Mursi
Encyclopedia
The Mursi are a Nilotic
pastoralist
ethnic group that inhabits southwestern Ethiopia
. They principally reside in the Debub Omo Zone
of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
, close to the border with South Sudan
. According to the 2007 national census, there are 7,500 Mursi, 448 of whom live in urban areas; of the total number, 92.25% live in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
(SNNPR).
Surrounded by mountains between the Omo River
and its tributary the Mago
, the home of the Mursi is one of the most isolated regions of the country. Their neighbors include the Aari, the Banna, the Bodi, the Kara
, the Kwegu
, the Me'en, the Nyangatom
and the Suri. They are grouped together with the Me'en and Suri by the Ethiopian government under the name Surma
.
as a mother tongue. It is classified as Surmic
, which is a branch of the Nilo-Saharan
language family. Mursi is closely related (over 80% cognate) to Me'en and Suri
, as well as Kwegu
. According to the 1994 national census, there were 3,163 people who were identified as Mursi in the SNNPR; 3,158 spoke Mursi as their first language, while 31 spoke it as their second language. According to the analytical volume of the 1994 national census, where Mursi was grouped under Me'en, 89.7% were monolingual, and the second languages spoken were Bench
(4.2%), Amharic
, the official language of Ethiopia (3.5%), and Kafa
(1.1%).
Two orthographies
for the Mursi language exist, one Amharic-based
and the other Latin-based
. The former was developed by members of the missionary organization Serving In Mission
, who have worked amongst the Mursi at Maki since 1987. The Latin-based orthography was developed by Moges Yigezu of Addis Ababa University
.
, although about 15% are Christian
s. The 1994 census reported that 97% of the Mursi were illiterate.
The Mursi women are famous for wearing plates
in their lower lips. These lip discs are made of clay. Girls are pierced at the age of 15 or 16. Similar body ornaments are worn by both sexes of the Suyá
people, a Brazil
ian tribe.
without compensation. The documents are being used to legalize the boundaries of the park, which African Parks has taken over.
A group called "Native Solutions to Conservation Refugees" says that the documents will make the Mursi 'illegal squatters' on their own land and that a similar fate is befalling the Suri Cruz, Dizi, Me'en, and Nyangatom
, who also live within the park. After the African Parks Foundation took over Nechisar National Park
, the Mursi were evicted and 463 houses were burned down on November 25, 2005.
The Mursi have declared their territory a community conservation area as of July, 2008 and have begun a community tourism project, http://www.mursicommunity.org/.
Nilotic
Nilotic people or Nilotes, in its contemporary usage, refers to some ethnic groups mainly in South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and northern Tanzania, who speak Nilotic languages, a large sub-group of the Nilo-Saharan languages...
pastoralist
Nomadic pastoralism
Nomadic pastoralism is a form of agriculture where livestock are herded in order to find fresh pastures on which to graze following an irregular pattern of movement - in contrast with transhumance where seasonal pastures are fix. The herded livestock may include cattle, yaks, sheep, goats,...
ethnic group that inhabits southwestern 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...
. They principally reside in the Debub Omo Zone
Debub Omo Zone
Debub Omo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . Debub Omo is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by the Ilemi Triangle, on the west by Bench Maji, on the northwest by Keficho Shekicho, on the north by Semien Omo, on the northeast by the...
of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of the former Regions 7-11 following the 1994 elections...
, close to the border with South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
. According to the 2007 national census, there are 7,500 Mursi, 448 of whom live in urban areas; of the total number, 92.25% live in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of the former Regions 7-11 following the 1994 elections...
(SNNPR).
Surrounded by mountains between the Omo River
Omo River
The Omo River is an important river of southern Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya...
and its tributary the Mago
Mago River
Mago River is a river of southern Ethiopia, entirely located in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region. It joins the Neri River to form the Usno River, a tributary of the Omo River....
, the home of the Mursi is one of the most isolated regions of the country. Their neighbors include the Aari, the Banna, the Bodi, the Kara
Kara people
The Kara are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting South Sudan. They speak the Gula language, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family.The Kara practice animism and shamanism. As a population, they exceed 100,000 members. They mainly live in South Sudan's Western Bahr el Ghazal state.-Daily...
, the Kwegu
Kwegu people
The Kwegu people are a Surmic ethnic group inhabiting the shores of the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia.-Overview:The Kwegu speak the Kwegu language as a mother tongue, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family....
, the Me'en, the Nyangatom
Nyangatom people
The Nyangatom are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia and southeastern South Sudan...
and the Suri. They are grouped together with the Me'en and Suri by the Ethiopian government under the name Surma
Surma people
Surma is a panethnicity residing in South Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia. It includes the Nilo-Saharan-speaking Suri, Mursi and Me'en.-Overview:...
.
Language
The Mursi speak the Mursi languageMursi language
Mursi is a Nilo-Saharan Eastern Sudanic language spoken by the Mursi people, in the Central Omo region of southwest Ethiopia. It is similar to Suri, spoken in most of the immediately surrounding area.-Bibliography:...
as a mother tongue. It is classified as Surmic
Surmic languages
The Surmic Languages are a branch of the Eastern Sudanic language family.-Languages:*North: Majang *South**Southeast: Kwegu , Me'en, Mursi, Suri...
