Kunama
Total population
260,000[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Eritrea250,000 (est.)[2][3]
 Ethiopia5,400 (2007)[4]
Languages
Kunama
Religion
Animism, Islam and Christianity (Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Roman Catholic,[2] P'ent'ay)[5]
Related ethnic groups
Nara

The Kunama are an ethnic group native to Eritrea. They are one of the smallest ethnic communities in Eritrea, constituting only 4% of the population. Most of the estimated 260,000 Kunama live in the remote and isolated area between the Gash and Setit rivers near the border with Ethiopia. The Kunama people have ancient ancestry in the land of Eritrea.[6] In the 2007 Ethiopian census, however, the number of Kunama in Tigray has dropped to 2,976 as the remaining 2,000 or so members of this ethnic group have migrated into the other regions of Ethiopia.[4][2][3]

History

The earliest written mention of the Kunama comes from Ya'qubi, writing around 872 AD. His account is based on travelers' reports. He noted the 'Cunama' tribe living on the eastern borders of Alodia. They were later mentioned by the 10th century Arab geographer Ibn Hawqal. He states they lived in the Barka valley, and fought with bows, poisoned arrows and spears, but did not use shields. He also mentions that the Kunama worship a God called Anna, and were ruled by a community of elders.[7][8][9]

The Kunama were victims of frequent slave raids by the neighboring Tigrinya and Tigrayan people, the Kunama called these raids sakada masa or baada. In 1692 Abyssinia led a raid on the Kunama, capturing hundreds of slaves and cattle. The governor of Tigray exacted tribute from the Kunama, if tribute was not paid then the Tigrayans would raid, kill and enslave the Kunama.[10] Until about 1750 the Kunama were able to resist with advantage in their territories, their raids had thrown such terror into their neighbors that the Abyssinians of Wolkait and Adi-Abo were forced to abandon the cultivation of the plain for retire to the mountains.[11] Among the most violent raids ever recorded in the region was conducted by the Tigrayan warlord Ras Alula of Ethiopia, who in 1886, killed off two-thirds of the Kunama and Nara populations. Italian colonialism in the 1890s put an end to the raids.[12]

During the Eritrean War of Independence, the Kunama were the only tribe in Eritrea to have consistently supported Ethiopian rule. In the 1940s they were raided by Hamid Idris Awate and many of their villages were destroyed, another raid by the ELF in 1962 forced many Kunama to flee towards Tigray province. In 1977 the Kunama raised a militia to fight alongside the Ethiopians against the Eritrean separatists. As a result, whenever the Ethiopian soldiers went through the Gash Barka region, they would burn down the villages belonging to the Tigre and Nara but leave the Kunama villages alone. In the 1980s, the EPLF sought to gain Kunama support through village self organization programs, social services and education. By the end of the decade some Kunama had begun participating in the EPLF.[13][14]

The Ethiopian-Eritrean War (1998–2000) forced some 4,000 Kunama to flee their homes to Ethiopia as the most intense parts of the conflict took place in their own homeland.[15]

Demographics

The Kunama speak the Kunama language. It is conventionally classified as part of the Nilo-Saharan family, which also includes the nearby Nara language although they are not closely related. Although some Kunama still practice traditional beliefs, majority of the Kunama have adopted Islam.[16]

The fertile plains of the Gash-Setit, also known as the Gash-Barka region, where the Kunama live are sometimes referred to as the "breadbasket of Eritrea". Formerly nomadic, today they are farmers and pastoralists. Historically, the Kunama have been dominated by other ethnic groups and they are often forced from their traditional lands. The official policy of the Government of Eritrea is that all land is state property and the Government encourages large commercial farms.[17]

The Kunamas are settled agriculturalists and pastoralists living mainly from cattle. They are matriarchal with a prominent role played by women. According to their social system, a child is a member of Kunama society only if his or her mother is Kunama, and relatives are only recognized on the mother's side.[2] The Kunamas are both linguistically and culturally closely related to the Nara people of Eritrea.[18][19]

