ETHIOPIAN TRIBES

Season 1, Episode 23

Just like any other country, there are many ethnic groups within Ethiopia.

The country has over 100 million people which makes it the second most populous country in Africa after Nigeria.

We’d be looking at the major ethnic groups or tribes in Ethiopia based on population percentages and familiarity.

The major tribes in Ethiopia are;

• Oromo

• Amhara

• Somali

• Tigray

• Sidama

• Gurage

• Wolayta

OROMO

This is the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia as it constitute about 35% of the total population. The people of Oromo inhabit the central part of Ethiopia which is Oromia and it is believed that Oromia is their original homeland from time past.

The Oromo people speak the Oromo native language. They are majorly subsistence farmers and nomads.

AMHARA

This is the second largest ethnic group in Ethiopia. The Amhara people of Ethiopia believe they are descendants of Shem, Noah’s eldest son in the Bible story. The people of Amhara speak Ahmaric language and this is the official language of Ethiopia.

The Amhara ethnic group are majorly farmers where they cultivate crops such as wheat, millet, corn, barley, pepper, beans and coffee, they are among the highest consumers of coffee.

TIGRAY

The Tigrayans are one of the major inhabitants of Ethiopia where they are mostly found in the Northern region of Ethiopia. The Tigrayans speak the Tigrinya language which is a Semitic language.

SOMALI

The Somalis are another major ethnic group found in Ethiopia and are also spread across Kenya and Somalia. The native language of the Somalis is somali.

Edited by Ebenezer Oladokun