The Gamo people are an

Ethiopian 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 ...

ethnic group located in the Gamo Highlands of 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 are found in more than 40 communities, including

Chencha Chencha (also known as Dincha) is a town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the Gamo Gofa Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, 37 kilometers north of Arba Minch, Chencha has a longitude and latitude of and an elevation of ...

, Bonke, Kucha, Garbansa, Zargula, Kamba, Dorze, Birbir, Ochello, Boroda, Ganta, Gacho Baba, Eligo, Shella, Kolle, Dita, Kogo and Daramalo. Sport Arba Minch Town Football Club(The Crocodiles) is playing in Betking Ethiopian premier league and Gamo Chencha Football Club(The Lions) is playing in Ethiopian Super League. Both are from Gamo zone.

History

The name "Gamo" means ''lion'', which refers to the group's legacy as one of the

Omotic The Omotic languages are a group of languages spoken in southwestern Ethiopia, in the Omo River region. The Ge'ez script is used to write some of the Omotic languages, the Latin script for some others. They are fairly agglutinative and have co ...

peoples. Along with the

Gofa people Goffa or Gofa are an Omotic ethnic group indigenous to Omo Valley located in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region. According to 2007 census there are 363,009 ethnic Goffa in Ethiopia, which make up around 0.49% of the co ...

, they gave their names to Ethiopia's former Gamo-Gofa province. Gofa broke away from the Gamo-Gofa zone in 2019.

Language

Initially, the word Gamo was thought to be a fruit by foreigners, mainly due to the fact that the Gamo people are known for some of their fruits. The Ethiopian government eventually recognized the language in 2000 to be taught in schools.

Population

The 2007 Ethiopian national census reported that 1,104,360 people (or 1.56% of the Ethiopian population) identified as Gamo, of whom 139,308 were urban inhabitants and 965,052 rural."Census 2007, Country Level"
, Table 3.1 However it is widely believed that the population of Gamo is considerably higher. The

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (often abbreviated as SNNPR; am, የደቡብ ብሔር ብሔረሰቦችና ሕዝቦች ክልል, Yädäbub Bḥer Bḥeräsäbočna Hzboč Kllə) is a regional state in southwestern ...

are home to the majority of the Gamo people.

Economy

The Gamo sell fruit in

’s 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 ...

, including, bananas, mangos, apples, and papayas. The Gamo have developed the ability to conserve crop genetic resources while also practicing effective farming strategies. This has led them to grow over 65 varieties of

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

, over 12 varieties of

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, over 100 varieties of enset, as well as dozens of varieties of

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

taro Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afri ...

, and yam. Many Gamo people are weavers that make traditional clothes such as kuta, gabi, buloko, and dunguza.

Religion and history

Originally, their belief system was rooted in

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 ...

, closely tied to nature. Today most are 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 ...

or Protestantism

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 ...

The missionary activities of the Christians brought disturbances and tensions in their traditional society, threatening the old way of life and ecological balance. The Gamo's strict social hierarchy offer an example of how a caste system manifests itself in material culture. Artisans, such as ground stone makers and potters, rely primarily on craft production for their livelihood.

History

Language

Population

Economy

Religion and history

References

Further reading