Kambaata people

Kambaata (ከምባታ) is the name of the people who speak the Kambaata language Their land is in south-central Ethiopia. It was a province of Ethiopia beginning in the early 15th century and ending in the mid-17th century; Ethiopian rule was once again established in the late 19th century under Emperor Menelik II. During this first period, Kambaata province was largely Christianized.[1] The former province is contained within the contemporary Kembata Tembaro Zone of Ethiopia's SNNPR.

Kambaata mother with her children in front of their tukul in the Kembata Tembaro Zone, Ethiopia

Demographics

According to the 2007 census, the population of the Kembata people was 627,565,[2] of whom 90.89% live in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region. Almost one in five – 18.5% – live in urban areas.[3]

The Kambata people speak the Kambaata language, a Cushitic language.

History

The Kingdom of Kembata was ruled by long line of its own kings known as Woma,. King Dagoye, from Oyeta clan, was one of the famous kings known for expanding Kambata territories. The last independent king of Kambata was king (Woma) Delbato Degoye.

An important landmark for the Kambaata people is Mount Hambaricho, where their king, Woma, used to live and the people used to celebrate annual festivities in the past. The king and the god of Kambata lived there.

Subsistence

They have many indigenous traditional foods, among which kocho which is processed from ensete, is their staple diet. They also grow many kinds of tubers, spices, coffee, crops, and vegetables.

Society

Kambata society used to have stratified social classes such as Womano and Contoma. In kembata province there are other clans like Tembaro, Alaba and many more different clans live together and become Kembata. The most isolated clan in Kembata province is tanners shekla seriwoch (fuga), this clan could not participate in any socio-economic activities with kembata. Kembata people could never marry tanners (fuga) clan.

Kambata is one of the most densely populated regions in Ethiopia. The Kambata pride themselves as one of the best-educated in the country. Due to over population and lack of economic opportunities in their region, they migrate to large cities, industrial areas and large plantation farms. In recent years they experienced a large influx of migration to South Africa and Middle Eastern countries.

References

1. Ulrich Braukämper, "Aspects of Religious Syncretism in Southern Ethiopia", in Journal of Religion in Africa, 1992, p.197.
2. Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census
3. 2007 Ethiopian census, first draft Archived 14 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Ethiopian Central Statistics Agency (accessed 6 May 2009)

Further reading

• Arsano, Yacob, "A traditional Institution of Kambata" (2002). In: Bahru Zewde and Siegfried Pausewang(eds.), Ethiopia. The Challenge of Democracy from below. Uppsala
• Braukämper, Ulrich. 1983. Die Kambata: Geschichte und Gesellschaft eines süd-äthiopischen Bauernvolkes. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner.
• Gebrewold-Tochalo, Belachew (2002), The Impact of the Socio-Cultural Structures of the Kambata/Ethiopia on their Economic Development. Vienna.
• Gebrewold, Belachew, "An introduction to the political and social philosophy of the Kambata" (Kambata Development Network website)
• Daniel Yoseph Baiso, Occupational Minorities in Kambata Ethnic Group, Nairobi, 2007
• Ashenafi Yonas Abebe, "Resignificacion de algunos valores culturales del pueblo Kambata-Etiope esde el mensaje evangélico", Bogota, 2008.