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05-19-2010, 01:11 AM
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#1 |
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 Interesting Facts about Eritrea
The following are interesting facts about Eritrea and Eritreans.
———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 1) The name Nara means "Sky heaven" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— The Nara name means "sky, heaven". Their language is called "Nara Bana", meaning "Nara talk." (1976, Marvin Lionel Bender, p.599) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 2) The name "Beni-Amir" means "Sons of Amir" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— The Beni-Amir are either regarded as a separate ethnic group or as the largest clan within the Tigre ethnic group. Their clan name of Beni Amir means "Sons of Amir" (2003, Favali, Pateman, p.28). ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 3) The name Kunama means "natural" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "The term Kunama means natural" ( 2001, Istituto italiano per l'Africa, p.575). Among the Kunama if an individual misbehaves, often people would utter that the person is not behaving the "Kunama way" (i. e, the natural way). Similarly if you request drinking water from a woman who also has beer, the woman would ask you bia Kunama benube aifa? The meaning of this stement is "do you want natural water or beer?" In these two contexts the word Kunama is used to mean natural." ( 2001, Istituto italiano per l'Africa, p.575) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 4) The name Tigrinya means "Tigre language" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— Tigre of Tigr-inya is the speaker, while the suffix -inya in Tigrinya denotes to "language," (1996, Kjetil Tronvoll, p.30) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 5) The name Rashaida means "Refugee" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— The Rashida means "refugee" in Arabic -(1996, Kjetil Tronvoll, p.27) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 6) The name Blin (Bilen) is thought to derive from Saho, which means "Christians" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— The meaning of the word 'Bilin' also is not known. Some version of the tradition holds that it is Saho word (belen) for Christian. In fact, 'Belen' in Saho means a Christian. (Kiflemariam Hamdé, 'Absmará yunivarsiti, p.3) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 7) The name Afar means "the free" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "Afar, meaning "the free," is the name the Danakil give themselves.." (1976, Georg Gerster, 49) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 8) The name Saho means "nomad" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "The term “Saho” means nomad (“Saa” means animals, “hoo” means caretaker). This is essentially a linguistic classification, as they speak a common language, the Saho. (2010, Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad, p.111) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 9) The name Dahlak islands means "Gates of Hell" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— Do to the forbidding climate of the Dahlak islands, it is believed to have been derived from an Arabic word, 'Dah’ala', whose translation is the “gates of hell”. (Dahalik: Mysterious Tongue of the Dahlak Islands, by Hanna Azbaha ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 10) The name of Eritrea's town Mendefera means "No one dared" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— Mendefera (literally meaning 'No One Dared') is a reference to the fierce resistance put up by the local people against Italian colonialisation.(2006, Phillips, Carillet, p. 337) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 11)The name of Eritrea's port city Massawa means "Shout loudly" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "Most theories advanced seem to agree on the lingusitic roots of the word Massawa, which would be a Tigre word derived from the Ge'ez word Mesuwa', meaning "cry, loud call." According to one version, a fisherman from Dahlak, surpised by a storm, was thrown by the winds with his boat onto an uninhabited island that was situated very close to the mainland. Following his return to Dahlak, he described it as so small that if one shouted strong enough he could make himself heard on the other side of the island. From that point onward, the Daalakis who began to settle there called it "Massawa." The other version relates that before the causeways connecting Massawa to mainland were built (1870), when traders came to the port their caravans, they reached Gherar on the mainland, and had to shout to the boatmen on Massawa Island to come and get them and their goods to the island-town. (2009, Jonathan Miran, p. 123) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 12) The name of Eritrea's capital Asmara means "United" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— Asmara grew from four villages founded in the twelfth century AD. Originally, it is said, there were four clans living in the Asmara area on the Kebessa Plateau: the Gheza Gurtom, the Gheza Shelele, the Gheza Serenser and Gheza Asmae. Encouraged by their women, the men united the four clans and defeated the bandits who preyed on the area. After the victory, a new name was given to the place; Arbaete Asmara which literally means, in the Tigrinya language, "the four are united." Eventually Arabaete was droppped and it has been called Asmara, though there is still a zone called Arbaete Asmara. (2007, Keith Fauscett, p. 121) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 13) The word Asmara in Indonesia means "Love" ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— In Indonesia the word asmara means love - (1974, Sudarsono, p.44) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 14) The name of Eritrea's city Keren means "Rocky" in Blin and "Mountain" in Tigrinya. