The Tsamai people are an ethnic group of 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...

. They speak an East Cushitic language

East Cushitic languages

The Lowland East Cushitic languages comprise two dozen languages of the Cushitic family within Afro-Asiatic. They are spoken mainly in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, and by Cushitic groups in northern Kenya....

 called Tsamai

Tsamai language

Tsamai is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Ethiopia. Tsamai is a member of the Dullay dialect continuum.- References :* Ethnologue information on...

, which is one of the Dullay languages

Dullay languages

The Dullay languages belong to the Cushitic subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic language family and are spoken in Ethiopia. Dullay is a dialect continuum consisting of the Bussa, Gawwada and Tsamai languages....

, and thus related to the Bussa

Bussa language

Bussa is an East Cushitic language spoken in the Dirashe special woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region located in southern Ethiopia...

 and Gawwada language

Gawwada language

Gawwada is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in southern Ethiopia. Dialects include Dihina, Gergere, Gobeze, Gollango, Gorose, Harso.-External links:* Ethnologue information on...

s.

According to the 1998 Ethiopian census, the Tsamai number 9,702. The number of speakers of the Tsamai language is 8,621, with 5,298 monolinguals. Many Tsamai use the Konso language

Konso language

The Konso language is an East Cushitic language spoken in southwest Ethiopia. Native speakers of Konso number about 200,000...

 for trade purposes.

Most Tsamai live in the Hamer Bena

Hamer Bena

Hamer Bena is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Omo Zone, Hamer Bena is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by Kuraz, on the northwest by the Usno River which separates it from Selamago, on the north by Bako...

 woreda

Woreda

Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...

 of the Debub Omo Zone

Debub Omo Zone

Debub Omo is a Zone in the Ethiopian Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region . Debub Omo is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the southwest by the Ilemi Triangle, on the west by Bench Maji, on the northwest by Keficho Shekicho, on the north by Semien Omo, on the northeast by the...

 of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region

Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. It was formed from the merger of the former Regions 7-11 following the 1994 elections...

, in the Lower 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...

 Valley and just to the west of the Konso special woreda

Konso special woreda

Konso is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. Because Konso is not part of any Zone in the SNNPR, it is considered a Special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area. This woreda is named after the Konso...

. Many Tsamai live in the town of Weyto

Weyto

Weyto or Weyt'o can refer to* Weyto people, an ethnic group in Ethiopia* Weyto language, the language formerly spoken by the Weyto people* Weito River, a river in Ethiopia...

, which is approximately 50 km from the town of Jinka

Jinka

Jinka is a market town in southern Ethiopia. Located in the hills north of the Tama Plains, this town is the capital of the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region and Bako Gazer woreda. Jinka has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1490 meters above...

, on the Konso

Konso

Konso is a town on the Sagan River in southwestern Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Konso special woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1650 meters...

-Jinka road.

Most Tsamai are agro-pastoralists, herding cattle as well as growing crops. Many Tsamai women wear clothing made from leather. Many Tsamai men carry small stools around with them, which they use in case they need to sit down.

They have a very low level of literacy: below 1% in their first language and 2.8% in their second language.

The Tsamai live in an area that is frequented by adventure tours, and thus are a frequently photographed people.http://www.sydertravel.com/mad/webpage.php?cat=276http://www.infohub.com/vacation_packages/7125.html

External links

• Article about Tsamai by Dave Stamboulis
• Photo of young Tsamai girl by Dave Stamboulis
• Photo of Tsamai men by Dave Stamboulis
• Article about Tsamai
• Photo of Tsamai woman