Kwegu people

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Kwegu
Regions with significant populations
Ethiopia
Languages
Kwegu
Religion
Animist
Related ethnic groups
Surma

The Kwegu people (or Muguji people) are a Surmic ethnic group inhabiting the shores of the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia.

Overview

The Kwegu speak the Kwegu language 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 [1][2][3]

Notes

References

  • Woodhead, L. (1982). The Kwegu: Disappearing World. With David Turton, anthropologist. Granada TV
  • Turton, David (1986) A problem of domination at the periphery: the Kwegu and the Mursi, in D. Donham & James (eds) The Southern Marches of Imperial Ethiopia: Essays in History and Social Anthropology, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press