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "the name 'Keren' derived from two Eritrean languages Bilen and Tigrigna. The word 'Krna' in Bilen means stony or rocky, and 'keren' in Tigrigna means mountain (2007, by Denison, Paice, p.189) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 15) Eritrea after Egypt has the second highest archeological historical discoveries in Africa. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— The number of archeological sites in the country which was 45,000 previously has now increased to 80,000... Eritrea ranks second after Egypt in Africa for its rich archeological sites and historical places. (Dr. Yosief Libsekal, head of the Eritrean National Museum.) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 16) There are Two Nigerian ethnic groups who live in Eritrea. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— The Hausa and Bargo Nigerian-Eritreans, who are collectively called the Tokharir, migrated to Eritrea almost a century ago. ".... the Tokharir, who arrived from Nigeria having made the pilgrimage to Mecca many centuries ago and did not have the means to get themselves home, so they stopped in Eritrea and eastern sudan and have remained there ever since. They are found in the western lowlands, especially around Tesseni, and in some areas around Keren." (2007, Denison,Paice, p.37) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 17) In the 1962 nations cup won by Ethiopia, 9 of the 11 starters of that team were Eritreans. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— Their names were: Lucian Vassalo, Tesfay Gebremedhin, Berhe Goitom (Patata), Etalo Vassalo, Kiflom Araya, Gilamichael Tesfamariam (wedi Mariano), Haile Tesfagaber, Tekle Kidane, Asmelash Berhe, Tsegay Tesfay, Negassi Gebremichael and Berhane Beyene were Eritreans who were part of the 1962 historic Ethiopian National team. (by Esseyas Fsehaye, Shabait, 2010) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 18) Many Eritrean villages in the Eritrean highlands are named after Beja place-names. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— During the Beja kingdoms of Eritrea (8th - 14 century AD) the 9th century Arab geographer Al-Ya'qubi wrote of six Beja kingdoms located in what is today Eritrea. Beja place names are found throughout the central and northern highlands of Eritrea, suggesting widespread Beja interaction with other communities (2008, Schmidt, Curtis, Teka , p. 284) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 19) Eritrea's Dahlak Islanders were the first Muslim converts in the Horn of Africa. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— Based on direct archaeological evidence, the Dahlak Islands, off the coast of Eritrea, are the oldest Muslim coummunites in the horn Africa (2003, Timothy Insoll, P.49) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 20) In Tigre and Tigrinya P-sounds occur only in foreign loan words ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "In Tigre and Tigrinya P occurs in foreign words. (1966, Tucker,Bryan, p. 595) According to Woldu (1985), /p/ does not exist in the phonology of Tigrinya, though schooled Tigrinya speakers have little difficulty in pronouncing and perceiving it. It is mostly used for Italian loanwords (pane, polizia, posta, etc.). (2008, Heine, Nurse, p.65) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 21) Most Kuanama believe in their traditional god named Anna. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "most Kunama remain pagans who believe in a supreme being called Anna." (2004, Shinn, Ofcansky, Prouty, p.245) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 22) The earliest written Tigrinya discovered dates to the 13th century in Logosadara, Eritrea. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "An especially interesting reference was made by the Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini in his introduction to Mauro da Leonessa's Tigrinya Grammar, where he speaks of land contracts from Enda Abba Matta that show 'indications from the 13th century that the Tigrinya language was already formed'. He also mentions an Eritrean monk called Yeshaq who between 1403 and 1450 is said to have written in Tigrinya. What exactly constituted these 'indications' and what any such early Tigrinya material might have been is not known." (2008, Andrew Simpson, p. 227) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��——————————————- 23) In the early 1940s, the British wanted to turn Eritrea into a Jewish colony ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "Early on the research department had added a new dimension to the Eritrean problem by suggesting that Britain support a Jewish settlement in Eritrea. The primary purpose of creating a Jewish colony in Eritrea was to divert Jewish immigration from Palestine and thereby to relax tensions in the British dominion in Palestine itself. In support of their recommendation, the authors of these findings argued that Eritrea had a suitable climate and sufficient unexploited land to be used for Jewish colonization. (1991, Okbazghi Yohannes, p. 64) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 24) The oldest settled civilization in the horn of Africa is found in Eritrea. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "The remains of what is thought to be the oldest settled agricultural community in Africa have been discovered on the outskirts of the Eritrean capital, Asmara, the United Nations has said." (5-22-2002, BBC ) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 25) Human ancestry migrated out of Africa north along Eritrea's Red Sea coast. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— Bob walter discovered the oldest evidence of stone tools near a marine environment. Dating at 125,000 years old, the find suggest early human ancestry migrated out of Africa north along Eritrea's red sea coast (July, 2000, GeoTimes) ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— 26) Afar women usually don't quest courtship with a man who hasn't killed another man. ———————————————— �——————————————— � ��—————————————— "Afars culture emphasizes a man's strength and bravery, and prestige comes traditionally from killing one's enemy. The strinkingly beautiful Afar women will usually not consider courtship with a man who has never killed another man. They hope for a husband who wears the iron bracelet indicating that he has killed ten men." (2002, James Minahan, p.42) |
