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People Profile Afar People of the Horn of Africa
Population: 1.4 million Religion: Folk Islam ROP code: 102419
Location: There are about 1.4 million Afar in the three countries: Ethiopia, Djibouti and Eritrea. The 1998 Ethiopia census reports about 980,000 Afar. Population estimates for Djibouti range from 130,000 to 170,000. Eritrea figures are generally reported as 300,000.
One source I know also reports almost 500,000 of these in Somali, but most sources have indicated they are not actually that far south. This was my conclusion when I investigated that question a few years ago.
In Djibouti the Afars make up about 40% of the population. The previous name of the territory was the French Territory of Afars and Issas, the latter being the tribe of Somalis who are dominant there.
Much of their territory is desert and salt flats, cut by great cracks from the sun's heat. Temperatures are reported to be the hottest on earth.
History: Little is known of the actual specific history of the Afar people. The Afar claim a descent from Arabs, through a mythic Yemeni ancestor, though they differ racially, linguistically and culturally.
This kind of cultural geneological adoption is common among Semitic and Cushitic peoples, such as some Somali clans, who also claim Yemeni Arab descent. Sometimes this reflects cultural ties from an earlier historical period or actual instances of intermarriage, perhaps for a defense alliance.
Popular history gives some insight into the history in the two traditional divisions of the Afar. Tradition indicates that the Asayahamara (The Red Ones) are descended from a group originally invading from the Ethiopian Highlands at one time, who imposed their rule on the Adoyahmara (The White Ones).
It is thought the color designations came from the reddish soil deserts inland, toward the direction the newcomers came from, and the white saline coastal areas, where the Adoyahamara are still more numerous. The Reds remain socially dominant, and claim ownership of the lands, while the Whites tend to be the herders. Both classes are, however, distributed among all the clans of the tribe.
Identity: The Afar are one of the people about whom little is available. Their inaccessilbility makes it difficult to obtain reliable objective information.
The Afar are a definite, separate ethnic group, as far back as we have information about peoples of the Horn, just details are few. Every people, though, is related to other peoples, of course. The Afar are a distinct Eastern Cushite people, with language and culture related to the Somali and Oromo.
They are a dark brown or black people with Caucasian features, similar to the darker Somali and Oromo. They are likewise distantly related to the ancient Beja group of peoples, who are Southern Cushites, and related in turn to the ancient Egyptian race.
They are referred to by some sources as the Danakil, from the Arabic name of the Danakil Depression, or Desert, near the Red Sea in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Amharic name for them is Adal. Adal was the name of an ancient Muslim empire that almost defeated the old Abyssinian Empire at one time. They call themselves Afar, which means in their language "The Best" or "First."
Language: The Afar speech is classified as a separate language in the Eastern Cushite group. It is most closely related to Saho (Ethiopia and Eritrea), and more distantly related to the Somali and Oromo groups of languages. Linguists generally identify four distinct dialects of Afar. Literacy rate in Afar is only about 1%; in Amharic (in Ethiopia) perhaps 3%.
Political Situation: The Afar maintain a loose confederation of four "sultanates." Rather than being hereditary sultantates, each sultan is appointed by the people, but reportedly is chosen from alternating segments in each of the four sections of the Afar.
The four sultanates are Aussa (also Asayita or Asaita) and Biru in Ethiopia, and Tajoura and Raheito in Djibouti. One older source reports a fifth sultantate, Gobad in Djibouti. The Sultan is the religious, as well as the political, leader of his clan of the Afar.
The Afar remain aloof from all central governments, unresponsive to opportunities and suggestions for change, resistant to domination by others. They are cautiously open to specific benefits like medical care or water programs. Groups of Afar can be seen camped just outside the edge of Djibouti town, where they come periodically for trade or medical care.
In history, the Afar have been active in military campaigns led by Muslm leaders against the Christian highland peoples. The Sultan of Aussa rules from the capital of the once-great Adal, an Afar-Somali kingdom. Afar fought for Ahmad Gran, the Amir of Harar, who, in his attempt to establish a Muslim Empire in Abbyssinia in the 16th century, devastaed the Ethiopian Highlands. Aussa, or Asayita, is now the capital of Afar State of Ethiopia.
During the 20th century, the Sultan of Aussa was mollified and cooperative under gifts and titles from the Ethiopian government. In recent decades relations with neighboring peoples has been more peacecful.
A major slave route to Arabia crossed Afar country, with Afar reportedly still actively trading in slaves as recently as 1928.
Customs: They are nomadic or transhumanic (moving from highland to lowlands with the seasons and rise and fall of the flood waters of the rivers). They carry their houses with them and reassemble them when they make temporary settlement.
Women run the home and settlement and set up the houses, which they carry on camels when they move. Women milk the goats and make butter or ghee. They are also the musicians in the tribe.
Marriage preference is first cousin, as is also common among Semitic peoples. Descent and marriage, however, follow the father's clan ("patrilocal"), rather than the mother's ("matrilocal"). Divorce rates are high.
