Guji Oromo people
The Guji Oromo are an ethnic Oromo group living in southern Ethiopia. They are known by their agro-pastoral life style. According to a population projection from 2007, the total population of the Guji Oromo is above 5 million.The Gujii have lived in their territory for many centuries. They claim that their cradle land is Girja.[1]
The Guji live in a fertile and natural resource-rich region in Ethiopia: the Guji Zone in the Oromia Region, which is named for them. The known gold mining area of Adola (or Kebri Mangest), the dense natural forest of Bada Magada, the Nechisar National Park and Shakiso-Adola evergreen forests are the natural areas which have been conserved by the Guji Oromo.
Language
Guji's speak Oromo language. Oromo (pron. /ˈɒrəmoʊ/[3] or /ɔːˈroʊmoʊ/[4][5]) is an Afroasiatic language. It is the most widely spoken tongue in the family's Cushitic branch. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 24.6 million Oromo people and neighboring peoples in Ethiopia, and by an additional half million in parts of northern and eastern Kenya.[6] It is also spoken by smaller numbers of emigrants in other African countries such as South Africa, Libya, Egypt, and Sudan. Oromo is a dialect continuum; not all varieties are mutually intelligible. The native name for the Oromo language is Afaan Oromoo, which translates to "mouth (language) of Oromo." It was formerly known as "Galla", a term now considered pejorative but still found in older literature.
Religion
In the Guji zone where most gujis are found, there are three major religions: original Oromo religion (Waaqa), Islam, and Christianity.[2] However, the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), 96.86% of the population said they were Muslim, and 2.11% said they practiced Orthodox Christian.
Education
The Guji people are known for using a large number and wide variety of proverbs in many social and conversational contexts.[3]
Notes
- ↑ http://www.gujii.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=58
- ↑ http://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/anthropology-and-archaeology/people/oromo
- ↑ Tadesse Jaleta Jirata. 2009. A contextual study of the social functions of Guji-Oromo proverbs. Saabruecken: DVM Verlag.
Sources
- Dejene N. Debsu. 2009. Gender and culture in southern Ethiopia: an ethnographic analysis of Guji-Oromo women's customary rights. African Study Monographs 30.1: 15-36.
- Loo, Joseph van and Bilow Kola. 1991. Guji Oromo culture in southern Ethiopia: Religious capabilities in rituals and songs. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag.
- Taddesse Berisso. 2000. The Riddles of Number Nine in Guji-Oromo Culture. Journal of Ethiopian Studies Volume 33.1: 49-66.