Shanqella
Encyclopedia
Shanqella is an Ethiopian term (originally an Agaw term) used to refer to a number of ethnic groups residing primarily in the western-most part of Ethiopia
(from the border of Eritrea
to Lake Turkana
) and who constitute about 5% of Ethiopia's population. The term is used derogatorily by highland Ethiopians referring to darker-skinned and broader-featured Ethiopians, mostly those with a Nilo-Saharan
ethnic background, but also a few with Omotic backgrounds.
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...
(from the border of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
to Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana , formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, with its far northern end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake...
) and who constitute about 5% of Ethiopia's population. The term is used derogatorily by highland Ethiopians referring to darker-skinned and broader-featured Ethiopians, mostly those with a 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...
ethnic background, but also a few with Omotic backgrounds.
Appearances in Early European Literature
- Thomas MalthusThomas MalthusThe Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus FRS was an English scholar, influential in political economy and demography. Malthus popularized the economic theory of rent....
, An Essay on the Principle of Population, London: John Murray, 1826, Chapter VIII, ¶ 8 (polygamy among the Shangalla) and ¶ 22 (premature aging). - John Bathurst Deane, Worship of the Serpent, 1833, Chapter VII, pp. 427 and 437.
- Timothy Harley, Moon Lore, 1885, Chapter III, pp. 113–114.