Tigrayans ( ti, ተጋሩ) 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, ...
indigenous to the
Tigray Region
The Tigray Region, officially the Tigray National Regional State, is the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama people. Its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray ...
of northern
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 the
Tigrinya language
(; 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 literat ...
, an
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 ...
belonging to the
Ethiopian Semitic branch.
The daily life of Tigrayans is highly influenced by religious concepts. For example, the Christian Orthodox fasting periods are strictly observed, especially in Tigray; but also traditional local beliefs such as in spirits, are widespread. In Tigray the language of the church remains exclusively Ge’ez. Tigrayan society is marked by a strong ideal of
communitarianism
Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relati ...
and, especially in the rural sphere, by egalitarian principles. This does not exclude an important role of
gerontocratic rules and in some regions such as the wider
Adwa
Adwa ( ti, ዓድዋ; amh, ዐድዋ; also spelled Aduwa) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is best known as the community closest to the site of the 1896 Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian soldiers defeated Itali ...
area, formerly the prevalence of feudal lords, who, however, still had to respect the local land rights.
History
![Yohannes IV - 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Yohannes_IV_-_4.jpg)
The majority of Tigrayans trace their origin to early Semitic-speaking peoples whose presence in the region dates back to at least 2000 BC, based on linguistic evidence (and known from the 9th century BC from inscriptions).
![Stela aksum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Stela_aksum.jpg)
![Rome_Stele](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Rome_Stele.jpg)
A variant of the term Tigray, first appears in a 10th-century gloss to
Cosmas Indicopleustes
Cosmas Indicopleustes ( grc-x-koine, Κοσμᾶς Ἰνδικοπλεύστης, lit=Cosmas who sailed to India; also known as Cosmas the Monk) was a Greek merchant and later hermit from Alexandria of Egypt. He was a 6th-century traveller who ma ...
''Indicopleustes'', i.e. after the Aksumite period; according to this source one of the groups of the region were the "Tigrētai" and the "Agazē" (i.e. the
Agʿazi Agʿazi is the name of a region of the Aksumite Empire in what consists today of Eastern Tigray, Amhara and Southern Eritrea.
History
The earliest attestation of this name can be found in the determined ''nisba''-form yg'ḏyn in three pre-Aksu ...
) the latter being the Aksumites. The toponym Tigray is probably originally ethnic, the "Tigrētai" then meant "the tribes near Adulis". These are believed to be the ancient people from whom the present-day Tigray, the Eritrean tribes
Tigre 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 literatur ...
are descended from. There is no indication that the term Tigray could be explained through Ge'ez gäzärä ("subdue"), with the meaning "the submitted" (in supposed contrast to the "free" Agaziyan linked with the rulers of Aksum).
A Portuguese map from the 1660 shows
Medri Bahri
Medri Bahri ( ti, ምድሪ ባሕሪ, English: Land of the Sea Kingdom), also known as Mereb Melash, was an Eritrean kingdom emerged in 1137 until conquest by the Ethiopian Empire in 1879. It was situated in modern-day Eritrea, and was ruled by ...
consisting of the three highland provinces of Eritrea and distinct from Ethiopia. That 16th century also marked the arrival of the Ottomans, who began making inroads in the Red Sea area.
Bruce noted "They next passed the Mareb, which is the boundary between Tigre and the Baharnagash".
By the beginning of the 19th century
Henry Salt (Egyptologist)
Henry Salt (14 June 178030 October 1827) was an English artist, traveller, collector of antiquities, diplomat, and Egyptologist.
Biography Early life
Salt, the son of Thomas Salt who was a physician and Alice ''née'' Butt, was born in Lichfi ...
, who travelled in the interior of Ethiopia, divided the Ethiopian region, like James Bruce into three distinct and independent states.
These three great divisions (based arbitrarily on Language) are Tigre, Amhara, and the
province of Shoa.
Henry considered Tigre as the more powerful state of the three; a circumstance arising from the natural strength of the country, the warlike disposition of its inhabitants, and its vicinity to the sea coast; an advantage that allowed it to secure a monopoly on all the muskets imported into the country.