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05-19-2010, 01:50 AM
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#2 |
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23) In the early 1940s, the British wanted to turn Eritrea into a Jewish colony 
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05-19-2010, 01:52 AM
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#3 |
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Glad this didn't happen 
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05-19-2010, 01:52 AM
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Is this literally true about Afars? Or is it symbolic and/or historical?
Those were one of the first people that fueled my interest on the Horn. They seem badass. Also, talking to a few Kenyans, they seem to thing of Horn people as warlike and constantly fighting. |
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05-19-2010, 02:05 AM
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#5 |
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Is this literally true about Afars? Or is it symbolic and/or historical? Those were one of the first people that fueled my interest on the Horn. They seem badass. Also, talking to a few Kenyans, they seem to thing of Horn people as warlike and constantly fighting. That's a recent phenomena, due to geopolitical rivalries that saw the region heavily militarize, and this place that was once known for many things such as trade, fabled kingdoms, and scholars is now consider a fragile/unstable region of Africa. A Kenyan however has little room to judge considering the slaughter that was the 2007 Kenya elections. |
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05-20-2010, 10:54 PM
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#6 |
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It's just one of those urban myths, they might have done this in the past in a duel or something, but fat chance the average Afar man of today is going to murder another Afar just to get married, demographically speaking their numbers would dwindle. |
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05-20-2010, 11:37 PM
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#7 |
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One more curiousity. Just like East Asians are stereotypically slender, what is the fat population in that area? I admit, I only know of Horners thru pics and the very few random ones I've personally seen, but the fat population must be extremely low. As a matter of fact I don't recall ever seeing not even one pic of a fat Eritrean.
May sound like a silly question, but human health & performance is another field of interest to me, in particular in light of 'modern' science seeing the value of eating foods closer to what many of the poorer regions traditionally eat. |
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05-21-2010, 03:02 AM
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#8 |
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One more curiousity. Just like East Asians are stereotypically slender, what is the fat population in that area? I admit, I only know of Horners thru pics and the very few random ones I've personally seen, but the fat population must be extremely low. As a matter of fact I don't recall ever seeing not even one pic of a fat Eritrean.  I am not sure if it is an insult or praise depending from which part of the world you look at it.
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05-24-2010, 07:15 AM
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#9 |
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That's why I like your thinking, you think outside the box. I believe this was going on in certain select Afar clans and they often killed people outside of their clans/ethnicity. This actually went on as late as the 1950s before stricter Islamic faith forced that horrible culture out. I'm under the assumptions lots of guys faked the numbers, sorta like guys bragging to chicks how they do this and that, when they don't do this and that. The culture might be different, but the guys are all the same. I can see it now, many Afar women must of said, "niggah how you gonna say you killed 4 people when you threw only one spear?" ..
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06-04-2010, 06:32 PM
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#10 |
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I can understand the Kenyan perception that the Horn is somehow war-like, lol its been 50 years and we still far from settling our disputes. Whereas the Kenyans and Ugandans theyve rarely been in a war.
But their Central Africans cousins are probably the worst in Africa. |
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06-21-2010, 03:54 PM
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#11 |
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Nice info and with my regards, An especially interesting reference was made by the Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini in his introduction to Mauro da Leonessa's Tigrinya Grammar, where he speaks of land contracts from Enda Abba Matta that show 'indications from the 13th century that the Tigrinya language was already formed.
