Basketo people
Encyclopedia
The Basketo people are an Omotic-speaking
ethnic group whose homeland lies in the southern part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR). The Basketo special woreda is named after this ethnic group. According to the 2007 Ethiopian national census, this ethnic group has 78,284 members, of whom 99.3% live in the SNNPR.
The Basketo cultivate ensete
and, additionally, tuber roots, maize
, millet
and vegetables. They also keep domestic animals in small numbers.
Traditionally, the Basketo were organized as a segmentary clan society headed by a divine king, the kati. The ethnic religion of the Basketo knew a duality of the sky-god Tsosii and the earth-mother Qacharunde. Under Ethiopian rule many of them converted to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
The Basketo were conquered for the Ethiopian empire by Ras Welde Giyorgis in 1893.
Omotic languages
The Omotic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic family spoken in southwestern Ethiopia. The Ge'ez alphabet is used to write some Omotic languages, the Roman alphabet for some others. They are fairly agglutinative, and have complex tonal systems .-Language list:The North and South Omotic...
ethnic group whose homeland lies in the southern part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR). The Basketo special woreda is named after this ethnic group. According to the 2007 Ethiopian national census, this ethnic group has 78,284 members, of whom 99.3% live in the SNNPR.
The Basketo cultivate ensete
Ensete
Ensete, or Enset, is a genus of plants, native to tropical regions of Africa and Asia. It is one of the three genera in the banana family, Musaceae.- Domesticated enset in Ethiopia :...
and, additionally, tuber roots, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
and vegetables. They also keep domestic animals in small numbers.
Traditionally, the Basketo were organized as a segmentary clan society headed by a divine king, the kati. The ethnic religion of the Basketo knew a duality of the sky-god Tsosii and the earth-mother Qacharunde. Under Ethiopian rule many of them converted to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
The Basketo were conquered for the Ethiopian empire by Ras Welde Giyorgis in 1893.
Sources
- Azeb Amha and Dirk Bustorf: "Basketo". In: Encyclopaedia AethiopicaEncyclopaedia aethiopicaThe Encyclopaedia Aethiopica is the basic reference work for Ethiopian and Eritrean Studies. The Encyclopaedia Aethiopica provides access to reliable and state-of-the art information in all fields of the discipline, i.e. anthropology, archaeology, ethnology, history, geography, languages and...
. vol. 1. Wiesbaden 2003. pp. 499f. - Eike Haberland: "Die Basketto und verwandte Stämme". In: Altvölker Süd-Äthiopiens. Stuttgart 1959. pp. 189-226.