Zay people
Encyclopedia
The Zay are a small ethnic group of about 5,000 people in Ethiopia
. They are also known as the Zeway or Laki. They live on the islands of Lake Zway
, south of Addis Ababa
, and engage mainly in fishing
. The Zay language
belongs to the Southern branch of the Ethiopian Semitic
language family and is closely related to the languages spoken by the neighboring Gurage
ethnic group. The Zay belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox church.
Local tradition suggests that the Zay people comprise three streams of people that populated the islands of Lake Ziway between the early 14th and the mid-17th centuries. The Zay economy is mainly based on subsistence agriculture and traditional fishing. The Zay people cultivate maize, sorghum, finger millet, teff, pepper and barley, and raise cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys and chicken. Island dwellers use papyrus boats for transport, while those on the shore use donkeys and horses.
Common health issues include malaria, schistosomiasis, diarrhoea and respiratory diseases. The Zay people generally have limited access to modern health care and primarily rely on medicinal plants, although (as elsewhere in the country) environmental and cultural factors threaten both medicinal plants and traditional medical knowledge.
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 are also known as the Zeway or Laki. They live on the islands of Lake Zway
Lake Zway
Lake Zway or Lake Ziway is one of the freshwater Rift Valley lakes of Ethiopia. It is located about 60 miles south of Addis Ababa, on the border between the Regions of Oromia and of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples; the woredas holding the lake's shoreline are Adami Tullu and Jido...
, south of Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, and engage mainly in fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. The Zay language
Zay language
The Zay language is one of the Ethiopic languages. It is spoken by about 4,880 members of the Zay people on the islands and shores of Lake Zway in southern Ethiopia. It is also known as Zway, or Lak'i/Laqi in the neighboring Oromo language....
belongs to the Southern branch of the Ethiopian Semitic
Ethiopian Semitic languages
Ethiopian Semitic is a language group, which together with Old South Arabian forms the Western branch of the South Semitic languages. The languages are spoken in both Ethiopia and Eritrea...
language family and is closely related to the languages spoken by the neighboring Gurage
Gurage
Gurage is an ethnic group in Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, its population is 1,867,377 people , of whom 792,659 are urban dwellers. This is 2.53% of the total population of Ethiopia, or 7.52% of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region...
ethnic group. The Zay belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox church.
Local tradition suggests that the Zay people comprise three streams of people that populated the islands of Lake Ziway between the early 14th and the mid-17th centuries. The Zay economy is mainly based on subsistence agriculture and traditional fishing. The Zay people cultivate maize, sorghum, finger millet, teff, pepper and barley, and raise cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys and chicken. Island dwellers use papyrus boats for transport, while those on the shore use donkeys and horses.
Common health issues include malaria, schistosomiasis, diarrhoea and respiratory diseases. The Zay people generally have limited access to modern health care and primarily rely on medicinal plants, although (as elsewhere in the country) environmental and cultural factors threaten both medicinal plants and traditional medical knowledge.