He divided the Tigre kingdom into several provinces as the centre where it was considered the seat of the state being referred as Tigre proper a region around Adwa. The other Provinces of this kingdom includes
Enderta,
Agame
Agame () was a former province in northern Ethiopia. It includes the northeastern corner of the Ethiopian Empire, borders Akele Guzai in Eritrea, Tembien, Kalatta Awlalo and Enderta in the south, and both the Eritrean and Ethiopian Afar lowla ...
,
Wojjerat,
Tembien, and
Shire
Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
.
Demographics
![Periplous of the Erythraean Sea](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Periplous_of_the_Erythraean_Sea.svg)
Tigrayans constitute approximately 6.1% of the population of Ethiopia and are largely small holding farmers inhabiting small communal villages. The Tigrayans constitute the fourth largest ethnic group in the country after the
Oromo,
Amhara and
Somali.
They are mainly Christian and 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 ...
(approximately 96%), with a small minority of Muslims, Catholics and Protestants. The predominantly Tigrayan populated urban centers in Ethiopia are found within the Tigray Region in towns including
Mekelle
Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
,
Adwa
Adwa ( ti, ዓድዋ; amh, ዐድዋ; also spelled Aduwa) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is best known as the community closest to the site of the 1896 Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian soldiers defeated Itali ...
,
Axum,
Adigrat
Adigrat (, ''ʿaddigrat'', also called ʿAddi Grat) is a city and separate woreda in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraqawi Zone at longitude and latitude , with an elevation of above sea level and below a high ridge to the we ...
, and
Shire
Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
. Huge populations of Tigrayans are also found in other large Ethiopian cities such as the capital
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
Gondar
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 t ...
.
The Tigrayans are, despite a general impression of homogeneity, composed of numerous subgroups with their own socio-cultural traditions. Among these there are the
Agame
Agame () was a former province in northern Ethiopia. It includes the northeastern corner of the Ethiopian Empire, borders Akele Guzai in Eritrea, Tembien, Kalatta Awlalo and Enderta in the south, and both the Eritrean and Ethiopian Afar lowla ...
of eastern Tigray, mentioned in the
Monumentum Adulitanum
The Monumentum Adulitanum was an ancient bilingual inscription in Ge'ez and Greek depicting the military campaigns of an Adulite king. The original text was inscribed on a throne in Adulis ( Ge'ez: መንበር ''manbar'') written in Ge'ez in b ...
in the 3rd century; the cattle herders in Humera; the egalitarian Wajjarat of south-eastern Tigray. There are also some immigrant Tigrayans in the neighbouring country of Eritrea as well as abroad in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
The decline of the Tigrayan population in Ethiopia was caused by the 1958 famine in Tigray, when over 100,000 people died.
Later on, the
Mengistu Haile Mariam
Mengistu Haile Mariam ( am, መንግሥቱ ኀይለ ማሪያም, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian politician and former army officer who was the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991 and General Secretary of the Work ...
-led brutal
military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer.
The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...
(
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 ...
) used the
1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia
A widespread famine affected Ethiopia from 1983 to 1985. The worst famine to hit the country in a century, it affected 7.75 million people (out of Ethiopia's 38–40 million) and left approximately 300,000 to 1.2 million dead. 2.5 m ...
as government policy (by restricting food supplies) for counter-insurgency strategy (against
Tigray People's Liberation Front
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 ...
guerrilla-soldiers), and for "social transformation" in non-insurgent areas (against people of Tigray province, Welo province and such).
Due to organized government policies that deliberately multiplied the effects of the famine, around 1.2 million people died in Ethiopia from this famine. The majority were from Tigray province and other parts of northern
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 ...
.
Language
Tigrayans speak
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 ...
as a mother tongue. It belongs to the
Ethiopian Semitic subgroup of the
Afroasiatic
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 ...
family.
In Ethiopia, Tigrinya is the third most spoken language. Several Tigrinya dialects, which differ phonetically, lexically, and grammatically from place to place, are more broadly classified as Hamasien (Eritrean) or Tigray (Ethiopian) dialects.
[Leslau, Wolf (1941) ''Documents Tigrigna (Éthiopien Septentrional): Grammaire et Textes''. Paris: Librairie C. Klincksieck.] No dialect appears to be accepted as a standard.
