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)
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’
