The Gurage
Info:
History: Like the Amharas, the Gurage are a semitic people who track their origins to southern Arabia. Not until 1889 did the Ethiopian emperor conquer the Gurage. They lived little better than serfs, required to send payments of tribute. The region got its first all-weather road only in 1935 during Italy's occupation of Ethiopia. Today, Gurageland remains one of the least developed parts of Ethipia with a high percentage of migrant laborers.
Religion: The Gurage are mostly Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, but also practice islam. Roman Catholicism and traditional religious beliefs. A traditional Gurage belief holds that the Fuga turn into hyenas at night, and they eat dead animals and murdering children.
Customs: The ensete, or so-called "false banana" is at the heart of Gurage daily life. The fat fleshy coarse fruit provides both a staple food and practical use ranging from roof insulation to a sort of Saran wrap. The ensete diet repulses most of Amharas and helped keep the Italians away from Gurageland during their wartime occupation of Ethiopia.
Language: The Gurage speak a language called Guraginä, a distant relative of Amharic. Each dialect is a unique to its speakers. Amharic, Sidamo, and languahe native to Gurage territory, and Arabic have all influenced Guraginä. One obstacle: the absence of a written language.
Music: Traditional Ethiopian music is renowned for its other worldly feel. Many songs include:
Amhara National Song: This song praises the Amhara emperors and warriors who fought to keep Ethiopia free of outside invasions.
Song to the Emperor (Amhara): This song praises Emperor Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian emperor was believed to be a direct descendant of the biblical King Solomon and was seen as the embodiment of Ethiopia's ancient history.
Siyawe: Wedding Song (Burgi): This is played at weddings, and it uses sticks, drums, bells, while the dancers and singers form a circle around the bride.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbpbceUP98o
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYAedbQdXZA
History: Like the Amharas, the Gurage are a semitic people who track their origins to southern Arabia. Not until 1889 did the Ethiopian emperor conquer the Gurage. They lived little better than serfs, required to send payments of tribute. The region got its first all-weather road only in 1935 during Italy's occupation of Ethiopia. Today, Gurageland remains one of the least developed parts of Ethipia with a high percentage of migrant laborers.
Religion: The Gurage are mostly Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, but also practice islam. Roman Catholicism and traditional religious beliefs. A traditional Gurage belief holds that the Fuga turn into hyenas at night, and they eat dead animals and murdering children.
Customs: The ensete, or so-called "false banana" is at the heart of Gurage daily life. The fat fleshy coarse fruit provides both a staple food and practical use ranging from roof insulation to a sort of Saran wrap. The ensete diet repulses most of Amharas and helped keep the Italians away from Gurageland during their wartime occupation of Ethiopia.
Language: The Gurage speak a language called Guraginä, a distant relative of Amharic. Each dialect is a unique to its speakers. Amharic, Sidamo, and languahe native to Gurage territory, and Arabic have all influenced Guraginä. One obstacle: the absence of a written language.
Music: Traditional Ethiopian music is renowned for its other worldly feel. Many songs include:
Amhara National Song: This song praises the Amhara emperors and warriors who fought to keep Ethiopia free of outside invasions.
Song to the Emperor (Amhara): This song praises Emperor Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian emperor was believed to be a direct descendant of the biblical King Solomon and was seen as the embodiment of Ethiopia's ancient history.
Siyawe: Wedding Song (Burgi): This is played at weddings, and it uses sticks, drums, bells, while the dancers and singers form a circle around the bride.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbpbceUP98o
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYAedbQdXZA
Location:
This is the location of the Gurage.
