Eritrean Australians are a
hyphenated ethnicity
A hyphenated ethnicity (or rarely hyphenated identity) is a reference to an ethnicity, pan-ethnicity, national origin, or national identity combined with the demonym of a country of citizenship-nationality, another national identity, or in some cas ...
of
Australians
Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...
who are of full or partial
Eritrean national origin, heritage and/or ancestry. They are immigrants from
Eritrea to
Australia and their descendants. Eritrea is a
multi-ethnic country with the most common ethnic group being the
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 literatur ...
, however Tigrinya speakers are more commonly found in Ethiopia than Eritrea, because of this many Eritreans can be found in Ethiopian communities.
Migration history
Eritrea gained independence in 1991 and many Eritreans left after independence was gained due to the
Eritrean–Ethiopian War
The Eritrean–Ethiopian War, also known as the Badme War, was a major armed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea that took place from May 1998 to June 2000. The war has its origins in a territorial dispute between the two states. After Erit ...
and to escape the government of
Isaias Afwerki
Isaias Afwerki ( ti, ኢሳይያስ ኣፍወርቂ, ; born 2 February 1946) is an Eritrean politician and partisan who has been the president of Eritrea since shortly after he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) to victory in ...
. But between 1983 and 1993, a few hundred Eritreans arrived in Australia as refugees due to the
Eritrean War of Independence
The Eritrean War of Independence was a war for independence which Eritrean independence fighters waged against successive Ethiopian governments from 1 September 1961 to 24 May 1991.
Eritrea was an Italian colony from the 1880s until the ...
, they were given special condition under the Australia's Humanitarian Program which allowed an average of 100 Eritreans to migrate for the first three years of the program. But before 1983 only a few Eritrean arrived in Australia as refugees. Many arrivals before 1993 were young men whose educations had been interrupted by the war
of independence. Many of the refugees settled in Victoria within the suburbs of Springvale and Maribyrnong and mostly worked in factories.
The peak of Eritrean refugee resettlement to Australia came after 1993, as many Eritreans left the country after independence due to the
Eritrean–Ethiopian War
The Eritrean–Ethiopian War, also known as the Badme War, was a major armed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea that took place from May 1998 to June 2000. The war has its origins in a territorial dispute between the two states. After Erit ...
and to escape the government of
Isaias Afwerki
Isaias Afwerki ( ti, ኢሳይያስ ኣፍወርቂ, ; born 2 February 1946) is an Eritrean politician and partisan who has been the president of Eritrea since shortly after he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) to victory in ...
. Many Eritreans have suffered tragedy while immigrating to other countries, including Australia.
Numbers and distribution
According to the 2016 Australian census 4,289 Australians were born in
Eritrea while another 6,863 claimed ancestry,
however the Eritrean community is a relatively new community to Australia and these numbers grow every year.
About 50% of Eritreans live in Melbourne, alongside communities of immigrants from other countries in the
Horn of Africa, mainly
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 ...
and
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
;
they are primarily settled in the
City of Brimbank
The City of Brimbank is a local government area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the western suburbs between 10 and 20 km west and northwest from the Melbourne city centre.
The City has ...
and neighbouring suburbs such as
Wyndham,
Carlton,
Hume,
Moonee Valley, and
Maribyrnong. Other communities of Eritreans can be found in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
and
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
Education and employment
According to the 2016 Census, 91.3% of Eritrean-born Australians are 15 years and over in age, and only 3% have a Postgraduate Degree, 1% have a Grad Dip & Grad Cert, 11.8% have a bachelor's degree, 12.2% have an Advanced Dip & Diploma, 11.9% have a Certificate, 43.3% have a School Education only, 6.4% have no education and 10% didn't state/other.
Eritrean-born individuals in Australia aged 15 years are heavily employed in the labour force at a rate of 56.2%; the unemployment rate for Eritreans was 11.4%. Of the 88.6% of Eritrean-born immigrants who were employed, 11.9% worked in a Manufacturing, 1.35% in Construction, 5.8% in Wholesale & retail trade, 1.9% in Accommodation & Food services, 14.8% in Transport, postal & warehousing, 10% in Prof, Scientific, Technical & Admin, 3.8% in Public Administration and Safety, 7.9% in Education & Training, 25.2% in Health Care & Social Assistance, 5.1% in Arts, Recreation & Other services, 12.25% in Inadequately Described/Not Stated/Other.
In Melbourne, some have set up ethnic-oriented businesses, such as hair salons, clothing shops, and restaurants with a mostly
Habesha customer base.
Religion
Religious divisions among migrants from Eritrea follow ethnic lines. Most of the
Tigrayans
Tigrayans ( ti, ተጋሩ) are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. They speak the Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Ethiopian Semitic branch.
The daily life of Tigra ...
are members of the
Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church while most but not all of the
Tigre people
The Tigre people ( tig, ትግረ ''tigre'' or ''tigrē'') are an ethnic group indigenous to Eritrea. They mainly inhabit the lowlands and northern highlands of Eritrea.
History
The Tigre are a nomadic agro-pastoralist community living in ...
,
Bilen people
The Bilen (also variously transcribed as Blin, and also formerly known as the Bogo, Bogos or North Agaw) are a Cushitic ethnic group in the Eritrea. They are primarily concentrated in central Eritrea, in and around the city of Keren and further s ...
and the
Nara people
The Nara are an ethnic group inhabiting southwestern Eritrea. The society is divided into four subtribes, who are traditionally animist. They are mostly subsistence farmers.
Overview
According to the Eritrean government, the Nara are descendants ...
are followers of
Islam. The
Rashaida people
The Rashaida () is an ethnic group inhabiting the coastal plain from Massawa in Eritrea to the border with eastern Sudan. They are descended from Arabs (descended from Banu Abs) who fled from the Hejaz in present-day Saudi Arabia after tribal warf ...
,
Afar people
The Afar ( aa, Qafár), also known as the Danakil, Adali and Odali, are a Cushitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, as well as the entire southern co ...
,
Saho people
The Saho are a Cushitic ethnic group from Eritrea, and they also inhabit some parts of northern Ethiopia. They speak Saho as a mother tongue.
Society
Ethnicity and societal structure
According to Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad, most of the Saho ...
and the
Beja people
The Beja people ( ar, البجا, Beja: Oobja, tig, በጃ) are an ethnic group native to the Eastern Desert, inhabiting a coastal area from southeastern Egypt through eastern Sudan and into northwestern Eritrea. They are descended from pe ...
are almost all followers of
Islam. The
Kunama people follow
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 ...
however some are
Christian.
Notable people
*
Fessehaie Abraham, first Eritrean Australian ambassador
*
Michael Adonai, artist
*
Berhan Ahmed, social activist
*
Golgol Mebrahtu, football player
See also
*
African Australians
*
Eritrean Americans
Eritrean Americans are an ethnic group (or hyphenated ethnicity) of Americans who are of full or partial Eritrean national origin, heritage and/or ancestry. As of 2013, there are 33,930 Eritrean-born citizens living in the U.S.
History
Eritrea ...
References
Sources
*
Further reading
*
{{Eritrean diaspora
+
Ethnic groups in Australia
African Australian
Australia