Gumuz, Kamashi in Ethiopia


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Gumuz people were at one time considered slaves. During the 16th to the 19th centuries, they suffered oppression under the Turko Egyptian Empire, the Mahadist State in Sudan, and the Emperor Menelik in Ethiopia.

The Gumuz language has ten dialects, but those who speak them can understand the others. In Ethiopia, there are two Gumuz subgroups, the Kamash and the Mandura-Dibate. They both speak the Gumuz language. The Gumuz ethnic group lives in Ethiopia and Sudan. The Gumuz of Ethiopia live in the northern and western parts of the country near the Sudan border. Many Gumuz in Ethiopia live in the "bush-savanna" region, an area covered primarily with bamboo and other small trees.

Tributaries in the Gumuz homeland from the Blue Nile provide great potential for irrigation, hydroelectric power, and increased farming in the future. Presently, only a few towns have electricity. While the area is rich in fertile soil, a mere 4.3% of it is cultivated. The presence of gold, copper, zinc, base metal, and marble resources ensures the economic future, provided they find ways to access and process them.


What Are Their Lives Like?

While many animals roam the area, such as lion, cheetah, elephant, antelope, buffalo, warthog, bushbuck, and duiker, there is no hunting reserve or wildlife park. The Kamashi Gumuz people hunt with bows and arrows.

Most breed cattle or farm for a living. They farm their lands together as a clan. When a boy reaches the age of 16, he may work his own farm along with his father's. During the harvest season, they build huts on the fringe of the farmland and live there. They grow millet, sorghum, onion, cotton, tobacco, mango and various spices. The staple food of the Kamashi Gumuz is porridge flavored with a sauce made from leaves, onions, and spices. They supplement their diet with pumpkin seeds, peanuts, fruit, and some insects, and they like to drink coffee. Because they are farmers, trading is important to them, but the lack of roads makes this difficult. They trade most often with the nearby Oromo people. In exchange for their goods, they receive coffee, cloth, soap, salt bars and other items.

The clannish nature of the Kamashi Gumuz keeps their community cohesive, and when there is an infraction, the entire clan involves itself in the punishment. Discipline is meted out for such things as stealing, lying, and wife abuse, keeping drunkenness and idleness to a minimum.

When a daughter is ready for marriage, the clans perform a "sister exchange." That is, the newly married man gives his wife's clan a young woman from his own clan to "replace" the woman he married.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Kamashi Gumuz are animistic, which means they worship the "spirits" of certain rocks, trees, and animals for good health, good crops, good luck, and protection. Rebba is their "supreme god who knows all." The Gumuz firmly believe that if a woman drink


What Are Their Needs?

The Kamashi Gumuz have the New Testament but relatively few have heard the gospel. But we are beginning to see a spiritual breakthrough among this group. SIM and other Ethiopian missionaries have begun helping the Kamashi Gumuz to build roads, develop agr


Prayer Items

Pray for the Kamashi Gumuz people to have their physical and spiritual needs met.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully in their churches, driving them closer to the King of kings.
Pray that soon Kamashi Gumuz disciples will make more disciples.


Scripture Prayers for the Gumuz, Kamashi in Ethiopia.


References

SIM Serving In Mission
https://visualtribes.com/tribes/gumuz.html


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Gumuz, Kamashi
People Name in Country Gumuz, Kamashi
Alternate Names Debatsa; Deguba; Ganza; Gombo; Hameg; Shankilla
Population this Country 296,000
Population all Countries 404,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 5
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 11992
ROP3 Code 103562
Country Ethiopia
Region Africa, East and Southern
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 33  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Benishangul-Gumuz, Amhara, Oromia regions: Metemma area on Sudan border south through Gonder and Metekel zones; along Blue Nile south into Wellaga and Didessa valley up to Neqemt-Gimbi road; southwest of Addis Ababa, Welqite area villages (possibly 1,000).   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Ethiopia
Region Africa, East and Southern
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 33  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country Benishangul-Gumuz, Amhara, Oromia regions: Metemma area on Sudan border south through Gonder and Metekel zones; along Blue Nile south into Wellaga and Didessa valley up to Neqemt-Gimbi road; southwest of Addis Ababa, Welqite area villages (possibly 1,000)..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016

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Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 20.11 %)
42.00 %
Ethnic Religions
54.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
4.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Gumuz (296,000 speakers)
Language Code guk   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Gumuz (296,000 speakers)
Language Code guk   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Gumuz
Photo Source Anonymous 
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.