Majangir

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Majangir ( Majang , also Mezenger or Mezhenger ) is a people living in southwestern Ethiopia . According to a 1998 census, the population is 15,341. The actual number is estimated to be higher because the Majangir live in scattered settlements in the mountains.

The Mahangir speak the language of the same name , which belongs to the Surmic languages , a subgroup of the Nilo-Saharan languages .

The People's Democratic Union of Sheko and Mezenger acts as the political representative of the Majangir in Ethiopia .

Culture

The Majangir traditionally live in small groups in the same place they farm for three to five years and move on when the fertility of the soil decreases. They raise bees and collect honey, go hunting and catch fish. But animals only make up a small part of their diet, the majority they get from their own agricultural cultivation.

The Majangir's way of life has changed over the past few decades. The most noticeable change is that they now live in permanent settlements. Cattle breeding, which was traditionally not part of their culture, has also been started by some residents since the 1980s. In addition, fruit and coffee plants are now being grown that take several years to harvest.

The Majangir have an egalitarian society with no political leaders. The only official positions are those of the tapad , who lead the rituals. These are from the Meelanir clan, a group associated with privileged clans of the same name in other Surmic groups.

In contrast to the cultures in the Ethiopian highlands, there is no voting or arbitration process with the Majangir. In the event of a serious dispute, either party would simply move on.

The Majangir have over 70 clans, the respective name is passed on through the male line. A person cannot and should not marry a person from the same clan as the mother.

Traditionally there are two alcoholic drinks: tááján (cf. Tella ) made from grain and ògòòl (cf. Tej ) made from honey.

The music consists of singing, which can be both harmonic and antiphonic , and is accompanied by traditional instruments. Below is a five-string lyre , a lamellophone , drums, rattles and a panpipe . In addition, they play a xylophone with three chimes.

The traditional life of the Majangir began to change rapidly since the 1970s. Many members have converted to Christianity. Since the end of the civil war in 1991 and the subsequent reallocation of the country according to ethnic lines, the Majangir have been politically marginalized. Their territory is divided into three administrative units, the so-called kalil . This frustration led to some armed fighting against the government.

language

The Majangir language belongs to the group of Surmish languages , but is largely isolated from the other languages ​​in this group. There are only a few dialects that change from north to south, but hardly affect communication.

literature

  • M. Lionel Bender: Majang Phonology and Morphology . In: Nilo-Saharan Language Studies . Michigan State University, African Studies Center, East Lansing, Michigan 1983, pp. 114 .
  • Harold Fleming: Surmic etymolgies . In: Nilotic Studies: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Languages ​​and History of the Nilotic Peoples . Michigan State University, African Studies Center, East Lansing, Michigan 1983, pp. 524-555 .
  • Harvey Hoekstra: From "knotted strings" to talking Bibles . Pasadena: William Carey Library 2003.
  • Ren'ya Sato: Christianization through Villagization: Experiences of Social Change among the Majangir . In: Ethiopia in Broader Perspective: Papers of 13th International Ethiopian Studies . tape 2nd , 1997.
  • Ren'ya Sato: Formation of Historical Consciousness among the Majangir: A Preliminary View with an Analysis of a narrative on the Majangir History . In: Swahili & African Studies . 1997.
  • Ren'ya Sato: Seasonal Labor Allocation and Diversification Strategy of Swedden Agricultural System: A Report from the Majangir, Southwest Ethiopia . In: Human Geography . 1995, p. 541-561 .
  • Ren'ya Sato: Ethiopian Decentralization and a Peripheral People: A Dispute Over Regional Borders and the Disruption of a Certain Development Project . In: Africa Report . 2000, p. 12-15 .
  • Ren'ya Sato: Evangelical Christianity and ethnic consciousness . In: Majangir. Remapping Ethiopia Socialism and After . James Currey Ltd, 2002.
  • Jack Stauder: The Majangir: Ecology and Society of a Southwest Ethiopian People . In: Majangir. Remapping Ethiopia Socialism and After . Cambridge University Press, London 1971.
  • Jack Stauder: Anarchy and Ecology: Political Society among the Majangir . In: Southwestern Journal of Anthropology . 28.2 edition. Cambridge University Press, London 1972, pp. 153-168 .
  • Y. Teramoto, R. Sato, S. Ueda: Characteristics of fermentation yeast isolated from traditional Ethiopian honey wine, ogol . In: African Journal of Biotechnology . tape 4 .. Cambridge University Press, London 2005, pp. 160-163 .
  • Peter Unseth: Majang Nominal Plurals: With Comparative Notes . In: Studies in African Linguistics . 1988, p. 75-92 .
  • Peter Unseth: Sketch of Majang Syntax . In: Topics in Nilo-Saharan Linguistics . Helmut Buske Verlag, Hamburg 1989, p. 97-127 .
  • Peter Unseth: Notes on Clan, Kinship, and Marriage Patterns Among the Majangir . In: Surmic Languages ​​and Cultures . Köppe, Cologne 1998, p. 145-178 .
  • Peter Unseth: Two Old Causative Affixes in Surmic . In: Surmic Languages ​​and Cultures . Köppe, Cologne 1998, p. 113-126 .
  • Peter Unseth: Cross-ethnic Clan Identities Among Surmic Groups: The Case of the Mela . In: Surmic Languages ​​and Cultures . Köppe, Cologne 1998, p. 103-112 .
  • Sarah Vaughan: Ethnicity and Power in Ethiopia . University of Edinburgh, 2003 ( addisvoice.com [PDF]).