
What race is afar?
Ethnic group. The Afar (Afar: Qafár), also known as the Danakil, Adali and Odali, are an ethnic Cushitic peoples inhabiting the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, although some also inhabit the southern point of Eritrea.
Where is afar spoken in Africa?
Afar, Amharic Adal, Arabic Danakil (singular; now pejorative), a people of the Horn of Africa who speak Afar (also known as ’Afar Af), a language of the Eastern Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. They live in northeastern Ethiopia, southeastern Eritrea, and Djibouti, where, with the Issas, they are the dominant people.
What is the population of Afar in Ethiopia?
The Afar principally reside in the Danakil Desert in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, as well as in Eritrea and Djibouti. They number 2,276,867 people in Ethiopia (or 2.73% of the total population), of whom 105,551 are urban inhabitants, according to the most recent census (2007). [17]
Who are the Afar and the Issa?
Called the longest-running conflict in the Horn of Africa, the Afar have been fighting with the Issa on and off for centuries. What had been an ancient rivalry over grazing lands has, according to the Afar, morphed into something much more cynical.

Where do Afar people originate from?
They live in northeastern Ethiopia, southeastern Eritrea, and Djibouti, where, with the Issas, they are the dominant people.
Are Afar Somalis?
The Afar are a distinct Eastern Cushite people, whose language and culture are related to the Somali and Oromo. They are very traditional in culture and belief, retaining many ancient Cushite animistic practices.
Are Afar people indigenous?
The Afar are a proud, resilient, unconquered and fascinating people who have kept their indigenous identity alive in a part of the world that is inhospitable and which has seen its share of religious and political turmoil. Today they are poor and marginalized.
What language do Afar speak?
Afar people Horn of Africa who speak Afar (also known as 'Afar Af), a language of the Eastern Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. They live in northeastern Ethiopia, southeastern Eritrea, and Djibouti, where, with the Issas, they are the dominant people.
Are Afar Arab?
The Afar people are believed to be the descendants of Arabs, potentially from Yemen. They settled on farm land in the Ethiopian highlands some time before 1000AD and have since been nomadic pastoralists, raising goats, sheep and cattle.
What do Afar men wear?
jileMarried women traditionally wear a black headscarf called a shash. Afar men are also known for wearing the jile, a long, double-edged curved dagger, at their waists.
What tribe is Afar?
CushiticThe Afar (Afar: Qafár), also known as the Danakil, Adali and Odali, are a Cushitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa. They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, as well as the entire southern coast of Eritrea.
What is the culture of Afar?
The Afar are traditionally pastoralists, raising goats, sheep, and cattle in the desert. Socially, they are organized into clan families and two main classes: the asaimara ('reds') who are the dominant class politically, and the adoimara ('whites') who are a working class and are found in the Mabla Mountains.
Is Afar part of Tigray?
96% of Tigrayans are Orthodox Christian. Tigray is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Amhara Region to the south and the Afar Region to the east and southeast....Tigray Region.Tigray Region ክልል ትግራይCoordinates: 13°34′30″N 39°05′15″ECountryEthiopiaCapitalMekelleGovernment23 more rows
How do you say hello in Afar?
0:000:15How to say hello in: Amharic - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHallo mijn naam is marc de fantasie.MoreHallo mijn naam is marc de fantasie.
What does the name Afar mean?
: from, to, or at a great distance roamed afar. afar. noun. Definition of afar (Entry 2 of 2) : a great distance saw him from afar.
How do the Afar people survive?
The Afar are a nomadic people who rely on their herds of camels, cattle, sheep and goats to survive and frequently move around in order to find water in the dry harsh deserts.
Is Afar part of Tigray?
96% of Tigrayans are Orthodox Christian. Tigray is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, the Amhara Region to the south and the Afar Region to the east and southeast....Tigray Region.Tigray Region ክልል ትግራይCoordinates: 13°34′30″N 39°05′15″ECountryEthiopiaCapitalMekelleGovernment23 more rows
Are Afar indigenous to Djibouti?
Djibouti contains two indigenous ethno-linguistic groups, the Afar (sometimes also called the Danakil) and the Somali. (Djibouti Somalis primarily belong to the Issa clan of the Dir clan-family, which covers two-thirds of Djibouti and extends into adjacent Somalia and Ethiopia.)
What is the culture of Afar?
The Afar are traditionally pastoralists, raising goats, sheep, and cattle in the desert. Socially, they are organized into clan families and two main classes: the asaimara ('reds') who are the dominant class politically, and the adoimara ('whites') who are a working class and are found in the Mabla Mountains.
Where are the Somalis from?
Horn of AfricaSomalis are largely concentrated in three areas: the Horn of Africa and Yemen, Gulf States, and Western Europe and North America 15. Nearly two-thirds of all Somalis living outside Somalia live in neighboring countries, namely Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen 16.
What are the Afar nomads?
Afar nomads in Ethiopia. Victor Englebert. The Afar subsistence economy depends on livestock, especially goats, some camels, and, more rarely, cattle. There are some exceptions, such as fishermen in the coastal areas and agriculturalists in the Assau oasis. The Afar also mine and export salt.
