THE DANAKIL The Horn of Africa

WHO ARE THE DANAKIL?

• Cushite ethnic group residing in the Danakil Desert

• they prefer to be known as the Afar which means "The Best" or "First”

•Population: about 1,5 million

• two sub-groups: the Asayahamara ("red ones"), and the Adoyahmara ("white ones")

WHAT LANGUAGE DO THEY SPEAK?

• the language is called Afar

• it has four distinct dialects: Northern, Central, Aussa, and Baadu

• Literacy rate: 1%

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

• The earliest written mention: 13th century by the Arab writer ibn Sa'id

WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

• They are nomadic pastoralists (raising goats, sheep and cattle) in the Danakil Desert which extends in 4 countries:

- Djibouti - Somalia - Ethiopia - Eritrea

• They live in camps surrounded by thorn barricades

• The society is ruled by sultanates

• The asaimara ('reds') are the politically dominant class

• the adoimara ('whites') are the working class

HOW DO THEY LIVE?

HOW IS THEIR HOME?

• they build semi-permanent locations • they live in tent houses known as an 'ari' • women run the home and settlement and set up the houses

WHAT DO THEY WEAR?

• women traditionally wear a headscarf called a 'shash'

• most women don`t wear breast coverings

• Their clothes are very colorful

HOW IS THEIR FAMILY?• The tribes lay great stress on

a man's toughness, strength and bravery

• Descent is traced through the male line

• marriages are usually monogamous

• Divorce rates are high • Girls marry as early as 10• Marriages between first

cousins are preferred• Circumcision is practiced for

both boys and girls

WHAT DO THEY EAT?

• Meat and milk are the major components of the Danakil diet • Other foods: fish, sour milk, porridge, wheat pancakes, red

pepper,butter

• 99.9% - Sunni Muslim

• less than 1% - Christians

• The brand of Islam they practice is heavily syncretic and includes many elements of their indigenous religion

WHAT DO THEY BELIEVE?

WHAT ARE THEIR PROBLEMS?

• One of the most serious problems in Djibouti is drough and high temperatures

• The second equally serious problem is the political pressure and local wars

ARE THEY HOSPITABLE?

• They are know for their hostility to strangers

• When crossing their territory one must ask for permission

• They are very hospitable once they know you

• The Afar are oral people - they pass along their history in recitations

• Women are the musicians of the village

 POETIC LIFE

WHAT IS THE CLIMATE LIKE?

• one of the hottest places on Earth (Africa`s hottest region)

• temperatures: 77 °F (rainy season) to 118 °F (dry season

• no rain for 3/4 of the year

GEOGRAPHIC FACTS

• salt and mangrove forests

• salt deposits of up to 3 miles thick

• Erta Ale - a shield volcano

which makes a lava lake

The region is famos for the impressive lava structures

GEOGRAPHIC FACTS

Danakil region used to be part of the Red Sea

GEOGRAPHIC FACTS

RECENT HISTORY• 1991 - victory of the

Tigray Peoples Liberation Front

• 1997 - Ethiopian troops occupied Eritrea

• 2000 - Ethiopia launched an invasion on Eritrea

• 2002 - the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission of Hague awarded the Danakil Depression to Ethiopia.

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP

• The country is led by sultanes who are appointed by the people

• There are four sultanates:

- Aussa (Ethiopia)

- Biru (Ethiopia)

- Tajoura (Djibouti)

- Raheito (Djibouti)

Ethiopia on a 100 birr note

VISITING THE DANAKIL

• Djibouti is a place where few people have set foot

• It has wide open spaces and a breath-taking scenery

• Apocalyptic landscape

• it is sometimes referred to as the ‘Cradle of Humanity’