Tigrinya is closely related to
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 ...
and
Tigre (in Eritrea commonly called Tigrayit), another East African Semitic language spoken by the
Tigre as well as many
Beja of
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
and
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. Tigrinya and Tigre, though more closely related to each other linguistically than either is to Amharic, are however not mutually intelligible. Tigrinya has traditionally been written using the same
Ge'ez alphabet (''fidel'') as
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 ...
and
Tigre. It has also met with the linguistic difficulty of the Ge'ez script being a syllabic system which does not distinguish long vowels from short ones. While this works well for writing Tigrinya or Amharic, which do not rely on vowel length in words, it does complicate writing Tigre, where vowel length sometimes distinguishes one word and its meaning from another. The Ge'ez script evolved from the
Epigraphic South Arabian script, whose first inscriptions are from the 8th century BC in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Yemen.
Religion
![Church_Roof,_Gheralta_(6191843808)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Church_Roof%2C_Gheralta_%286191843808%29.jpg)
The daily life of Tigrayans are highly influenced by religion. Before the coming of Christianity, most Tigrayans followed a pagan religion with a number of deities, including the sun god
Utu
Utu (dUD "Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. ...
, and the moon god
Almaqah
Almaqah or Almuqh ( xsa, 𐩱𐩡𐩣𐩤𐩠; ar, المقه; gez, አልመቀህ) was the Moon god of the ancient Yemeni kingdom of Saba'. He was also worshipped in the kingdom of Dʿmt, which later became the kingdom of Aksum in Ethiopia ...
. Some tribes however practiced
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
. The most prominent polytheistic kingdoms was
D’mt and early
Aksum
Axum, or Aksum (pronounced: ), is a town in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia with a population of 66,900 residents (as of 2015).
It is the site of the historic capital of the Aksumite Empire, a naval and trading power that ruled the whole region ...
.
![Church Our Lady Mary Zion Axum Ethio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Church_Our_Lady_Mary_Zion_Axum_Ethio.jpg)
Christianity
Christianity has been the predominant religion of Tigrayans since
antiquity. Tigrayan Christians are mostly
Oriental Orthodox
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 o ...
with a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and
Pentay
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 ...
minority.
Islam
Tigrayan
Muslims
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 Abraha ...
are virtually all
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
, though a minority of
Ahbash
Al-Ahbash ( ar, الأحباش, , en, "The Ethiopians"), also known as the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects ( ar, جمعية المشاريع الخيرية الإسلامية, , AICP) is a Islamic neo-traditionalism, neo-traditio ...
followers also exists. Today, the
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 ...
community is concentrated mainly in urban areas. Many
Jeberti in
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
claim that they are a separate ethnic group from the
Tigrinya people
The Tigrinya people (, ), also known as Tigrigna, are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group native to Eritrea. They speak the Tigrinya language. There also exists a sizable Tigrinya community in the diaspora.
History
One view believes that the ...
in the area and consider their native languages to be both
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 ...
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 literatur ...
, and are thus treated as a separate ethno-religious community.
Culture
![Hareg Making Coffee, Ethiopia (8012029031)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Hareg_Making_Coffee%2C_Ethiopia_%288012029031%29.jpg)
Tigrayans sometimes described as “individualistic”, due to elements of competition, jealousy and local conflicts. This, however, rather reflects a strong tendency to defend one's own community and local rights against—then widespread—interferences, be it from more powerful individuals or the state. Tigrayans communities are marked by numerous social institutions with a strong networking of character, where relations are based on mutual rights and bonds. Economic and other support is mediated by these institutions. In the urban context, the modern local government have taken over the functions of traditional associations. In most rural areas, however, traditional social organizations are fully in function. All members of such an extended family are linked by strong mutual obligations. Villages are usually perceived as genealogical communities, consisting of several lineages.
![Tigrayans with Siwa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Tigrayans_with_Siwa.png)
A remarkable heritage of Tigrayans are their customary laws. In Tigray, customary law is also still partially practiced to some degree even in political self-organization and penal cases. It is also of great importance for conflict resolution.
