THE DANAKIL
The Horn of Africa
WHO ARE THE DANAKIL?
• Cushite ethnic group residing in the Danakil
Desert
• they prefer to be known as the Afar which
means "The Best" or "First”
•Population: about 1,5 million
• two sub-groups: the Asayahamara ("red ones"),
and the Adoyahmara ("white ones")
WHAT LANGUAGE DO THEY SPEAK?
• the language is called Afar
• it has four distinct dialects: Northern, Central,
Aussa, and Baadu
• Literacy rate: 1%
WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
• The earliest written mention: 13th century
by the Arab writer ibn Sa'id
WHERE DO THEY LIVE?
• They are nomadic
pastoralists (raising
goats, sheep and cattle)
in the Danakil Desert
which extends in 4
countries:
- Djibouti
- Somalia
- Ethiopia
- Eritrea
HOW DO THEY LIVE?
• They live in camps surrounded
by thorn barricades
• The society is ruled by
sultanates
• The asaimara ('reds') are the
politically dominant class
• the adoimara ('whites') are the
working class
HOW IS THEIR HOME?
• they build semi-permanent
locations
• they live in tent houses known
as an 'ari'
• women run the home and
settlement and set up the houses
WHAT DO THEY WEAR?
• women traditionally
wear a headscarf called
a 'shash'
• most women don`t wear
breast coverings
• Their clothes are very
colorful
HOW IS THEIR FAMILY?
• The tribes lay great stress on
a man's toughness, strength
and bravery
• Descent is traced through the
male line
• marriages are usually
monogamous
• Divorce rates are high
• Girls marry as early as 10
• Marriages between first
cousins are preferred
• Circumcision is practiced for
both boys and girls
WHAT DO THEY EAT?
• Meat and milk are the major components of the
Danakil diet
• Other foods: fish, sour milk, porridge, wheat pancakes,
red pepper,butter
WHAT DO THEY BELIEVE?
• 99.9% - Sunni Muslim
• less than 1% - Christians
• The brand of Islam they practice is heavily
syncretic and includes many elements of
their indigenous religion
WHAT ARE THEIR PROBLEMS?
• One of the most serious
problems in Djibouti is drough
and high temperatures
• The second equally serious
problem is the political
pressure and local wars
ARE THEY HOSPITABLE?
• They are know for
their hostility to
strangers
• When crossing their
territory one must
ask for permission
• They are very
hospitable once
they know you
POETIC LIFE
• The Afar are oral people - they pass
along their history in recitations
• Women are the musicians of the village
WHAT IS THE
CLIMATE LIKE?
• one of the hottest places
on Earth (Africa`s hottest
region)
• temperatures: 77 °F (rainy
season) to 118 °F (dry
season
• no rain for 3/4 of the year
GEOGRAPHIC FACTS
• salt and mangrove forests
• salt deposits of up to 3 miles thick
• Erta Ale - a shield volcano
which makes a lava lake
GEOGRAPHIC FACTS
The region is famos for the impressive
GEOGRAPHIC FACTS
Danakil region used to be part of the Red Sea
RECENT HISTORY
• 1991 - victory of the
Tigray Peoples Liberation
Front
• 1997 - Ethiopian troops
occupied Eritrea
• 2000 - Ethiopia launched
an invasion on Eritrea
• 2002 - the EritreaEthiopia Boundary
Commission of Hague
awarded the Danakil
Depression to Ethiopia.
POLITICAL LEADERSHIP
• The country is led by sultanes who
are appointed by the people
• There are four sultanates:
- Aussa (Ethiopia)
- Biru (Ethiopia)
- Tajoura (Djibouti)
- Raheito (Djibouti)
Ethiopia on a 100
birr note
VISITING THE DANAKIL
• Djibouti is a place where few people have set
foot
• It has wide open spaces and a breath-taking
scenery
• Apocalyptic landscape
• it is sometimes referred to as the ‘Cradle of
Humanity’