Culture

Many of the Kunama were traditionally hunters and gatherers. They also engaged in hoe-farming. However, some Kunama took up pastoralism as agricultural land became scarce. Contemporary Kunama are mainly sedentary agriculturists and pastoralists who raise cattle.[20]

The Kunama are a matrilineal clan-based society, where some of the most notable clans include the Alaka, Lakka, Serma, Kara, and Nataka.[20]

The majority of the Kunama are adherents of Islam or Roman Catholicism, while a few still practice their traditional religion.[21] The Kunama converted to Christianity and Islam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[22]

Media

The award-winning documentary film Home Across Lands[23] follows a group of Kunama refugees resettled in the United States and their attempts to adapt to life in their new home.

References

  1. ^ "Who Are the Kunama People?". 8 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Eritrea: Information on the Kunama ethnic group". Refworld.
  3. ^ a b "Kunama and Nara". 19 June 2015.
  4. ^ a b Central Statistical Agency (2008). "Table 5: Population Size of Regions by Nations/Nationalities (Ethnic Group) and Place of Residence: 2007". Census 2007 (PDF). Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Agency. p. 66. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-18.
  5. ^ "Kunama in Eritrea". Joshua Project.
  6. ^ Sasha Blakeley; Christopher Muscato; Lesley Chapel (2023). "Eritrea: Overview, People & Ethnic Groups". Study.com (web course).
  7. ^ Bender, Marvin L. (1968). "Analysis of a Barya Word List". Anthropological Linguistics. Indiana University Press. 10 (9): 1–24. JSTOR 30029131.
  8. ^ Pankhurst, Richard (1997). The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century. The Red Sea Press. p. 28. ISBN 9780932415196.
  9. ^ Trimingham, J. Spencer (13 September 2013). Islam in Ethiopia. Routledge. ISBN 9781136970221.
  10. ^ Even the Stones are Burning. The Red Sea Press. 1998. p. 41. ISBN 9781569020579.
  11. ^ Pollera, Alberto (1913). I Baria e i Cunama (in Italian). Rome: Royal Geographic Society. p. 34. hdl:2027/uiug.30112028235742. Retrieved 15 July 2022 – via HathiTrust.
  12. ^ Patteman, Roy (2003). Blood, Land, and Sex. Indiana University Press. p. 36. ISBN 9780253109842.
  13. ^ Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. Scarecrow Press. 14 October 2010. p. 338. ISBN 9780810875050.
  14. ^ Even the Stones are Burning. The Red Sea Press. 1998. p. 21. ISBN 9781569020579.
  15. ^ "Forgotten People: The Kunama of Eritrea and Ethiopia". Archived from the original on 2007-12-18.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ^ Killion, Tom (1998). Historical dictionary of Eritrea. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3437-8.
  17. ^ Naty, Alexander. "Memories of the Kunama of Eritrea towards Italian colonialism." Africa: Rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione dell’Istituto italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente 56.4 (2001): 573-589.
  18. ^ Mourant, A.E.; Kopeć, A.C.; Ikin, E.W.; Lehmann, H.; Bowen-Simpkins, P.; Fergusson, I.L.C.; Hellier, M.D.; Jones, R.D.; Roberts, I.A.M. (1974). "The blood groups and haemoglobins of the Kunama and Baria of Eritrea, Ethiopia". Annals of Human Biology. 1 (4): 383–392. doi:10.1080/03014467400000421. PMID 4611324.
  19. ^ Excoffier, Laurent; et al. (1987). "Genetics and history of sub-Saharan Africa". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 30: 151–194. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330300510. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  20. ^ a b Tesfagiorgis, Mussie G. (2010). Eritrea. ABC-CLIO. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-59884-232-6.
  21. ^ G, Mussie Tesfagiorgis (2010). Eritrea. ABC-CLIO. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-59884-231-9.
  22. ^ Connell, Dan; Killion, Tom (2010). Historical Dictionary of Eritrea. Scarecrow Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-8108-7505-0.
  23. ^ "Home Across Lands". 2012-03-03. Retrieved 2018-04-13.

External links

Ethnic groups in Eritrea
Authority control databases: National
Category