Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE WESTERN LOWLANDS
The Gambela federal region is somewhat of an oddity within Ethiopia - its swampy low-
lands stand in stark contrast to the lush landscapes seen in the western highlands. Many of
its people have stronger cultural ties with neighbouring South Sudan than they do with the
rest of Ethiopia.
PEOPLES OF THE WESTERN LOWLANDS
The Nuer and the Anuak are the two main ethnic groups within the Gambela region and form the vast majority of
the population.
The Nuer
The Nuer people, who are relatively recent arrivals to the region, originated in the Nilotic-speaking regions of
Sudan and now form the largest ethnic group in Gambela. They're largely cattle herders and much of Nuer oral lit-
erature, including traditional songs and poetry, celebrates their beasts.
Unlike the Anuak, the Nuer like to live together in large villages. Very tall and dark, the Nuer women are fond of
ornamentation, including bright bead necklaces, heavy bangles of ivory or bone and, around Gambela at least, in-
creasingly rarely, a spike of brass or ivory that pierces the lower lip and extends over the chin. Cicatrising (con-
sidered sensual) is also widely practised: the skin is raised in patterns and decorates the face, chest and stomach;
rows of dots are often traced on the forehead.
The Anuak
The Anuak's language closely resembles that of the Luo tribes in Kenya. Fishing is their main means of survival,
though some grow sorghum. Outside Gambela most live in extended family groups, rather than villages, composed
of a cluster of huts in a small compound.
Anuak huts are characterised by low doorways and thickly thatched roofs. The eaves, which stretch almost to the
ground, keep out both the torrential rain and baking sun.
A common practice among many Nilotic peoples of Ethiopia and Sudan, including the Anuak, is extraction of the
front six teeth of the lower jaw at around the age of 12. This is said to have served originally as a precaution against
the effects of tetanus or lockjaw.
The Majang
The Majang, also known as Majangir, are the third major group living in and around Gambela (as well as up to-
wards Metu and Tepi). The last census recorded only around 15,000 of them and many claim to feel persecuted by
national and local governments and other tribal groups. They speak a Nilo-Saharan language of the Surmic cluster.
