Kwegu people
Encyclopedia
The Kwegu people are a Surmic
ethnic group inhabiting the shores of the Omo River
in southwestern Ethiopia
.
as a mother tongue, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan
language family.
Primarily fishermen, hunters and cultivators, they spend a large part of their time on the river and are noted for their canoe-making skills. The speed of the river's current and the dangers from the crocodiles render these skills vital. Nearby live the Mursi
who are cattle herders and cultivators. These two groups live together for several months each year and the relationship between the groups has been much discussed by anthropologists
Surma people
Surma is a panethnicity residing in South Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia. It includes the Nilo-Saharan-speaking Suri, Mursi and Me'en.-Overview:...
ethnic group inhabiting the shores of the Omo River
Omo River
The Omo River is an important river of southern Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya...
in southwestern Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
Overview
The Kwegu speak the Kwegu languageKwegu language
Kwegu is a Nilo-Saharan Eastern Sudanic language, spoken in the Southwest of Ethiopia, on the west bank of the Omo River.-Bibliography:...
as a mother tongue, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
language family.
Primarily fishermen, hunters and cultivators, they spend a large part of their time on the river and are noted for their canoe-making skills. The speed of the river's current and the dangers from the crocodiles render these skills vital. Nearby live the Mursi
Mursi
The Mursi are a Nilotic pastoralist ethnic group that inhabits southwestern Ethiopia. They principally reside in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region, close to the border with South Sudan...
who are cattle herders and cultivators. These two groups live together for several months each year and the relationship between the groups has been much discussed by anthropologists