...
, mostly in the
Burayu
Burayu ( om, Burraayyuu; am, ቡራዩ) is a town and woreda in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, located in the Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne in the Oromia Region, directly adjacent to the Oromo and national capital Addis Ababa (known as ''F ...
and
Sebeta areas. A group of Dorze people
had a conflict with some Oromo people. This issue got an immediate attention among the
Qeerroo
Ethiopia's National Youth Movement for Freedom and Democracy, popularly known as Qeerroo, is a social movement organized with ideology of Oromo nationalism in Ethiopia. In traditional Oromo culture the term means "bachelor" or youth but within th ...
who are active in Ethiopian politics in recent years. The incident occurred as the Qeerroo were organizing themselves for the reception of the
Oromo Liberation Front leaders, on the 14 and 15 September—following political reform by prime minister
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 ...
. This little conflict between the Dorze and Oromo people grew to a full-blown attack on the whole population of Dorze as the Qeerroo returned from the reception. The result was a universal massacring: killing the men and children with machetes, a ruthless raping of the women in front of their husbands and children, targeting specifically Dorze (and some Gurage) people living around Addis Ababa, on the 16 and 17 September 2018. Independent media sources called the killing a case of ethnic cleansing.
In the
Burayu
Burayu ( om, Burraayyuu; am, ቡራዩ) is a town and woreda in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, located in the Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne in the Oromia Region, directly adjacent to the Oromo and national capital Addis Ababa (known as ''F ...
area alone, the media has reported that 23 people have been killed, more than 500 have been injured and over 15000 people have been displaced. Other sources citing data from the police have confirmed that more 60 people have been killed
The government media claims that the attack has been stopped by the security forces. But, some people claim that the attack is still going on in a more systematic manner to completely remove the Dorze people out of the
Oromo land. The killing triggered massive public protest in Addis Ababa.
References
External links
{{Authority control
Ethnic groups in Ethiopia
Omotic-speaking peoples