Saho people

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Saho
ሳሆ
Cushitic
peoples

The Saho are a

ethnic group who inhabit large sections of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.[5][6] They speak Saho as a mother tongue.[7]

Society

Ethnicity and societal structure

According to Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad, most of the Saho (like the

Somali) have a primordial view of their own ethnicity, and claim to be descended from Arabian immigrants; this in turn allows for an identification with the family of Muhammad, and for an association of their history with that of the Near East. The societal structure is patrilineal and hierarchic, with society vertically organized in tribes and clans and families. The tribe (meela, kisho, or qabila) is organized into sub-tribes (gaysha, harak, or 'are) or clans (dik or 'are), but these two concepts are not always clearly distinguished, which are the most important strata because they indicate an individual's "personal descent or origin". Family descent is memorized going back at least 30 or 40 generations. Also memorized and narrated are laws and customs, and consanguinity plays an important role in these traditions, indicating again the primordial quality of tribal and ethnic identity.[8]

Economy

Most Saho are pastoralists that also engage in some agriculture but a few groups are settled farmers.[9]

Demographics

The total population of the Saho is unclear due to conflicting figures. However, most Saho reside in Eritrea. According to a 2015 estimate, the total population ranges anywhere from 250,000 to 650,000.[10] According to Saho advocacy groups, they estimated that the population of Sahos in Eritrea was about 206,000 in 2016.[11] The Saho represent about 4% of the population of Eritrea as of 2021.[12] A 2012 estimate placed the Saho-speaking population of Ethiopia at 37,000.[13]

According to

Northern Red Sea regions.[14]

Language

The Saho people speak the

Saho-Afar dialect cluster of the Lowland East Cushitic languages, which are part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family.[16] and is closely related to Afar and Somali. Many Saho people have mingled with other Muslim tribes such as the Jeberti (Tigrinya-speaking Muslims) and the Tigre
and have as a result adopted those tribes languages.

Religion

The Saho are predominantly

Debub Region of Eritrea.[18]

Customary law

Regarding the customary law of the Saho, when there is an issue the Saho tend to call for a meeting or conference which they call rahbe. In such a meeting the Saho people discuss how to solve issues related to water, pasture or land, clan disputes and how to alleviate these problems. This is also discussed with neighboring tribes or ethnic groups and sub-clans to reach a consensus.[19]

A skilled representative is chosen for this meeting, this representative is called a madarre. A madarre brings forth arguments to his audience and sub-clans or tribes who are involved and tries to win them over. This is discussed with clan or tribal wise men or elders, ukal. On smaller scale conflicts between 2 individuals, one of the 2 takes their grievances to the ukal, they in turn appoint shimagale or mediators for the dispute.[19]

Among the Saho there is a sub-clan called the Gadafur. The Gadafur are an independent sub-clan affiliated with the Minifere tribes and are believed to be originally from the tribe of Gadabuursi.[20]

Notable Saho

Ibrahim Omer, New Zealand MP

Osman Ayfarah, British principal presenter at Al Jazeera Channel (Arabic) who worked for a number of channels including Dubai TV, Al Arabiya and BBC Arabi.[21]

References

Notes

  1. ISBN 978-1-61069-954-9
    .
  2. ^ "Saho". Ethnologue. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  3. ISBN 978-0-8108-7457-2
    .
  4. ISBN 1581120001
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-08-087775-4
    . Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  6. ^ "FindArticles.com - CBSi". findarticles.com. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  7. ISBN 978-0-08-087775-4
    . Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  8. ^ Mohammad 58.
  9. ISBN 978-1-5381-2066-8
    .
  10. ISBN 978-1-61069-954-9
    .
  11. ^ "The 'Animal Caretakers': The Saho of Eritrea". Eritrea Ministry Of Information. 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  12. ^ "Eritrea", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2022-04-22, retrieved 2022-05-05
  13. ISBN 978-0-8108-7457-2
    .
  14. ^ a b "Saho". ethnologue.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Saho, Irob in Ethiopia".
  16. ^ Mohammad 162.
  17. doi:10.1163/1570060054307534 – via JSTOR
    .
  18. ^ "allsaho.com". Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  19. ^ a b Qānūn Al-ʻurfī Li-muslimī Ākalaguzāī. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 26.
  20. ISBN 9783643903327
    .
  21. ^ "Osman Ayfarah". Al Jazeera.

Bibliography

External links
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