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06-27-2010, 06:17 AM
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#12 |
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Nice info and with my regards, An especially interesting reference was made by the Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini in his introduction to Mauro da Leonessa's Tigrinya Grammar, where he speaks of land contracts from Enda Abba Matta that show 'indications from the 13th century that the Tigrinya language was already formed. |
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06-27-2010, 06:59 AM
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#13 |
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Tigrinya existed before that, for sure. The Soldiers' Songs of Amde Tseyon were in Old Amharic (~1330). It's estimated Amharic would have split from Ge'ez already by the 6th century, so Tigrinya-Tigre probably split soon after with the decline of Aksum. When the two split from each other, I don't know, but it probably would have existed by the Dark Ages (9th-11th c.). |
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06-27-2010, 07:15 AM
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#14 |
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Evidence of proto-Tigrinya being written dates to the 13th century AD. The case for Tigrinya descending from Ge'ez is very strong, the case for Amharic is not. Amharic, unlike Tigrinya and Tigre, has a Cushitic substratum and probably originated from an Agew language, prior to it adding Ge'ez lexicon. BTW, not to burst your bubble further, but no language is descendant of literary Ge'ez, although Tigrinya-Tigre may have descended from a vulgar Ge'ez (or perhaps a sister language, no one knows or will know till we gather more evidence from graffiti). |
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06-27-2010, 07:37 AM
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#15 |
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That propaganda is clouding your thoughts. Amharic didn't originate from Ge'ez but they did both derive from proto-EthioSemitic (or Afro-Semitic or whatever your PC term for it is). Tigrinya and Tigre have Cushitic substrata as well. You think palatization doesn't exist? Tell me, then, why the sounds "sh," "j," "ch," etc. exist in your language, because they sure as hell weren't in Ge'ez. I think i've been very consistent with explaining that Tigre and Tigrinya have Cushitic elements in them. The point i'm trying to state is, Amharic has a majority Cushitic element and Tigre and Tigrinya have a minority. BTW, not to burst your bubble further, but no language is descendant of literary Ge'ez, although Tigrinya-Tigre may have descended from a vulgar Ge'ez (or perhaps a sister language, no one knows or will know till we gather more evidence from graffiti). |
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06-27-2010, 07:51 AM
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#16 |
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Which part of my last statement you feel is not accurate? Because I can post sources to my claims. Look at the paper here http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.o...1668/2703.full No one is arguing that Amharic has cushitic influence but I tell you this, there is no way for amharic to be included in this study and be fitted into their phylogenetic tree if it was a non semitic cushitic language.. It wouldnt make any sense. Also this study is from 2009. |
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06-27-2010, 08:31 AM
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#17 |
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No one is arguing that Amharic has cushitic influence but I tell you this, there is no way for amharic to be included in this study and be fitted into their phylogenetic tree if it was a non semitic cushitic language.. It wouldnt make any sense. |
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06-27-2010, 08:55 AM
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#18 |
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No one is arguing that Amharic has cushitic influence but I tell you this, there is no way for amharic to be included in this study and be fitted into their phylogenetic tree if it was a non semitic cushitic language.. It wouldnt make any sense. btw, for the record, there's virtually no difference between a cushitic and semitic speakers in our region. |
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06-28-2010, 06:00 AM
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#19 |
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One last thing, Ge'ez itself has many Cushitic elements. There seems to be this myth that Ge'ez was pure Semitic when it was not. Another thing that should be noted is, there are many semitic words in Tigre that don't come from Ge'ez, Arabic, or Sabaean. This could be explained by other extinct Semitic languages that were known to be around in ancient times in our region.
The main sources in Amharic seem to be Agew, Oromo (recent?), and Highland East Cushitic. Amharic verb morphology: a generative approach By Marvin Lionel Bender, Hailu Fulass, p. 10. |
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06-28-2010, 06:48 AM
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#20 |
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The source you cite is talking about sources of Cushitic loanwords. Amharic is clearly a Semitic language at its core with a strong Cushitic substratum. Please stop pushing this useless propaganda. As if a language being more or less "Semitic" is a badge of pride or something.
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