Oromo people historically

Oromo language and people   Login Oromo Table of Contents HomeGeography & TravelHuman GeographyPeoples of Africa Oromo people Actions By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica • Edit History Table of Contents Oromo, the largest ethnolinguistic group of Ethiopia, constituting more than one-third of the population and speaking a language of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. Originally confined to the southeast of the country, the Oromo migrated in waves of invasions in the 16th century CE. They occupied all of southern Ethiopia, with some settling along the Tana River in Kenya; most of the central and western Ethiopian provinces, including the southern parts of the Amhara region; and, farther north, the Welo and Tigre regions near Eritrea. Wherever the Oromo settled in those physically disparate areas, they assimilated local customs and intermarried to such an extent that much of their original cultural cohesiveness was lost. They were eventually subjugated by the Amhara, the next largest ethnolinguistic group in Ethiopia. Related Topics:  Boran Oromo See all related content → The Oromo pursued pastoralism before the great migration, and that way of life still prevails for the great numbers of people in the southern provinces. In the east and north, however, long mingling and intermarrying with the Sidamo and Amhara resulted in the adoption of a sedentary agriculture.  READ MORE ON THIS TOPIC eastern Africa: Rise of the Oromo The challenge came from the Oromo, a Cushitic-speaking pastoralist people whose original... The southern groups, such as the Arusi and Boran (Borana) Oromo, have remained pagan, believing in a sky god. They have retained virtually intact the gada, or highly formalized age-set system (a system in which all members of society are included in separate age groups for life). Those traditions have been diluted in the north, where the Oromo are either Muslim or members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and where many Oromo have, through acculturation, become social equals to the dominant Amhara. This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy McKenna. HomeGeography & TravelHuman GeographyPeoples of Africa Shona people Actions Alternate titles: Mashona By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica • Edit History Table of Contents Shona, group of culturally similar Bantu-speaking peoples living chiefly in the eastern half of Zimbabwe, north of the Lundi River. The main groupings are the Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Tonga-Korekore, and Ndau.  Shona man Shona healer dressed in traditional costume, Zimbabwe. Hans Hillewaert The Shona are farmers of millet, sorghum, and corn (maize), the last being the primary staple, and a variety of other crops such as rice, beans, peanuts (groundnuts), and sweet potatoes. Cattle are kept by most groups, but, although useful for their milk, they are mainly for prestige, as a store of value, and for bride-price payments. Villages consist of clustered mud and wattle huts, granaries, and common cattle kraals (pens) and typically accommodate one or more interrelated families. Personal and political relations are largely governed by a kinship system characterized by exogamous clans and localized patrilineages. Descent, succession, and inheritance, with the exception of a few groups in the north that are matrilineal, follow the male line. Chiefdoms, wards, and villages are administered by hereditary leaders. Shona traditional culture, now fast declining, was noted for its excellent ironwork, good pottery, and expert musicianship. There is belief in a creator-god, Mwari, and a concern to propitiate ancestral and other spirits to ensure good health, rain, and success in enterprise. Elementary education, Christian missions, and partial urbanization have weakened traditional institutions and leadership. However, magic and witchcraft continue as important means of social control and explanations for disasters. Th... Load Next Page