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The Kebena people (also spelled Qebena) are a Cushitic ethnic group found in the Gurage Zone of Ethiopia. They speak the Kebena dialect of the Alaba-Kʼabeena language, which is a member of the Highland East Cushitic branch of the Cushitic family group. Kebena were marginalized under the Abyssinian state.[2]
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Ethiopia | 52,000 |
| Languages | |
| Alaba-Kʼabeena[1] | |
| Religion | |
| mainly Islam | |
History
editThe Kebena people live in the Ethiopia predominantly in Kebena Special Woreda with its seat Wosherbe. They are associated with the 13th century Islamic kingdom of Hadiya and have maintained the designation "Hadiya" to this day[3] Kebena's Garad is mentioned in the fifteenth century Emperor Zara Yaqob chronicle. According to their tradition Kebena originally spoke the semitic Harari language of Harar however shifted to Cushitic timbaro. In 1815 they split from their closest relatives the Halaba people.[4]
Kebena are also associated with the 19th century state of Kebena or Hadya Womba which became an important commercial and Islamic center in the late 19th to early 20th century . After the fall of the Hadiya kingdom the Kebena people took upon themselves to restore the rule and order in the region under the Islamic sharia which was led by Hassan Enjamo. The Kebena subsist on agriculture. Unlike their southern kinsmen, the Kebena are followers of Islam. Kebena governors of their region were known as Garads, the most notable and last Garad was Hassan Enjamo who led a resistance against Menelik's invasion.[5] The Abyssinian commander Gobana Dacche in the late 19th century is stated to have ravaged the lands of Kebena during his invasion and divided Kebena lands among the Neftenya.[6]
Demographics
editBased on the 2007 Census conducted by the CSA,[clarification needed] the Kebena group has a total population of 34,379, of whom 17,231 are men and 17,148 women; none of the population were urban inhabitants.[7]
Religion
editThe majority of the group were reported as Muslim, with 89.52% of the population reporting that belief, while 8.22% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 1.91% were Protestants.[8]
References
edit- ^ Qabeena language. Encyclopedia Aethiopica.
- ^ Reshad, Mohammedawol. Change and Continuity of Traditional System of Governance: The Case of Oget among the Qebena, South Ethiopia (PDF). Assosa University. p. 29.
- ^ https://nai.uu.se/download/18.39fca04516faedec8b248e01/1580829012596/ORTKAT05.pdf
- ^ Qabeena Ethnography. Encyclopedia Aethiopica.
- ^ Meyer, Ronny. "The Qabena and the Wolane: Two peoples of the Gurage regionand their respective histories according to their own oral traditions" (PDF). Annales d'Ethiopie. XVII: 178.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Dilebo, Getahun (1986). Emperor Menelik's Ethiopia, 1865-1916 National Unification Or Amhara Communal Domination. UMI Howard University. p. 103.
- ^ [1]
- ^ . 2012-11-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20121113220306/http://www.csa.gov.et/index.php?option=com_rubberdoc&view=doc&id=273&format=raw&Itemid=521. Archived from the original on 2012-11-13. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
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