, which is a branch of the Nilo-Saharan
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
language family. Mursi is closely related (over 80% cognate) to Me'en and Suri
Suri language
Suri is a Nilo-Saharan Eastern Sudanic language spoken in the Bench Maji Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region in Ethiopia, to the South Sudan border, and across the border in South Sudan by the Suri...
, as well as Kwegu
Kwegu language
Kwegu is a Nilo-Saharan Eastern Sudanic language, spoken in the Southwest of Ethiopia, on the west bank of the Omo River.-Bibliography:...
. According to the 1994 national census, there were 3,163 people who were identified as Mursi in the SNNPR; 3,158 spoke Mursi as their first language, while 31 spoke it as their second language. According to the analytical volume of the 1994 national census, where Mursi was grouped under Me'en, 89.7% were monolingual, and the second languages spoken were Bench
Bench language
Bench is a Northern Omotic language of the "Gimojan" subgroup, spoken by about 174,000 people in the Bench Maji Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, in southern Ethiopia, around the towns of Mizan Teferi and Shewa Gimira...
(4.2%), 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...
, the official language of Ethiopia (3.5%), and Kafa
Kafa language
Kaffa is an Afroasiatic language spoken in Ethiopia around Bonga in the Keficho Shekicho Zone. The language is also called Kafi nono.- Further reading :...
(1.1%).
Two orthographies
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
for the Mursi language exist, one Amharic-based
Ge'ez alphabet
Ge'ez , also called Ethiopic, is a script used as an abugida for several languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea but originated in an abjad used to write Ge'ez, now the liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Church...
and the other Latin-based
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
. The former was developed by members of the missionary organization Serving In Mission
Serving In Mission
SIM is an international, interdenominational Christian mission organization. It was established in 1893 by its three founders, Walter Gowans and Rowland Bingham of Canada and Thomas Kent of the United States....
, who have worked amongst the Mursi at Maki since 1987. The Latin-based orthography was developed by Moges Yigezu of Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University is a university in Ethiopia. It was originally named "University College of Addis Ababa" at its founding, then renamed for the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I in 1962, receiving its current name in 1975.Although the university has six of its seven campuses within...
.
Religion and culture
The religion of the Mursi people is classified as AnimismAnimism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
, although about 15% are Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s. The 1994 census reported that 97% of the Mursi were illiterate.
The Mursi women are famous for wearing plates
Lip plate
A lip plate, also known as a lip plug or lip disc, is a form of body modification. Increasingly larger discs are inserted into a pierced hole in either the upper or lower lip, or both, thereby stretching it...
in their lower lips. These lip discs are made of clay. Girls are pierced at the age of 15 or 16. Similar body ornaments are worn by both sexes of the Suyá
Suya
Suya, is a shish kebab like food popular in West Africa, originally from the Hausa people of northern Nigeria and Niger. Suya is generally made with skewered beef, fish, or chicken. The meat is rubbed-in with tankora, a dry spice mix containing powdered groundnuts, cayenne pepper, ginger, paprika...
people, a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian tribe.
Omo National Park
The African Parks Foundation and government park officials are accused of coercing Mursi into giving up their land within the boundaries of the Omo National ParkOmo National Park
Omo National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region on the west bank of the Omo River, the park covers approximately 4,068 square kilometers, about 870 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa; across the Omo is the Mago National...
without compensation. The documents are being used to legalize the boundaries of the park, which African Parks has taken over.
A group called "Native Solutions to Conservation Refugees" says that the documents will make the Mursi 'illegal squatters' on their own land and that a similar fate is befalling the Suri Cruz, Dizi, Me'en, and Nyangatom
Nyangatom
The Nyangatom are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia and southeastern South Sudan...
, who also live within the park. After the African Parks Foundation took over Nechisar National Park
Nechisar National Park
Nechisar National Park is one of the National Parks of Ethiopia. Located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region immediately to the east of Arba Minch, its 514 square kilometers of territory include the "Bridge of God" , and the Nechisar plains east of the lakes...
, the Mursi were evicted and 463 houses were burned down on November 25, 2005.
The Mursi have declared their territory a community conservation area as of July, 2008 and have begun a community tourism project, http://www.mursicommunity.org/.
Further reading
- (2000) Pancorbo, Luis: "Los labios del río Omo" en "Tiempo de África", pp. 176–190. Laertes. Barcelona. ISBN 84-7584-438-3
External links
- Mursi Online
- People of Africa
- The Mursi Language
- National Geographic Photo Gallery
- Mursi in danger of denial of access or displacement
- An anthropologist's comments on the Mursi and the Omo Park situation (also available as a Word file)
- African Parks Foundation
- Mursi Online page on the Mursi 'Surmic' language (tugo)
- Full-text documents and journal articles about the Mursi (Forced Migration Online, Digital Library)