Awi people

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The Awi people are an ethnic group in Ethiopia and are one of the Agaw peoples. The Awi live in Agew Awi Zone west of Mirab Gojjam and have a few communities in the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region.

Contents

The Awi people are composed of seven subgroups, called Ankäša, Azäna, Chara, Qʷaqura, Banʤa, Zigän and Mätäkäl (አንከሻ ፣ አዛና ፣ ጫራ ፣ ቋቁራ ፣ ባንጃ ፣ ዚገን ፣ and መተከል). All Awi groups are classified to the Agaw line (አገው). These Awi mainly live in the Agäw Awi Zone located central Gojjam (Amhara Region), whereas small numbers of Awi groups as well reside in Mätäkäl Zone, neighboring Benishangul-Gumuz Region. [1]

Population

The 2007 census lists 631,565 ethnic Awis, or 0.85% of the total population; 63,415 are urban inhabitants. [2] The Awi Zone, according to the Central Statistical Agency, had roughly 990,000 inhabitants in 2005. Others living in that Zone are predominantly Amharas.

Language

The Awis speak Awngi, one of the Agaw languages, which are part of the Cushitic subfamily within Afroasiatic. Agaw languages form the main substratum influence on Amharic and other Ethiopian Semitic languages, which are also Afroasiatic languages. [3]

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Dangur is one of the 20 Districts of Ethiopia, or woredas, in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the Dangur range of mountains, which extend southwest from the mountains along the west side of Lake Tana. The administrative center of this woreda is Manbuk.

Guba is one of the 20 Districts of Ethiopia, or woredas, in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former Sultanate of Gubba. Part of the Metekel Zone, Guba is bordered by the Abay River on the south which separates it from the Kamashi Zone, Sudan on the west, Amhara Region on the north, Dangur on the east, and on the southeast by the Beles River, which separates it from Wenbera. Towns in Guba include Mankush. A refugee camp for displaced persons from Sudan operated in this woreda at Yarenja until all of its inhabitants were repatriated and the camp closed 28 March 2007.

Wenbera is one of the 20 Districts of Ethiopia, or woredas, in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Metekel Zone, it is bordered on the south and west by the Kamashi Zone, on the north by the Beles River which separates it from Guba and Dangur, and by Bulen on the east; the Abay River defines the boundary between Wenbera and the Kamashi Zone.

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Bure Wemberma former district of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It was one of the 105 woredas of the Amhara Region. Bure Wembera was divided into Bure and Wemberma woredas.

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Faggeta Lekoma is a woreda in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The woreda is named in part after two former districts: Faggeta, best known as the location for the Battle of Faggeta, where Ras Mikael Sehul with the help of Goshu of Amhara and Wand Bewossen defeated Fasil of Damot; and Lekoma, where Emperor Susenyos quashed a revolt of the local Agaw in 1614. Part of the Agew Awi Zone, Faggeta Lekoma is bordered on the south by Banja Shekudad, on the west by Guangua, on the north by Dangila, and on the east by the Mirab Gojjam Zone. Towns in Faggeta Lekoma include Addis Kidame and Faggeta.

Wemberma is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Its name comes from the historic district of Wemberma, which lay north of the Abay River between its tributaries the Zingini and Fatam. Part of West Gojjam Zone Wemberma is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Oromia Region and Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the north by the Agew Awi Zone, and on the east by Bure, Gojjam. The administrative center of Wemberma is Shendi. Wemberma was part of former Bure Wemberma woreda.

Jawi is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Agew Awi Zone, Jawi is bordered on the west by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the north by Semien Gondar Zone, on the east by Mirab Gojjam Zone, and on the southeast by the Dangila. Jawi was part of Dangila and Alefa woredas.

The Xamir people are an ethnic group in Ethiopia and are one of the Agaw peoples. The Xamir live in Wag Hemra Zone in the Amhara Region. The three main towns in that area are Sekota, Tsizika, and Dehana.

References

  1. Teffera Mekonnen, Timkehet (2019). Ethiopian Magnificent Holidays, A Case Study of the Ašända Feast. p. 60.
  2. "Census 2007", Table 5
  3. Raz, S. (1989). "Areal Features as a Further Criterion in Elucidating the Term 'Ethiopian Semitic'". African Languages and Cultures. 2 (1): 93–108. doi:10.1080/09544168908717697. JSTOR   1771707 . Retrieved 11 September 2022.