Ethiopia

Ethiopia is located in East Africa and comprises what is known as the Horn of Africa. It is the tenth largest country in Africa, with a central plateau, known as the highlands, that is surrounded by lower elevation desert.

Learn more about Ethiopia

Major Cultural Groups

Amhara

The Amhara are considered the most populous group in Ethiopia, comprising approximately one fourth of the population. Along with the Tigray, the Amhara have typically been associated with the politically elite. They have predominately inhabited the central highland plateau for over 2000 years, where their pastoral and agricultural lives have been successful because of rich soil, abundant rainfall, and a cool climate. They have practiced Christianity since the 4th century A.D. Their language is Amharic, which is a Semitic language that is somewhat related to Arabic and Hebrew. The Amhara are a patriarchal, authoritarian society that idealize the warrior image. Large families are valued. Social hierarchy is highly regarded, and individuals express respect and formality towards those that are considered a higher rank (for children, that would be their elders, for women, men would be their superior, and for men, those men with higher social status would be the superior). Among individuals of the same rank, there is a relationship of informality.

Oromos

The Oromo had formed their own society, and refer to the Horn of Africa in which inhabit as Oromia. This region is primarily in Ethiopia, but also includes parts of Kenya and Somalia, and it is rich in agriculture and natural resources. For centuries, the Oromo have been suppressed by the Ethiopian government. They have not had control over their property, nor their lives. They have been threatened, murdered, and subjected to secret concentration camps and prisons. It has, until recently, been illegal to write in their language, Afaan Oromo, which is also the third most widely spoken language in Africa. The Oromo have three major religions: Waaqa (the original Oromo religion), Islam, and Christianity. While Islam and Christianity are dominant, they are both highly influenced by Waaqa, which embodies the idea that human, physical, and spiritual worlds are all interconnected. Those individuals who contribute to the community are highly respected and regarded as heroes. In fact, according to Waaqa, instead of a Heaven or Hell, individuals who sin are subjected to the punishments of society. Hard work, bravery, and knowledge of history and culture are also held in high regard. These values and lessons are passed down from the elders by song, poetry, stories, and proverbs. The patriarch dominates society, and even though children are typically at the bottom of the heirarchy, they foster respect in that they will one day work and provide for the community. The Oromo typically greet one another with hand shakes.

Tigray

Half of the Tigray live in Ethiopia, and the other half lives in Eritrea. They inhabit the high plateau, where rainfall is either adequate for agriculture, or it is so low as to cause a severe drought. They speak Tigrinya, which, like Amharic, is a Semitic language that is so similar to Amharic, that oftentimes, the Amhara and Tigray can still understand each other's language. Verbal skills and compassion are highly regarded, and heroes are portrayed as being witty and clever. Most Tigrays are Christian, a practice which began long before Europeans were even converted. Greetings are extremely important for fostering good relationships. In fact, there are ten different personal pronouns that are used when addressing one another.

Languages

Amharic is the dominant and official language of Ethiopia, which is indicative of the political power that has been sustained by the Amhara group throughout history. English is the most widely spoken foreign language, and it is the language used in secondary schools and universities.

Amharic is a Semitic language that consists of the Ge'ez or Ethiopic alphabet.

A chart of the Ethiopic symbols.

Information about the Amharic language, including sounds and grammar.

Basic points include:

• Words can be distinguished by consonant length.

• Verbs agree with subject, number, and gender.

• Nouns can be masculine or feminine.

• There are different endings for the pronoun “you,” depending on whether you are speaking to a male, a female, or a group.

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion, and it began in the fourth century A.D., before even Europeans had been converted. Ethiopian Christianity is not quite like Western Christianity, as it also incorporates folklore and aspects of paganism into its belief system. Islam is the other predominate religion, which began when Islam was founded. The two religions co-exist peacefully, and in fact, they may even seek each other out to augment health and prosperity. Indigenous African religions comprise the remainder of the population, and tend to inhabit the southwestern and western portions of the Ethiopian borders. Judaism used to be a major religion, but many Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel) have emigrated to Israel.

