Saho people
Encyclopedia
The Saho sometimes called Soho, are an ethnic group living largely in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...

. They are principally concentrated in the Southern and Northern Red Sea regions of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

, but some also live in adjacent parts of 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...

.

Demographics

Exact numbers of Saho are difficult to estimate, as there has been no census in Eritrea since its founding (see Demographics of Eritrea
Demographics of Eritrea
The demographics of Eritrea describes the condition and overview of Eritrea's inhabitants. Demographic topics include basic education, health and population statistics, as well as identified ethnic and religious affiliations.-Ethnic groups:...

). Estimates range from a low of 4% to as much as 10% of Eritrea's population - from 120,000 to 320,000 people.

The Saho have a system of clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...

s (11 at present), which are in turn divided into kinship
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....

 groups. Clan loyalty is an important factor in Saho politics.

Language

The Saho people speak the Saho language
Saho language
The Saho language is a Cushitic language of Eritrea and Ethiopia.-Overview:It is spoken natively by the Saho people who traditionally inhabit territory in Eritrea bounded by the bay of Arafali in the east, the Laasi Ghedé valleys in the south, and the Eritrea highlands to the west .This speech area...

, which is part of the Cushitic
Cushitic languages
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947...

 branch of the Afro-Asiatic
Afro-Asiatic languages
The Afroasiatic languages , also known as Hamito-Semitic, constitute one of the world's largest language families, with about 375 living languages...

 language family.

Religion

The Saho are predominantly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

. A few Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

, who are also known as the Irob
Irob people
The Irob people are an ethnic group who occupy a predominantly highland, mountainous area by the same name in northeastern Tigray Region, Ethiopia. They speak the Saho language, are Christians , and mainly agriculturalists...

, live in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Sub-divisions

1. Assa-Awurta (Asaworta)
  • Fokroti Are
  • Lelish Are
  • Assa- Kare
  • Asa-Lesan
  • Sarma Are
  • Faqih Dik
  • Urus Abusa


2. Gaaso Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...

 قعسو
  • Shum Abdalla Gaisha
  • Yofish Gaisha
  • Shum Ahmad Gaisha
  • Hassan Gaisha
  • Silyan Gaisha
  • Asa-Ushmaal
  • Oni - Maal
  • Salmunta
  • Gadafur


3. Dasamo
  • Abdallah Harak
  • Naefie Harak
  • Mosat Harak
  • Subakum Are
  • Daili Are
  • Kundes
  • Illaishe
  • Asa Bora


4. Faqat Harak
  • Faqih Abubakar
  • Faqih Omar
  • Faqih Ahmad


5. Silaita
  • Hakatti Are
  • Qomma Are
  • Zella Are
  • Halato
  • Abbarior


6. Idda (Ge'ez
Ge'ez alphabet
Ge'ez , also called Ethiopic, is a script used as an abugida for several languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea but originated in an abjad used to write Ge'ez, now the liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Church...

 እዳ, Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...

 إِدًّا, alternatively ادة or ادى), one of the earliest known Saho communities in Eritrea, also known as “Bado Ambalish” (Ge'ez ባዶ አምባልሽ, Arabic اصحاب الأرض, "friends of the land [Earth]") or "bearers of land".

7. Irob
Irob people
The Irob people are an ethnic group who occupy a predominantly highland, mountainous area by the same name in northeastern Tigray Region, Ethiopia. They speak the Saho language, are Christians , and mainly agriculturalists...

(Ge'ez
Ge'ez alphabet
Ge'ez , also called Ethiopic, is a script used as an abugida for several languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea but originated in an abjad used to write Ge'ez, now the liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Church...

: ኢሮብ ʾirōb, also spelled Erob), a Christian community in the highlands of the Tigray Region
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...

.

External links

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