Silt'e people

[Siciid85]

There is an actual place called silte 120k south of Addis Ababa, Abdirisak22 when you said they have lost each other almost 800 years ago are you implying sade existed 800 years ago?


Silte Traditional Dance - Ethiopia

[qoraxeey]

This is funny. Usually even Somalis who grew up in the West barely know their qabiil, not You have a girl who not only knows her people back in Ethiopia (Silte) but knows Where they decended from (Marehan)? Cajiib.

ma aragtaay

waxaan waa bullshiiit

I think Tutsis are lost Marehan

loooooool hahah

[abdirisak22]

There is an actual place called silte 120k south of Addis Ababa, Abdirisak22 when you said they have lost each other almost 800 years ago are you implying sade existed 800 years ago?


Silte Traditional Dance - Ethiopia

I believe that is what they meant, i was in one of their little village not far from Awas-Hawaash river and i felt i was in Caabudwaaq town itself......the faces, sounds, the way they walk, talk, laugh was unbelievable and Silte girls giggles reminded me the original inhabitant of Abudwak town (rer Dalal)

2\3 of Afar nation also claim being a Sede not Marehan. Quulle tribe must been a powerful one in past, whatever happened to them must been a big.

[grandpakhalif]

Walle you know your landheere when others insist they're Sade

[Voltage]

2\3 of Afar nation also claim being a Sede not Marehan. Quulle tribe must been a powerful one in past, whatever happened to them must been a big.

Are you surprised given the historical record?

Btw these things are definitely not new to me. I have come across them from Somalis and non-Somalis for as long as I can remember and my theory is waa the people who dispersed following the Portuguese defeat of Imam Axmed's army. My own brother Perfect Order has met Habesha who claim being Somali Marehan descent in Ethiopia.

Reminds me of this reer Etoopiya reer Axmed lady who told me she has met known Marehan subclans in a town called "Ginder" near Nazareth city close to Addis. She said waa dad af Amxaariga ku hadlo but know their clans and can go up to "Marehan".

[Voltage]

Silte Traditional Dance - Ethiopia

Ilaahaan kugu dhaariyaye is that not Goobille dance especially 6:12 beginning part

[SultanOrder]

When I was in eror sota a 2 hours from dire dawa meesha biyo kulul there was these people I couldn't place their ethinicity. She cooked food for us. She and her children had a unique look about her, not fully somali nor fully oromo or afar but she definetly looked very cushetic. I asked my grandma what she was cuz she had a unique accent when she spoke somali cuz it definetly was her mother tonque. My grandma was like shes somali I was shocked but now I think about it I think she is silt'e

[CoolPoisons]

ummad badan ayaa naga lumay

we should bring them together and their lands and create a Marehan country

[Berke]

Perfect Order, what was Dire Dawa like when you were there? There is a hotel in the Addis Ababa slum Bole Michel called Dire Dawa Hotel and it is owned by this Oromo lady who is actually iidoor. There are many of these Oromo/Somali type that speak weird Somali.

[SultanOrder]

Dire Dawa was hot and dry but very nice because it had a cool breeze. To me its one of the cleanest cities in ethiopia, and the if I had to live in ethiopia it would probably be there. There is some tension between oromos and somalis but it wasn't bad when i was there. The only think that sucked was the electricity and water shortages.

[abdirisak22]

But if survive long enough we will see those people would be known as Rer Silt Diini and Reer Marehan Fajane Diini, mark my word.

Someone recently told me there is a reer diini subclan called Magan Diini. They live among Reer Maxamud Guled.

If there is reer Alamagan Diini among Maxamud Guled, good for them....they made a good choice and may live happy ever after.

[mvp]

Berke where did u meet this girl Africa or the West?

Washington, DC.

This is funny. Usually even Somalis who grew up in the West barely know their qabiil, not You have a girl who not only knows her people back in Ethiopia (Silte) but knows Where they decended from (Marehan)? Cajiib.

i see that ilkoyaris are still recruiting and claiming everything that walks that are not labeled yet. it's laangaab thing

[CoolPoisons]

i see that ilkoyaris are still recruiting and claiming everything that walks that are not labeled yet. it's laangaab thing

mvp maseerta jooji

We dont claim them, they claim us madaame anage ey naga lumeen. Marehan was mentioned kuwa horboodayey ciidanka Ahmed Gurey in 1500. Xagee ku aragtay Cagdher in 1500? how come they were never mentioned?

[Advo]

Making and Unmaking of the Nation State and Ethnicity in Modern Ethiopia: A study on the History of Silte People

Since the end of 19th century, it was politically imperative for Ethiopia to build a modern state with a unified nation. However, after three decades of civil war, Ethiopia was transformed into a "federation of ethnic groups" in an attempt to establish a democratic political framework.

Ethnicity in Africa is often understood as something essentially related to the autonomy of peoples and their cultures. Ironically, the new order in Ethiopia gave rise to "politicized ethnicity" as all the ethnic groups (or the "nations, nationalities and peoples" according to the official term) must be recognized by and work with the ruling party. This paper tries to explain the ambiguous relationship between the state system and ethnicity in contemporary Ethiopia through a study of the history of Silte people. Traditionally, the Silte are a Muslim people sharing perceived genealogical ties. They are the descendants of a Muslim leader who participated in the historic military expedition against Christian Abyssinia in the 16th century. However, after the political and economic incorporation of the Silte into the modern Ethiopian state in the late 19th century, they have emerged as part of the Gurage people, who were recognized as the most industrious "ethnic group" among the Ethiopian nationals. Finally, under the federal state system, the ruling party recognized the Silte as a "nationality" totally distinct from the Gurage.

