Kambaata people


Kambaata is the name of the people who speak the Kambaata language Their land is in south central Ethiopia. It was a province of Ethiopia beginning in the early 15th century and ending in the mid-17th century; Ethiopian rule was once again established in the late 19th century under Emperor Menelik II. During this first period, Kambaata province was largely Christianized. The former province is contained within the contemporary Kembata Tembaro Zone of Ethiopia's SNNPR.

Demographics

According to the 2007 Ethiopian national census, this ethnic group has 630,236 members, of whom 90.89% live in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region. Almost one in five -- 18.5% -- live in urban areas.
The Kambata people speak the Kambaata language, a Cushitic language.

History

The Kambata kingdom was ruled by long line of its own kings known as Woma, ወማ. King Dagoye, from Oyeta clan, was one of the famous kings known for expanding Kambatta territories. The Oyeta clan is the royal clan and its people originate from Gonder.
Atse Hamelmal who was appointed as the Governor of the region, and he was also the first Oyeta king in the region. The last independent king of Kambata was king Delbatao Degoye.
An important landmark for the Kambaata people is Mount Hambaricho, where their king, Woma, used to live and the people used celebrate annual festivities in the past. The king and the god of Kambata lived there.

Subsistence

They have many indigenous traditional foods, among which kocho ቆጮ which is processed from ensete, is their staple diet. They also grow many kinds of tubers, spices, coffee, crops, and vegetables.

Society

Kambata society used to have stratified social classes such as Womano ወማኖ and Contoma ኮንቶማ.In kembata province there are other clans like Tembaro, Alaba and many more different clans live together and become Kembata. The most isolated clan in Kembata province is tanners shekla seriwoch, this clan cannot participate in any socio-economic activities with kembata. Kembata people can never marry tanners clan.
Kambata is one of the most densely populated regions in Ethiopia. The Kambata pride themselves as one of the best educated in the country. Due to over population and lack economic opportunities in their region, they migrate to large cities, industrial areas and large plantation farms. In recent years they experienced large influx of migration to South Africa and Middle Eastern countries.