Cuisine
![Eating Traditional Tihlo, Ethiopia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Eating_Traditional_Tihlo%2C_Ethiopia.jpg)
Tigrayans food characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes, usually in the form of ''tsebhi'' ( ti, ፀብሒ), a 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
Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities.
History
In the ''Encyclopedia of Food Microbio ...
flatbread
A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread.
Flatbreads ran ...
. As the vast majority of Tigrayans belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (and the minority Muslims), pork is not consumed because of religious beliefs. Meat and dairy products are not consumed on Wednesdays and Fridays, and also during the seven compulsory fasts. Because of this reason, many vegan meals are present. Eating around a shared food basket, ''mäsob'' ( ti, መሶብ) is a custom in the Tigray region and is usually done so with families and guests. The food is eaten using no cutlery, using only the fingers (''of the right hand'') and sourdough flatbread to grab the contents on the bread.
Regional dishes
T'ihlo ( ti, ጥሕሎ, ''ṭïḥlo'') is a dish originating from the historical
Agame
Agame () was a former province in northern Ethiopia. It includes the northeastern corner of the Ethiopian Empire, borders Akele Guzai in Eritrea, Tembien, Kalatta Awlalo and Enderta in the south, and both the Eritrean and Ethiopian Afar lowla ...
and
Akkele Guzai provinces. The dish is unique to these parts of both countries, but is now slowly spreading throughout the entire region. T'ihlo is made using moistened roasted barley flour that is kneaded to a certain consistency. The dough is then broken into small ball shapes and is laid out around a bowl of spicy meat stew. A two-pronged wooden fork is used to spear the ball and dip it into the stew. The dish is usually served with ''
mes,'' a type of honey wine.
Genetics
Kumar, H R S et al. (2020), showed that Tigray samples from Northern Ethiopia had (~50%) of a genetic component shared with Europeans and Middle Eastern Populations.
Notable people
File:Alula Engida.jpg, Ras Alula (Abba Nega) of Tigray, commander of the Battle of Dogali
The Battle of Dogali was fought on 26 January 1887 between Italy and Ethiopia in Dogali near Massawa, in present-day Eritrea.
History
The Italians, after their unification in 1861, wanted to establish a colonial empire to cement their great ...
File:Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus - AI for Good Global Summit 2018 (40316994230) (cropped).jpg, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ( ti, ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም ገብረኢየሱስ, sometimes spelt ti, ቴድሮስ ኣድሓኖም ገብረየሱስ, label=none; born 3 March 1965) is an Ethiopian public health official, researcher, and ...
, the first ever African
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
Director-General of the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
File:Meles Zenawi - World Economic Forum on Africa 2012.jpg, Politician 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 ...
, the former Prime Minister of 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 ...
.
File:Debretsion Gebremichael crop.jpg, Debretsion Gebremichael
Debretsion Gebremichael ( ti, ደብረጽዮን ገብረሚካኤል, pronunciation: ) is an Ethiopian politician and current president of the Tigray Region and chairman of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). His position as titular head ...
, governor of Tigray.
*
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 ...
– Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia
*
Rophnan – musician
*
Abraham Belay -
Minister of National Defense
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
*
Yohannes IV
''girmāwī''His Imperial Majesty, spoken= am , ጃንሆይ ''djānhoi''Your Imperial Majesty(lit. "O steemedroyal"), alternative= am , ጌቶቹ ''getochu''Our Lord (familiar)(lit. "Our master" (pl.)) yohanes
Yohannes IV (Tigrinya: ዮሓ ...
-
Emperor of Ethiopia
The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century ...
born in
Tembien,
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 ...
*
Debretsion Gebremichael
Debretsion Gebremichael ( ti, ደብረጽዮን ገብረሚካኤል, pronunciation: ) is an Ethiopian politician and current president of the Tigray Region and chairman of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). His position as titular head ...
– Governor of
Tigray.
*
Gebrehiwot Baykedagn
Gebrehiwot Baykedagn (1886–1919) was an Ethiopian doctor, economist, and intellectual. He was born in 1886 in Adwa, Tigray Region, Tigray. In a trip to the port of Massawa, Gebrehiwot and his friends got permission from the captain of a German sh ...
– was an Ethiopian doctor, economist, and intellectual.
