Bugna
Encyclopedia
Bugna is one of the 105 woreda
s in the Amhara Region
of Ethiopia
. This woreda is named after the former district. Located in the northwest corner of the Semien Wollo Zone
, Bugna is bordered on the south by Meket
, on the west by the Debub Gondar Zone
, on the north by the Wag Hemra Zone
, and on the east by Gidan
. The major city in Bugna is Lalibela
, known for its monolithic church
es; other towns include 'Ayne.
, on the border with Gidan; other notable peaks include Mount Qachen. Rivers include the Tekezé
, which has its source in this woreda. Besides Lalibela, other notable landmarks in Bugna include the church of Yemrehana Krestos
, as well as the ancient churches of Makina Madbane Alem, Bilbala Tcherqos, Kankanet Mikael, and Gennete Maryam.
A 1994 survey found Bugna extremely impoverished: "If you compare a farmer from this community with one from, say Debre Birhan, there is a big difference. In this community even better-off farmers sometimes migrate. Children leave their schools during the migration season." At least one part of the woreda has reportedly endured a serious famine for the previous 10 years. However, elders could remember that between 1952 and 1968 there was surplus production of various grains, and inhabitants could maintain a two-year stock of grain. Elders also report that in 1935 almost 85% of the land was covered with trees. The deforestation rate increased after the land was nationalized. Before then, the forests were privately owned and no-one was allowed to cut trees; after nationalization people started cutting trees and selling firewood. No measures were taken to control this until the time of the survey. To combat increasing droughts and improve crop yields, one irrigation project has been undertaken in this woreda by the Commission for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Rehabilitation in the Amhara Region, affecting 70 hectares and benefiting 110 households.
. As a result, the 1994 survey found that they recognize that they are culturally affiliated to the neighbouring Agaw
s in the Wag Hemra Zone, and share a related history. Inter-marriage between the two people is quite common.
While there was no villagization in Bugna under the Derg
, in 1979 and again in 1985 thousands were forcibly resettled in Welega
and Bale
; since the end of the Ethiopian Civil War
, these settlers have been returning in large numbers to find no land, homes, or property waiting for them. During the Derg regime, Bugna was a center of resistance. The western half of the woreda, including 'Ayne, had been a strategic base for Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement fighters beginning in 1981, owing to its rugged topography which made it inaccessible to the central government. The eastern part of the woreda, including Lalibela, fell to Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
forces in 1988. Derg forces made two unsuccessful attempts to drive the rebels out in 1985 and 1988.
In the 2005 Ethiopian elections, the electoral district of Bugna elected Bereket Simon (Amhara National Democratic Movement
, one of the partners in the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
) as their representative in the House of People's Representatives
.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 75,486, a decrease of 55.94% from the 1994 census, of whom 37,877 are men and 37,609 women; no urban inhabitants were identified. With an area of 1,302.95 square kilometers, Bugna has a population density of 57.93, which is less than the Zone average of 123.25 persons per square kilometer. A total of 18,687 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.04 persons to a household, and 18,101 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 171,333 in 41,146 households, of whom 86,612 were men and 84,721 were women; 8,484 or 4.95% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Bugna was the Amhara
(99.87%). Amharic
was spoken as a first language by 99.89%. The majority of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 98.28% professing this belief, while 1.59% of the population said they were Muslim
.
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s in the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. This woreda is named after the former district. Located in the northwest corner of the Semien Wollo Zone
Semien Wollo Zone
Semien Wollo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. Semien Wollo acquired its name from the former province of Wollo. Semien Wollo is bordered on the south by Debub Wollo, on the west by Debub Gondar, on the north by Wag Hemra, and on the northeast and east by the Afar Region; part of its...
, Bugna is bordered on the south by Meket
Meket
Meket is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named after a former district located approximately in this area. Located on the western side of the Semien Wollo Zone, Meket is bordered on the south by Wadla, on the west by the Debub Gondar Zone, on the north by Bugna, and...
, on the west by the Debub Gondar Zone
Debub Gondar Zone
Debub Gondar is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. This zone is named for the city of Gondar, which was the capital of Ethiopia until the mid-19th century, and has often been used as a name for the local province....
, on the north by the Wag Hemra Zone
Wag Hemra Zone
Wag Hemra is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Its name is a combination of the former province of Wag, and the dominant local ethnic group, the Kamyr Agaw. Wag Hemra is bordered on the south by Semien Wollo, on the southwest by Debub Gondar, on the west by Semen Gondar, on the north and...
, and on the east by Gidan
Gidan
Gidan is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Semien Wollo Zone, Gidan is bordered on the south by Guba Lafto, on the southwest by Meket, on the west by Bugna, on the north by the Afar Region, and on the east by Kobo...
. The major city in Bugna is Lalibela
Lalibela
Lalibela is a town in northern Ethiopia, known for its monolithic churches. Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities, second only to Aksum, and is a center of pilgrimage for much of the country. Unlike Aksum, the population of Lalibela is almost completely Ethiopian Orthodox Christian...
, known for its monolithic church
Monolithic church
A monolithic church or rock-hewn church is a church made from a single block of stone. They are one of the most basic forms of monolithic architecture....
es; other towns include 'Ayne.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 900 to over 4100 meters above sea level; the highest point in Bugna is Mount Abuna YosefMount Abuna Yosef
Abuna Yosef is the 16th tallest mountain in Ethiopia; it reaches an elevation of 4260 meters. Located in the Semien Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, near the eastern escarpment of the Ethiopian highlands, this mountain has a latitude and longitude of ....