The women usually are bare-breasted, unusual for professed Muslim peoples. The Afar practice infibrilation, the sewing together of the female vulva, a type of female "circumcision," practiced by other Cushite peoples, and some Bantu peoples. Similarly, boys are circumcised upon coming of age.
A large proportion of them mine salt from the Danakil Depression, and trade this with the Yemenis across the strait, or with Ethiopians for grain. They raise mostly goats, but some sheep, which they need for the required Muslim celebration feasts. They use camels for pack animals, but do not ride them.
The Afar living near the Red Sea are more settled, and fish for a living, selling the fish. The governments have had little success in getting the Afar to settle into permanent settlements. Some do live in the towns around the Aussa oasis, and in major towns.
The Sultan of Aussa, one of four traditional sultans of the Afar, receives land rental royalties from British concerns raising cotton, from what I understand.
They are very separate from the surrounding peoples, and suspicious and antagonistic to their neighbours the Somalis and the various Ethiopian tribes. They even have animosity and fighting between the clans of Afar, similarly to the family/clan orientation of the Somali culture, which is very atomized.
Scarcity of water is a common cause of conflict. Groups of warriors are assigned to guard herds and watering holes.
Vengeance killing has been a strong value, but is diminishing in modern times. Likewise, warfare has been the primary context for much of the culture. A few decades ago, for instance, a young man was not considered an adult until he had killed one man. His victim might be from a different people or from another Afar clan.
Religion: They are Sunni Muslims by profession, but also follow many of the traditional animistic practices and concepts, details of which I do have catalogued. There are no known Christians among them.
They are difficult to access geographically, but also culturally. Several Christian agencies are relating to them with various economic, medical, educational or cultural assistance. They are Sunni Muslims by profession, but also follow many of the traditional animistic practices and concepts. There are no known Christians among them.
They are difficult to access geographically, but also culturally. In recent years, Christian agencies have been active in various economic, medical, educational or cultural assistance work among the Afar.
I notice the Ethnologue reports some Afar as Christian, but gives no numbers or percentages.
Further Reading: UN Emergencies Unit Report 1996 (University of Pennsylvania) Afar Pastoralists and Rain Problems Danakalia Photos
The Registry Of Peoples Code for the Afar is 102419.
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Bibliography
Weekes, Richard V. "Afar," Muslim Peoples. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1984.
Olson, James S. "Afar," The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1996.
Phillips, David J. "AFAR or Danakil," Peoples on the Move. Pasadena, California: William Carey Library, 2001.
Lewis, I. M.. "Danakil -- French Territory of Afars and Issas," Peoples of the Earth (Volume Two). London: Danbury Press (Grolier Enterprises), 1973.
Orville Boyd Jenkins Written and posted 09 May 2004 Last edited 19 August 2005
Copyright © 2004 Orville Boyd Jenkins Permission granted for free download and transmission for personal or educational use. Other rights reserved.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
While traveling in a shuttle to the planet Ledos for a conference on Warp Field Dynamics, Chakotay and Seven of Nine take a small detour to admire the natural landscape. There they scrape an ancient energy barrier that begins to break the shuttle apart. Chakotay manages to blast a temporary hole through the barrier. The shuttle falls through but still threatens to break apart. Moments before it explodes, the two beam to the surface.
They find themselves in a lush jungle. In spite of Chakotay's leg injury, they decide to search for the shuttle's debris in hopes of constructing a distress beacon.
While searching, they encounter a tribe of primitive humanoids called the Ventu living in the jungle. Because of the Prime Directive, Chakotay and Seven agree to limit their contact with the Ventu as much as possible.
While in contact with the Ledos authorities, Paris performs an illegal flying maneuver within Ledos space. Despite his years of training as a pilot, the Ledos authorities insist he undergo a one-on-one piloting class as punishment. Janeway agrees to this, partly as a way to maintain good relations.
Seven is forced to go it alone as Chakotay is too injured to continue. Seven herself becomes lost and loses her tricorder down a small but deep hole.
As Chakotay rests from his injury, he is found by two Ventu and taken to their camp, where they begin healing his injuries. He begins to communicate with them and becomes impressed with their hospitality and culture. Out of necessity, Seven must affect their culture also, in order to watch out for Chakotay. The primitives come to emulate the two, even copying Chakotay's facial tattoos. One copies Seven's implants with debris taken from the shuttle.
Chakotay and Seven eventually disable the ancient energy barrier, mainly using the front section of the shuttlecraft. Voyager learns the barrier was erected by an alien species to separate the peoples of Ledos, protecting the Ventu from invasion and colonization. These aliens were eventually assimilated by the Borg (which is how Seven was able to penetrate the field during the crash). The shield going down opens up the primitive inhabitants to outsiders. The Ledos authorities promise Voyager the Ventu would be free of corruption but they see this is not true. Paris, under the protests of his driving instructor, uses dramatic and skillful piloting to help reestablish the barrier, freeing the primitives from any more cultural contamination by the outside world
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JOINING IN ON THE FUN
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