Customs and Values

Family

Families are typically big, and because children are expected to take care of their parents once they have gotten older, it is not uncommon to find three or four generations living in one house. The men dominate and are responsible for agricultural work, hunting, building, herding, and taking care of the finances, while the women are involved in the domestic duties. It is more important for girls to stay home and help with the domestic duties, and they often have a more restricted social life than boys do. Those families who have moved to the city are responsible for sending money to family that remain in rural areas. In the city, both parents usually work and a babysitter is hired to take care of the children. If one is not available, an older sister or grandparents must fulfill that role.

Education

In the cities, children begin school at around the age of five years (if the family can afford it). In the rural areas, working the land is considered a priority. Education for girls is not deemed important, and in fact, it is often thought that girls wouldn't be able to succeed even if they were given an education. Because of this, boys tend to receive more education than girls.

Etiquette

A greeting consists of a handshake or kisses on both cheeks, during which time both parties exchange “pleasantries.” The elderly are held in the highest regard, and when an elderly person walks into a room, everyone must stand up until that person has taken a seat.

Immigration

Ethiopians began immigrating to the United States after the 1980 Refugee Act was passed, primarily to escape the oppressive regime, the Derg, that upheld power from 1974-1991. The famine in Northern Africa in the 1980s also resulted in large numbers of Ethiopians migrating to Sudan, after which many eventually immigrated to the United States.

Learn more about Ethiopian migration patterns.

Ethiopian Culture in the U.S.

Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and New York City have the highest population of Ethiopian immigrants because Ethiopians in these areas have been more economically successful there, and as more came to the U.S., they chose to go to places that already had an Ethiopian community. Immigrants have been primarily male, as they were allowed an education in Ethiopia that would meet the requirements in the U.S. They were also primarily Christian, and in the 1990s, the majority were from the Amhara group because many of them had had access to education in Ethiopia.

Because of the patriarchal structure of Ethiopian cultures, some couples struggle once they get to the U.S. because women have more rights here and the men are not used to that. During the process of assimilation, many second and third generation refugees have begun to lose the religious and cultural values practiced by their parents. This, in combination with racism in the U.S., may be why some young Ethiopians have strayed from their families' values. The majority of the Ethiopian population in the U.S. work in the service industry, but there are also many who live beneath the poverty level, and the unemployment rate is higher than that for unemployed Americans. According to everywhereculture.com, playing soccer and joining social and economic support groups, like Ekub (“an Abyssintine financial group designed to make capital accessible and generate social activity”) in order to feel more as if they belong. Also according to everyculture.com, Ethiopians tend to “resist forming an identity out of their ethnicity.” While their relations with other African-Americans tend to be positive, they typically do not identify with the need to fight for historical, political, and socio-economic equality, as some African-Americans do.

Considerations for Speech-Language Pathologists

Things to consider about Ethiopian culture (*Note: every individual is unique, and every individual has experienced something different prior to your interaction with him/her. Whether your client has immigrated from Ethiopia, or whether he was born in the U.S. to Ethiopian immigrants, it is important to gather a good history yourself before making any assumptions about how he or she may be. The following suggestions are broad, and can be used at your discretion.):

1. For many, there is a hierarchy of status that goes from children to women to men to elderly. This means that you will want to respect this hierarchy when interacting with an Ethiopian family. Be sure to show the appropriate respect to the father if you plan to implement effective therapy that he will in turn respect. The same is true for the elderly. If the family has a belief, respect it, and try to build upon it for an effective therapy.

2. It is a patriarchal society. This means that you want to make sure that the father is on board with your plan. Make sure his expectations are met, or that he feels that you respect his perspective.

3. While many may be Christians, Ethiopian Christianity is not completely similar to Western Christianity. This means that one should not assume that they celebrate the same holidays, or if they do, that they will be celebrated on the same day as we celebrate them. If you are seeing a client in a month that contains a holiday that you might celebrate, you could just ask. Always feel free to just ask your client.

4. The languages of Ethiopia use an alphabet that has a different script than ours, and it contains sounds that are different from English sounds. For further information about these sounds, follow the link under the Language heading. One should be aware that differences in sounds may not necessarily mean that the individual has a speech disorder. Also, because Amharic grammar is different, if the child is struggling in this area, it may be because he is trying to learn a new structure. I would recommend asking the family how his language and speech is in the language in which they speak.

Original contributor: Alison Baughman, Winter term 2009