Is Afar a Muslim?
The Afar are nominally Muslim, but a minimal level of orthodoxy in practice is attained only in the coastal regions and in the sultanates. The nomads of the interior are lax, and, though they hold Islam in great esteem, their own practices are imbued with the earlier Cushitic religion.
Where are the Afar people from?
The Afar people also known as Adal, Adali, Oda’ali, Teltal and Dankali are Cushitic-nomadic people located in the East African countries of Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The Afar (Danakil) claim to be descendants of Ham (Noah's son). They prefer to be known as the Afar, since the Arabic word "danakil" is an offensive term to them. They are a proud people, emphasizing a man's strength and bravery. Prestige comes, as it always has, from killing one's enemies.
What are the names of the Afar people?
Adal, Adali, Oda’ali, Teltal and Dankali are names traditionally given to the Afar by neighbouring people. The Amhara, Oromo and Somali respectively borrowed the names Adal, Adali and Oda’ali, which sounds the same as the ancestor of the dynasty and the son of Hadal Mahis, Ado’ali (Afar: white Ali).
What are the roles of women in Afar?
Besides their contribution to domestic chores (cooking food, fetching water and taking care of children), they are engaged in milking of small ruminants such as goats, looking after small stock animals in the field, as well as selling of some livestock products such as butter. The construction of the traditional mat house typical of many mobile pastoralists is also the task of women.
What are the heads of Afar families?
In typical Afar households, men are heads of respective families. Men are generally accepted as an authority figure and have the greatest share of rights over property and children. Household heads also decide on such matters as mobility and sale of livestock. Although household decision-making is often based on subsequent negotiations with women, men have the ultimate say. Livestock may be owned individually although they are regarded as assets of the entire household. Children have their own livestock. Following birth, a child receives female goats or a camel “to see the luck”. This takes place during initiation ceremonies such as circumcision or the tying up of the umbilical cord. If the animal reproduces and survives environmental hazards, the child is considered lucky. First-born babies have the advantage of getting more animals.
What do the Afar do?
The Afar traditionally engage in various kinds of skills such as wood and metal working, weaving, pottery, and tanning.#N#They weave fabric to be made into traditional clothing, including the man's sanafil, a white cloth wrapped at the waist and tied at the right hip. The woman's sanafil is wrapped the same way, but the fabric is dyed brown. Fabric is also woven for the optional shash, a black cloth that married women may choose to wear on their heads.#N#The Afar do some metalworking to produce tools and instruments, such as the jile, a curved, double-edged dagger.
What is the Afar culture?
Men and women generally wear the same article of clothing, the sana-fil, which is a length of fabric wrapped around and tied at the waist. The woman's sanafil was traditionally dyed brown, but modern Afar women have adopted multicolored sanafils. The man's sanafil was traditionally undyed, and that preference persists to the modern day.
What is the importance of dance in Afar?
Afar in the culture, dance is an important and supports the important moments of life. Dance (LAALE), performed exclusively by men, or dance (MALABO),performed exclusively by women and dance (KEEKE) together men and women, for example, accompany the ceremonies of marriage. In the Afar traditional register, there are games (SAXXAQand KASSOW), songs of praise (GAALI SAARE and FARAS SAARE ) and prophetic words of the soothsayer (ADAL).
What is the Afar region?
The Afar Region is one of Ethiopia’s nine official Region-States. Its official capital is Semera, though its traditional capital is Asaita. In addition to the 1.8 million Afar estimated to live in Ethiopia, another 300,00 live in Djibouti and 100,000 in Eritrea.
How many people live in Afar?
An Afar village, set on a lava field. Over 80% of Ethiopia’s 1.8 million Afar people still live traditionally in the desert.
Why are goats important to Afar?
Goats play a crucial role in Afar life - as the smallest denomination of livestock, and the one that reproduces the fastest, they are eaten and sold more frequently than camels and cows. Families, as much as possible, prefer to keep their large animals alive, and might slaughter them only for a special occasion, such as a wedding. “If we kill an animal, it won’t give milk or have babies,” Muhammed Humad explained.
What is the best animal in Afar?
“And the camel,” Kadir declared, “is the best animal,” prized for its strength, resilience, and usefulness. “Their milk is the best, their meat is the best.
Where is the salt in Ethiopia?
While the most important source of Afar salt in Ethiopia is Lake Afdera (above) where water is pumped into evaporation pools, the Dallol salt flats are more internationally famous, thanks to the photogenic camel caravans that still operate there.
Where is the hut in Saha?
Erecting a hut — called an “arri” — on the lava fields at Saha. Thin branches are bent and lashed together, then covered with reed mats.
Does Ethiopia control the Afar?
Since Ethiopia’s only access to the sea is through Djibouti, and the government there is controlled by Issa, Ethiopian government doesn’t want to upset them by protecting the Afar. Thus they do little to intervene in the conflict beyond attempting to keep the peace along the highway that connects Addis Ababa with the port of Djibouti. Some Afar also allege that Ethiopian officials make hefty sums from Issa contraband and want to keep it flowing. Hence, the Afar have to defend themselves.