*
Sebhat Gebre-Egziabher
Sebhat-Leab Gebre-Egziabher (; 5 May 1936 – 20 February 2012) was an Ethiopian writer from Tigray Region. He is famous for pioneering the naturalist writing style in Amharic. His writing style was not constrained by the traditional Ethiopian wr ...
– Ethiopian writer
*
Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher
Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher (; born 19 February 1940) is an Ethiopian scientist who won the Right Livelihood Award in 2000 "for his exemplary work to safeguard biodiversity and the traditional rights of farmers and communities to their geneti ...
– world-renowned environmental scientist
*
Kinfe Abraham
Kinfe Abraham (, ''kinəfä abərəhamə''; 20 October 1950 – 8 November 2007) was an Ethiopian academic and politician nicknamed 'Mr Quagmire'. He was president of the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development, as well as pres ...
– Founder of Ethiopian Institute of Peace and former president of Horn of Africa Democracy and Development
*
Gebregziabher Gebremariam
Gebregziabher Gebremariam (born September 10, 1984 in Tigray) is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner. He established himself at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, winning the junior title in 2002 and two silver medals in the senior ...
– runner who won 5 times in the World Cross Country Championships
*
Werknesh Kidane
Werknesh Kidane (; born November 21, 1981), is an Ethiopian long distance runner from Tigray who competes in both 5000 and 10,000 metres. She has won numerous medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and represented Ethiopia at the S ...
– runner who won a gold medal in the 2003 World Cross Country Championships
*
Abeba Aregawi
Abeba Aregawi Gebretsadik (Amharic: አበባ አረጋዊ ;born 5 July 1990) is an Ethiopian-Swedish retired middle-distance runner who specialised in the 1500 metres. She won the bronze medal in the 1500 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics and a gol ...
– runner and gold medalist of world, world indoor and European indoor
*
Tsgabu Gebremaryam Grmay – road cyclist one time African time trial champion
*
Siye Abraha
Siye Abraha Hagos (, ''siyә abräha''; born 12 June 1955) is an Ethiopian politician who served as Ethiopian Minister of Defense from 1991 to 1995. He was a top official of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian People's Revolutio ...
– leading the UN Development Programme's security sector reform in Liberia
*
Abune Mathias – "His Holiness Abune Mathias I, Sixth Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum and Ichege of the See of Saint Taklehaimanot.
*
Tedros Adhanom
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ( ti, ቴዎድሮስ አድሓኖም ገብረኢየሱስ, sometimes spelt ti, ቴድሮስ ኣድሓኖም ገብረየሱስ, label=none; born 3 March 1965) is an Ethiopian public health official, researcher, and ...
– The Director General of
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
*
Arkebe Oqubay
Arkebe Oqubay ( ti, ኣርከበ ዑቕባይ; born 1957) is an Ethiopian politician who is serving as Senior Minister and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He is a Tigrayan descent.
Background
Arkebe is a member of the Tigray ...
- is a senior Ethiopian politician, a Minister and Special Advisor to the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn.
*
Gebrehiwot Baykedagn
Gebrehiwot Baykedagn (1886–1919) was an Ethiopian doctor, economist, and intellectual. He was born in 1886 in Adwa, Tigray Region, Tigray. In a trip to the port of Massawa, Gebrehiwot and his friends got permission from the captain of a German sh ...
– was one of the pioneer Ethiopian doctor, economist, and intellectual.
*
Fisseha Desta
Fisseha Desta ( ti, ፍስሃ ደስታ; 21 April 1941 – 7 May 2022) was an Ethiopian military officer and politician who was the first vice president of Ethiopia from 1987 to 1991.
Early life
Fisseha Desta was born into a family of Tigrayan ...
–
Vice President of Ethiopia
Vice president of Ethiopia was a political position in Ethiopia during the era of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The new constitution which established the presidency and vice presidency came to effect on 10 Sept 1987. Both the Pre ...
*
Atse Baeda Maryam
''Atse'' Baeda Maryam was proclaimed Emperor (''nəgusä nägäst'') (1787 – 1788) of Ethiopia in Tigray and Gojjam by ''Dejazmach'' Wolde Gabriel, the son of '' Ras'' Mikael Sehul, who was opposed to ''Ras'' Ali of Begemder.