, on the border with Gidan; other notable peaks include Mount Qachen. Rivers include the Tekezé
Tekezé River
The Tekezé River, also known as the Takkaze River, is a major river of Ethiopia, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea for part of its course. The river is also known as the Setit in Eritrea, western Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan. According to materials published by the...
, which has its source in this woreda. Besides Lalibela, other notable landmarks in Bugna include the church of Yemrehana Krestos
Yemrehana Krestos
Yemrehana Krestos was negus of Ethiopia, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty. According to Taddesse Tamrat, he was the son of Germa Seyum, the brother of Tatadim; however the Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini published in 1902 a document that stated Yemrehana Krestos was the successor of Na'akueto...
, as well as the ancient churches of Makina Madbane Alem, Bilbala Tcherqos, Kankanet Mikael, and Gennete Maryam.
A 1994 survey found Bugna extremely impoverished: "If you compare a farmer from this community with one from, say Debre Birhan, there is a big difference. In this community even better-off farmers sometimes migrate. Children leave their schools during the migration season." At least one part of the woreda has reportedly endured a serious famine for the previous 10 years. However, elders could remember that between 1952 and 1968 there was surplus production of various grains, and inhabitants could maintain a two-year stock of grain. Elders also report that in 1935 almost 85% of the land was covered with trees. The deforestation rate increased after the land was nationalized. Before then, the forests were privately owned and no-one was allowed to cut trees; after nationalization people started cutting trees and selling firewood. No measures were taken to control this until the time of the survey. To combat increasing droughts and improve crop yields, one irrigation project has been undertaken in this woreda by the Commission for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Rehabilitation in the Amhara Region, affecting 70 hectares and benefiting 110 households.
History
Bugna is part of the area of the Wagshum, the traditional ruler of LastaLasta
Lasta is a historic district in north-central Ethiopia. It is the district in which Lalibela is situated, the former capital of Ethiopia during the Zagwe dynasty and home to 11 medieval rock-hewn churches....
. As a result, the 1994 survey found that they recognize that they are culturally affiliated to the neighbouring Agaw
Agaw
The Agaw are an ethnic group in Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea.-History:The Agaw are perhaps first mentioned in the 3rd c. AD Aksumite inscription recorded by Cosmas Indicopleustes in the 6th century...
s in the Wag Hemra Zone, and share a related history. Inter-marriage between the two people is quite common.
While there was no villagization in Bugna under the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
, in 1979 and again in 1985 thousands were forcibly resettled in Welega
Welega Province
Welega was a province in the western part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Nekemte. It was named for the Welega Oromo, who are the majority of the population within its boundaries....
and Bale
Bale Province, Ethiopia
Bale is the name of two former polities located in the southeastern part of modern Ethiopia.- The medieval dependency of Bale :...
; since the end of the Ethiopian Civil War
Ethiopian Civil War
The Ethiopian Civil War began on September 12, 1974 when the Marxist Derg staged a coup d'état against Emperor Haile Selassie, and lasted until the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front , a coalition of rebel groups, overthrew the government in 1991. The war overlapped other Cold War...
, these settlers have been returning in large numbers to find no land, homes, or property waiting for them. During the Derg regime, Bugna was a center of resistance. The western half of the woreda, including 'Ayne, had been a strategic base for Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement fighters beginning in 1981, owing to its rugged topography which made it inaccessible to the central government. The eastern part of the woreda, including Lalibela, fell to Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is the ruling political coalition in Ethiopia. It is an alliance of four other groups: the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization , the Amhara National Democratic Movement , the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front The Ethiopian People's...
forces in 1988. Derg forces made two unsuccessful attempts to drive the rebels out in 1985 and 1988.
In the 2005 Ethiopian elections, the electoral district of Bugna elected Bereket Simon (Amhara National Democratic Movement
Amhara National Democratic Movement
The Amhara National Democratic Movement is a political party in Ethiopia.At the last legislative elections, 15 May 2005, the party was part of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, that won 327 out of 527 seats...
, one of the partners in the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front is the ruling political coalition in Ethiopia. It is an alliance of four other groups: the Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization , the Amhara National Democratic Movement , the South Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front The Ethiopian People's...
) as their representative in the House of People's Representatives
House of People's Representatives
The Federal Parliamentary Assembly of Ethiopia has two chambers. The lower house is the House of Peoples' Representatives with 547 members , elected for five-year terms in single-seat constituencies.-Speakers of the House of Peoples'...
.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 75,486, a decrease of 55.94% from the 1994 census, of whom 37,877 are men and 37,609 women; no urban inhabitants were identified. With an area of 1,302.95 square kilometers, Bugna has a population density of 57.93, which is less than the Zone average of 123.25 persons per square kilometer. A total of 18,687 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.04 persons to a household, and 18,101 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 171,333 in 41,146 households, of whom 86,612 were men and 84,721 were women; 8,484 or 4.95% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Bugna was the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
(99.87%). Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
was spoken as a first language by 99.89%. The majority of the population practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity with 98.28% professing this belief, while 1.59% of the population said they were Muslim
Islam in Ethiopia
According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...
.