More On Ethiopia

Among the many things we are focused on learning and absorbing during the adoption process, one of the largest is about the country and culture of our child's heritage. We believe that it will be extremely important for our Ethiopian child to have an understanding of where he/she came from, who his/her people of heritage are, and what they are like. It will be an important piece of our child's identity.

In order for our child to learn more about Ethiopia and it's culture - WE are certainly going to learn about it! It is absolutely intriguing to begin the process of learning pieces of this African culture. For example, did you know that in a country of 82 million people, there are about 80 different languages, and only 13 of 82 million people speak the national language of Amharic???

There are many avenues in which we can learn more about our child's country of heritage. And one of those avenues is via our agency. Every few weeks, they provide us with updates, and within those updates, we small glimpses into Ethiopia. Below is some interesting information they shared with us this past week.

Did you know:

Ethiopia is made up of nine administrative regions that operate much like a US state and two chartered cities--Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. Below is a glimpse into one of the regions - Benishangul/Gumuz Region.

Benishangul/Gumuz Region
The Gumuz people who were once enslaved by Egypt, Sudan and greater parts of Ethiopia live in the fertile northwestern region of Ethiopia. While the irrigation potential is large due to the Blue Nile, very few of the Gumuz make their work in farming or breeding independently. The Gumuz live simple lives with a focus on a cohesive community. They farm their lands together as a clan and live with the numerous free roaming animals from the region including, lions, cheetahs, elephants, antelope, buffalo, and warthogs.

The Nao, also known as the Berta, of Ethiopia reside in the high, dense Kaffa forests of the corner formed by the Blue Nile River and the Sudan border. They are primarily farmers but also supplement their diet through fishing as well as by gathering fruits and vegetables. The Nao had their own kingdom that was strong but due to the colonization of the Kaffa kingdom which subjected them to war and slavery in the 19th century, their population has decreased to near extinction.