Reign
Joined ...
– Atse a pretender, son of
Ras Mikael SehulHerbert Weld Blundell
Herbert Joseph Weld Blundell (1852 – 5 February 1935) was an English traveller in Africa, archaeologist, philanthropist and yachtsman. He shortened his surname from Weld Blundell to Weld, in 1924.
Life to 1922
He was educated at Stonyhurst C ...
, ''The Royal chronicle of Abyssinia, 1769–1840'', (Cambridge: University Press, 1922), pp. 384–390
*
Mikael Sehul
Mikael Sehul (born Blatta Mikael; 1692 – 1784) was a nobleman who ruled Ethiopia for a period of 25 years as regent of a series of weak emperors. He was also a Ras or governor of Tigray 1748–71 and again from 1772 until his death. He was a m ...
–
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
of
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 ...
*
Haile Selassie Gugsa
Haile Selassie Gugsa CBE (1907–1985) was an Ethiopian army commander and member of the Imperial family from Tigray. He is known for betraying his country during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and becoming a fascist collaborator.
Biograp ...
– Dejazmatch from
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 ...
*
Wolde Selassie
Wolde Selassie (; c.1736 - 28 May 1816) was Ras of the Tigray province between 1788-1816, and Regent of the Ethiopian Empire between 1797-1800. John J. Halls, in his ''Life and Correspondence of Henry Salt'', preserves a description of this power ...
-
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
of
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 ...
*
Ras Alula (Abba Nega) – 19th Century Ras of
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 ...
*
Ras Mengesha Yohannes
''Ras'' Mengesha Yohannes ( ti, መንገሻ ዮሓንስ; 1868 – 1906) was governor of Tigray and a son of ''atse'' Yohannes IV (r. 1872-89). His mother was Welette Tekle Haymanot wife of ''dejazmach'' Gugsa Mercha. ''Ras'' Araya Selassie Y ...
–
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
of
Tigray.
*
Hayelom Araya Major General Hadush "Hayelom" Araya (1955–1996) is a former member of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF), which was the leading member of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) political coalition. While fighting ...
– Ethiopian
General of the army[Gebru Tareke, ''The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa'' (New Haven: Yale University, 2009), p. 105 ]
*
Miruts Yifter
Miruts Yifter (, affectionately known as "Yifter the Shifter", 15 May 1944 – 22 December 2016) was an Ethiopian long-distance runner and winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics. His date of birth is often given as 15 May 1944, t ...
– athlete who won two gold medals in the 1980 Moscow Olympics
*
Abune Paulos – Former Patriarch 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 ...
.
*
Kiros Alemayehu
Kiros Alemayehu ( Ge'ez: ; 26 July 1948 – 13 October 1994) was an Ethiopian singer. He was born in Tigray region, Saesi Tsaedaemba and was the only child to his parents.
Biography
Early life
Kiros was born to his father Girazmach Alemayehu Mel ...
- Kiros was a prolific songwriter and singer. He popularized Tigrigna songs through his albums to the non-Tigrinya speaking Ethiopians.
*
Eyasu Berhe - was an Ethiopian singer, writer, producer and poet, as well as a member of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
*
Dawit Kebede
Dawit Kebede (Ge'ez: ዳዊት ከበደ) born 11 September 1980, is an Ethiopian journalist and winner of the 2010 CPJ International Press Freedom Award.
Professional career
Dawit received his BA in journalism and communication from Unity Uni ...
-winner of the 2010 CPJ International Press Freedom Award.
*
Freweini Mebrahtu -2019 CNN Hero of the Year
*
Ilfenesh Hadera -is an American actress,her father is from Tigray
*
Zeresenay Alemseged
Zeresenay "Zeray" Alemseged (born 4 June 1969) is an Ethiopian paleoanthropologist who was the Chair of the Anthropology Department at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, United States. He recently joined the faculty of the Un ...
-is Tigrayan paleoanthropologist who was the Chair of the Anthropology Department at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, United States.
*
Abebe Fekadu- Tigrayan Australian powerlifter.
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
{{authority control
Tigray Region
Ethnic groups in Ethiopia