Dizi people

Last updated
Dizi
Dizi Tribe, Ethiopia (10128556066).jpg
A Dizi girl
Total population
36,380 [1] (2007, census)
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia
Languages
Dizin
Religion
Animism

Dizi (also known as the Maji) is the name of an ethnic group living in southern Ethiopia. They share a number of somatic similarities with certain culturally (but not always linguistically) related peoples of south-western Ethiopia, which include the Sheko and Nao, the Gimira (She, Bench, Mere), the Tsara, the Dime, the Aari and certain sub-groups of the Basketo people. A. E. Jensen has gathered these groups under the label of the "ancient peoples of southern Ethiopia". [2] They speak the Dizin language (part of the Omotic languages).

Before their forced incorporation into the Ethiopian Empire in the 1890s, based on their own statements and the evidence of numerous abandoned terraced hillsides, the Dizi are estimated to have numbered between 50,000 and 100,000. However, as Haberland observes, the imposition of an outside authority and its misrule led to a massive depopulation due to the abuses of the gebbar system, slave-raiding, "famine, disease and a growing sense of hopelessness and resignation, engendered by a total absence of justice. These things not only caused the number of Dizi to shrink (in 1974 there were probably scarcely more than 20,000) but shook their whole culture to its roots." [3]

Demographics

The 2007 Ethiopian national census reported that 36,380 people (or 0.05% of the population) identified themselves as Dizi, of whom 4,968 were urban inhabitants. The Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is home to 98.9% of this people. [1] They are the majority of the inhabitants of the Maji woreda, and have notable minorities in the neighboring Meinit and Surma woredas.

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Burji special woreda

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Yeki is a woreda in South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region, Ethiopia. Part of the Sheka Zone, Yeki is bordered on the south by the Bench Maji Zone, on the west by the Gambela Region, on the north by Amderacha, and on the east by the Keffa Zone.The name 'Yeki' is named after the name of Sheko chief. The major town in Yeki is Tepi. Tepi is also named after the name of Majang man who live in the center of the current Tepi town.

Basketo special woreda District in southwest Ethiopia

Basketo is a woreda in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia, named after its inhabitants, the Basketo people. Because Basketo is not part of any administrative Zone in the SNNPR, it is considered a special woreda—an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area.

Arba Minch Zuria is a woreda in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia. A part of the Gamo Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Arba Minch Zuria is bordered on the south by the Dirashe special woreda, on the west by Bonke, on the north by Dita and Chencha, on the northeast by Mirab Abaya, on the east by the Oromia Region, and on the southeast by the Amaro special woreda. This woreda also includes portions of two lakes and their islands, Abaya found in Lante kebele and Chamo found in all Ganta Kanchama Ochole and Zeyise kebeles. Nechisar National Park is located between these lakes. City of Arba Minch is surrounded by Arba Minch Zuria.

Bench was one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It was named for the Bench people, whose homeland lies in the northern part of the woreda. Part of the Bench Maji Zone, Bench was bordered on the south and east by Meinit, on the west by Sheko, and on the north by the Keficho Shekicho Zone. Towns in Bench included Aman and Mizan Teferi. Bench was divided into Debub Bench, Semien Bench, and She Bench woredas and Mizan Aman town; the southern part of Bench was added to Meinit Goldiya.

Surma is a woreda in West Omo Zone, in the South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named for the Surma or Suri people, whose homeland lies largely in this woreda. Suri woreda is bordered on the south and west by South Sudan, on the northwest by the Gambela Region, on the north by Bero, and on the east by Maji. A portion of the Omo National Park extends into the southern part of this woreda.

Sheko is a woreda in South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region, Ethiopia. It is named for the Sheko people, whose homeland lies in this woreda. Part of the Bench Maji Zone, Sheko is bordered on the south by Debub Bench, on the west by Guraferda, on the northwest by the Gambela Region, on the north by the Sheka Zone, and on the east by Semien Bench. Towns in Sheko include Sheko. The western part of this woreda was added to Dimma woreda and central part of it was used to create Guraferda woreda.

Meinit was one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Bench Maji Zone, Meinit was bordered on the south by Dizi, on the west by Sheko, on the north by Bench, on the east by the Keficho Shekicho Zone, and on the southeast by the Omo River which separated it from the Debub Omo Zone. Towns in Meinit included Bachuma,and Jemu. Meinit was separated for Meinit Goldiya and Meinit Shasha woredas.

Maji is a woreda in South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region, Ethiopia. Part of the West Omo zone, Maji is bordered on the south by the Kibish River which separates it from South Sudan, on the west by Surma, on the northwest by Bero, on the north by Meinit Shasha, and on the east by the Omo River which separates it from the Debub Omo Zone. Towns in Maji include Tum and Maji. The western part of Maji was separated to create Bero woreda and some southern kebeles were added to Nyangatom woreda.

Metu Zuria is one of the woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Illubabor Zone, Metu Zuria is bordered on the south by Ale, on the southwest by Bure, on the west by the Kelem Welega Zone, on the north by Darimu, on the northeast by Supena Sodo, on the east by Yayu and on the southeast by Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region. The former Metu worida was separated for Bicho, Bilo Nopha and Metu Zuria woredas and Metu Town.

Gera is one of the woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former Kingdom of Gera, whose territory was approximately the same as the modern woreda. Part of the Jimma Zone, Gera is bordered on the south by the Gojeb River which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the northwest by Sigmo, on the north by Setema, on the northeast by Gomma, and on the east by Seka Chekorsa. The administrative center of this woreda is Chira; other towns in Gera include Cheriko and Dusta.

Sude is one of the woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Arsi Zone, Sude is bordered on the south by Robe, on the southwest by Tena, on the west by Dodotana Sire, on the northwest by Jeju, on the north by Merti, on the northeast by Chole and on the southeast by Amigna. The administrative center of the woreda is Kula.

Dizin is an Omotic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by the Dizi people, primarily in the Maji woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, located in southwestern Ethiopia. The 2007 census listed 33,927 speakers. A population of 17,583 was identified as monolinguals in 1994.

Gaamo Zone is a zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Gaamo is bordered on the south by the Dirashe special woreda, on the southwest by Debub (South) Omo and the Basketo special woreda, on the northwest by Konta special woreda, on the north by Dawro and Wolayita, on the northeast by the Lake Abaya which separates it from the Oromia Region, and on the southeast by the Amaro special woreda. The administrative center of Gaamo is Arba Minch.

Sheka is a zone in the South West Region of Ethiopia. Sheka is bordered on the south by Bench Maji, on the west by the Gambela Region, on the north by the Oromia Region, and on the east by Keffa. The administrative center of Sheka is Masha. Sheka is the western part of former Keficho Shekicho Zone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Census 2007" Archived February 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , first draft, Table 5.
  2. Eike Haberland, "An Amharic Manuscript on the Mythical History of the Adi kyaz (Dizi, South-West Ethiopia)", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 46 (1983), p. 241
  3. Haberland, "Amharic Manuscript", pp. 241f