The Gurage were often seen as an ethnic group with strong solidarity, but their emergence was closely related to the state ideology of the 20th century Ethiopia. In other words, the Gurage were "created" as the bearer of the national economy of modern Ethiopia. On the other hand, the formation of contemporary Silte identity was not totally dictated by the state authority. Rather, it was a sort of hegemonic process in which the state ideology interplays with people's activities, resulting in the formation of a new "nationality"

Perhabs Hiraabu?, I mean he did posses enough loot to start his own nationality

[Advo]

Who are the Silt'e people?

The Silt'e people are a Muslim nation of people who live southwest of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There are approximately 1,000,000 people who speak the Silt'e language of which 800,000 live in the Silt'e zone of the Southern Nations People state. The Silt'e zone encompasses an area equal to about six U.S. counties. The Silt'e people, who are 99.99% Muslim, are a gracious people who follow the Islamic rule for hospitality.

The language of the Silt'e belongs to the Semitic family and is related to Arabic, Hararghe and ancient languages from Yemen. The language, called Siltingnya, is unintelligible to the surrounding tribes of Gurage, Oromo and Hadiya.

Like many Ethiopians the majority of the Silt'e people are dependant upon agriculture, growing teff, barley, maize, wheat, sorghum, ensette trees, sugar cane, and chat. The majority of the farmers grow their crops on small one to two acre plots using primitive methods. Teff is a grain rich in iron and indigenous to Ethiopia. The tiny grain grown almost exclusively in Ethiopia is used for making the Ethiopian staple bread called injera. Ensette is common in the highlands southeast of Addis Ababa. The bulb of the plant is used to make kocho, another bread indigenous to Ethiopia. Chat is a mildly narcotic plant used primarily by Muslim people in the Horn of Africa.

In 2001 the Silt'e people voted to become independent of the Gurage administrative zone. Previously they had been part of the eleven Gurage houses (tribes). This independence should allow the Silt'e people the opportunity to promote their own identity and the needs of the people. Historically the Silt'e people have been identified with the Hadya and the Gurage tribes.

The Silt'e people originally came into the area around 1300-1400 CE settling in the Wulbarag area as Muslim traders. The history of the Silt'e language is somewhat of a mystery, but there are similarities to Haraghe, the language of the ancient Muslim city of Harare in eastern Ethiopia. Possibly the language originated from a now extinct language on the Arabian Peninsula.

The first settlers came to the Wulbarag area as traders and possibly as an outpost of Muslim sultanate. A second and better-known wave of settlers came during the time of Mohammed Gragn around 1542. Mohammed Gragn began a jihad against the people of Ethiopia underwritten by the Turks who provided guns and promised riches. Gragn recruited soldiers from Somalia and Harare and then raided the Orthodox areas of destroying and incredible wealth of historical artifacts and taking immeasurable gold. On Gragn's final campaign the Turks recruited soldiers from the Yemen, Somalia and Harare but Gragn was killed in the battle. Many of his soldiers returned to the Silt'e area.

Religion - The religion of the Silt'e people is Sunni Islam with few exceptions. The Silt'e people have a saying, “Silt'e is Islam and Islam is Silt'e.” A large number of the Silt'e population follow the teachings of Sheik Nur Hussein, who is an Ethiopian Muslim saint from the 13th century. His base was in the Bali region near the Sof Omar caves and the site is still revered for religious Hajj. Many of the Silt'e people pray to Allah through Sheik Nur Hussein for blessings on their crops and family. The Silt'e holidays are common to most Muslims but the most celebrated holidays are listed here:

Mawlid al-Nabi birth of Mohammed

Ramadan

Laylit al-Qadr night of power during Ramadan

Eid al-Fitr feast for breaking of the Ramadan fast

Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham's willingness and obedience to sacrifice his son Ishmael to God (and God's mercy in substituting a lamb for Ishmael)

The most important holiday for the Silt'e people is Eid al-Adha, when everyone travels to their home place to visit family bringing gifts to their parents. After a gift is given the parents will bless their offspring for another year. In the mountains this celebration can last for as long as a month during which time many sheep, goats and cattle are slaughtered for feasting.

Economic conditions – The Silt'e people are extremely poor earning on average around $108 per year, well below the national average for Ethiopia which is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. It is estimated that over 80% of Ethiopian children suffer from malnutrition at some point in their lives. One study in the Silt'e zone discovered that the Silt'e children will suffer from malnutrition for three months of each year prior to harvest.

HIV/AIDS has also become a significant problem in the Silt'e zone. According to UNICEF the virus infects approximately 10% of Ethiopians. Most deaths are caused by malaria or tuberculosis, but in AIDS weakened people. The disease carries a tremendous stigma that will continue to affect the family long after someone dies. In the Silt'e zone there is only one HIV testing site for 800,000 people who live in the zone. Orphans and widows are becoming an increasing strain on the indigenous welfare system that is already stretched past capacity.

Interesting Note - Some Silt'e claim that Bilal, the freed slave and close friend of the prophet Mohammed, was a native of the Silt'e area. Bilal would not have been Silt'e since he predates the arrival of the Silt'e people.

I, Advo (Cigaal-Mareexaan) Fully Accept Silte As Beesha Mareexaan