Kwegu (people)
The Kwegu or Bacha are a critically endangered people living in the region of the southern nations, nationalities and peoples in the extreme southwest of Ethiopia . While earlier sources (1982) still assumed 500 to 1000 Kwegu, the number is below 200 today. Their settlement area is limited to the village of Kuchur and a few other villages on the west bank of the Omo .
language
The original language of Kwegu is the same Kwegu , the historically with the languages of neighboring Mursi and Me'en is related and as well as those of the Surmischen languages , part of the Nilo-Saharan languages , counts. Kwegu has some similarities to Mursi . However, these three languages are not mutually understandable. Yidinich and Muguji are dialects of the Kwegu.
The occasions on which Kwegu is spoken are decreasing. Learning as a mother tongue is heavily dependent on the parents' social environment. As a result, the language is rarely used by young adults and the youngest speakers today are middle-aged or older. Smaller groups have in some cases completely forgotten the language. The Kwegu have replaced their traditional language with Mursi or Bodi , depending on the region .
Life and culture
In general, little is known about the Kwegu due to their secluded way of life. They are known to be good hunters and fishermen and are skilled at building canoes. They also collect honey and grow durra along the banks of the Omo in the dry season . In contrast to the neighboring Mursi, they do not raise cattle.
In their traditions, especially in the economic and social system, religious values and refined hair styles, the Kwegu are similar to the Hamar . However, they set themselves apart from them through their own language and see themselves as an independent people.
What is remarkable is the special symbiotic way of life that they practice with the Mursi and Bodi and that is shown in the film "The Kwegu". A Kwegumann looks for a patron among the Bodi or Mursi and offers him ferry services across the river teeming with crocodiles and possibly also hunting products such as leather, meat or ivory. The reward of the patron consists in protection from other Mursi or Bodi and in the provision of cattle as a dowry for the marriage of the Kwegumannes. Since their neighbors' cattle are indispensable to marriage, the Kwegu's relationship with Mursi or Bodi is often referred to as addiction. However, Jean Lyndall sees the Kwegu more as clever business people who pay dearly for their services.
See also
Movies
- Leslie Woodhead (Director), David Turton (Anthropologist): The Kwegu . The Royal Anthropological Institute (London 1982). second part of the trilogy "In Search of Cool Ground: The Mursi Trilogy".
Web links
- Languages in the Horn of Africa (distribution map) (PDF file; 2.12 MB)
swell
- ^ Grover Hudson: 75 Ethiopian Languages. 19 Cushitic, 20 Nilosaharan, 23 Omotic, 12 Semitic, and 1 Unclassified . Michigan State University ( PDF; 133 kB ).
- ↑ Raymond G. Gordon, Jr. (Ed.): Ethnologue. Languages of the World . 15th edition. SIL International, Dallas, Texas 2005 ( online )
- ↑ UNESCO Atlas on endangered languages
- ^ Jean Lyndall: Review of the film "The Kwegu". RAIN, No. 50, pages 22-24.