Occupying the northwestern parts of Ethiopia and speaking the native Amharic language are the Amhara people . Read on as we examine some interesting facts about the Amhara tribe.
Amhara people, tribe
The Amhara are culturally and politically one of the most dominant ethnic groups in Ethiopia. The Amhara, Oromo and Tigre make up more than a third of Ethiopia’s tribes and population. The tradition of the Amhara tribe dates back to Menelik I, the son of King Solomon and Queen Sheba.
Each member of the Amhara tribe performs specific duties assigned to them. Men work in the fields, women work in the kitchen, while children are responsible for feeding the animals. The children not only take care of the livestock, but also attend classes in public schools.
The Amhara are very creative and innovative, using dried cow dung or firewood to cook their food so nothing goes to waste. They plow the fields with oxen, plant and harvest with their bare hands and with animal feet. Injera is their stable food and is made from tiny native grains commonly known as teff .
Meanwhile deforestation and lack of clean drinking water is the main problem of Amhara. This is one of the main contributors to the famine in their country. One of the greatest famines to affect the Amhara occurred in 1974 and 1984.
Amhara culture
The Amharas have a unique dressing code for men wearing blankets and white shawls wrapped over their shoulders, while the women wear white robes and white dresses also wrapped around their shoulders. The two things that define their attire are their culture and the cold weather they live in.
Amharas build their homesteads on hills, which protects them from floods. Sons build houses on their father’s land and can marry from the age of 17, while girls marry at the tender age of 14. Marriages are negotiated by both families and a civil ceremony is held to seal the contract. The presence or absence of a priest is also determined by both families.
The Amhara allow negotiations after a series of divorces. They also practice temporary marriage, contracted orally in front of witnesses. In a temporary marriage, the woman receives the wages of the housekeeper and is not entitled to an inheritance. However, children born in the [temporal] marriage are recognized and entitled to property inheritance. However, Amhara priests are not among them as they are not allowed to divorce or remarry.
Traditionally, the Amhara breastfeed their children for two years, with children receiving little discipline until they reach the age of five to seven. Boys herd cows and sheep while girls help their mothers babysitting and fetching wood for cooking.
Also Read: Facts About Oromo, Language, and Tribe
Amhara language and religion
The Amhara speak the Amharic language, which is also a Semitic language of Ethiopians and is the second most spoken Semitic language in the world after Arabic. The Amharic language is the official language of the country and Ethiopia has always been ruled by the Tigray people and the Amhara people.
The majority of the Amhara are ChristianRefer to the ancient roots of Aksum. It is believed that Christianity first came to Amhara land in the 16th century when an emperor converted to Christianity. This seems to account for the influence of Christianity on the country today. Ten percent of the Amhara are evangelical Christians.
The Amhara boys are baptized on the fortieth day after their birth while girls are baptized on the eightieth day after their birth. This marks their entry into the church as the Amhara believe that the church represents salvation while their daily life is governed by their faith. They also believe very strongly in fasting. Faithful Christians fast for up to 250 days a year.
However, Amhara people largely rely on their Christian teachings about tradition and Western ideas are met with great skepticism, especially innovations based on religion. Their fear of foreign ideas has limited the Amhara people from outside missionaries from other Christian denominations. This has also limited their access to the Bible, with the few available being translated into Amharic.
In addition, most Amhara people do not have access to a church because many live in remote mountains where there is little or no means of transportation. Most of them focus on the teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC). The EOC is an ancient church founded at the beginning of the 4th century AD. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church was heavily influenced by Syriac Christianity.
Amhara women
Amhara has beautiful women and they are also very hard working. This is reflected in the fact that most of these women run their own businesses, professions or occupations and are therefore not completely dependent on their husbands.
As previously mentioned, most women get married before the age of 17, making the culture one of the most popular when it comes to child marriages. One of the reasons they are already married at the age of 14 is to preserve the virginity of the young girls for their husbands.