Beja Hidareb |
People of Eritrea |
One of the nine ethnic groups of Eritrea, the Tigrinya people are mainly sedentary farmers. Historically, their ancestral farmland is in the central Highlands. Today however, they are spread over much of the country. Most of them live in rural areas in the highland province of Debub, the western fringes of Anseba and Gash Barka provinces as well as the eastern fringes of Semenawi Keyih Bahri province. Most people of Tigrinya ethnicity are Orthodox Christians, with minorities of Catholics and Protestants. There is also a considerable Moslem minority named the Jeberti.
The Tigrinya people are descendants of early Semitic- speaking peoples. It is widely agreed that during the 1st millennium B.C., Semitic people from Saba (Hebrew Sheba) crossed the Red Sea and conquered the Hamite on the coast of what was eventually to become Eritrea. The history of the Jeberti also dates to this era. During the early history of Islam, the Prophet Mohammed’s followers found sanctuary in the Kingdom of Aksum. This led to some of the Aksumites converting into Islam; these people were called Jeberti (the elect of God). As for the Tigrinya language, it too is a direct descendant of an ancient Semitic language known as Ge’ez. Although Ge’ez is now a dead language, the Eritrean Orthodox Church priests use it as liturgical language today. The way of life of the Tigrinya people, especially those living in the rural area, has changed very little over the years. Most still are sedentary farmers. The weather, mainly the rain, plays a great role in their lifestyles. Weddings, for example are usually held during the months of January and February right after harvest when the crop pantries are full. The method of farming has changed little since ancient times. Farmers still plow their fields with oxen, sow seeds and harvest by hand while the feet of animals are used to thresh the harvest. In the home, women use wood or the dried dung of farm animals for cooking fuel. The children’s chores include fetching water from the local water collecting area, carrying the water in jerry cans on their backs or using donkeys. Prior to the advent of the Italians, clothing worn by the Tigrinya was very simple. The men would wear baggy trousers, which came just to the knee, and a long, tightly fitting shirt with side slits all made from Abe Jedid, a type of cotton. The women would wear long dresses with long sleeves from the same material with colourful scarves tied at their waist. For grown women, it is customary to cover their hair, so they would wrap their heads with netselas, thin cotton shawls with embroidered ends. Shoes were uncommon until the Italians introduced thronged rubber sandals. Nowadays, a similar plastic sandal called Shida is worn. As for clothing, many Tigrinya wear imported Western clothing which has replaced traditional clothing for day-to-day wear People in all cultures adorn their bodies in some way, typically with jewellery, hairstyle or clothing. The beatification procedures among the Tigrinya women are the same as in antiquity and as well as with women of other ethnic groups. They wear kohl made of powdered graphite, to decorate their eyes. Henna is used to dye their hands and feet brown; the women would also take henna baths to beautify and golden their skin. Smoke baths are also used by burning aromatic plants and trees such as eucalyptus and aloe, and sitting down next to the smoking log covered in a blanket. This procedure lightens and smoothes the skin. Butter is also used to moisturize the hair. Among Tigrinya women, gold jewellery is worn, particularly on holidays or for special occasions. The more important the occasion, the more gold is worn. In earlier times, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and armbands were made of silver or wood, though gold is traditionally the metal of wealth and security. Tattoos were common for both therapeutic and aesthetic purposes, especially in villages. Women with Thyroid Goiters are tattooed round the neck. Young girls often have their gums tattooed. First they gums are pricked using thorns gathered form nearby bushes, and then rubbed with charcoal to turn them blue. This is considered a sign of great beauty. Traditionally, for rural Tigrinya people, there is no dating before marriage. Expressions of romantic interest between couples are not indicated before marriage. Instead, the parents of the male have the final word in deciding on a matrimonial union. However, with fast urbanization and the spread of education, such authoritarian and paternalistic practices on the part of parents are declining. Now, most marriages in urban areas occur when the bride and groom choose their own partners. As regards to marriage, the institution is given serious consideration among the Tigrinya ethnic group for the simple reason that when the two persons are wed, the bond of unity is expected to affect families and clans also. It is therefore common belief that matrimonial unity helps in cementing fragile relations and strengthening kinship alliances. Marriages are monogamous and arranged by contract, involving a dowry given by the bride's family to the couple. After the marriage ceremony, the newlyweds spend some time in each family's household before establishing their own home at a location of their choice. A newlywed’s first house is usually a practical, unimpressive hut with a thatched roof that they build for themselves with the help of the villagers. If the couple are successful their next house would be more elaborate with built masonry and domed roofs supported by heavy wooden beams. Concerning children, when a Tigrinya child is born the infant is instantly recognized as a member of the community. A child is never left alone until baptism and cleansing rituals are performed. The baptism ceremony is then held forty days after birth for boys and eighty days for girls. When it comes to music, the Tigrinya have a rich cultural heritage in music and dance, using drums and stringed instruments. Music plays an integral part of daily life. Feasts are usually religious in nature, and are always accompanied by singing and chanting. Family groups and community groups express their cultural and ethnic experiences through songs. Women frequently ululate by making high-pitched trilling sounds with their tongues to signify joy. The krar, arguably the most widely used traditional instrument is a five- or six-string lyre that is either plucked with the fingers or strummed with a plectrum and is tuned in the pentatonic (five-tone) scale. It is one of the oldest stringed instruments in the world. The krar is played solo as accompaniment to singing or storytelling or as part of ensembles featuring flutes and drums. Historically, the krar was played by wandering poet s or musicians who performed at birth and wedding ceremonies or composed praise songs about women. Keboro or drums are often used in non-religious festivities. They are made of a hollow metal cylinder with the two ends covered with cowhide stretched tightly across. During religious ceremonies drums are often accompanied with the cestrum, a rattle-like instrument. Orthodox Church ceremonies are accompanied by the use of big drums called nagarit. They are made of hollowed out tree trunks of the oule-eh trees with cow skin stretched on either end and tied with rawhide strips. Holidays amongst the Tigrinya ethnic group reflect both Muslim and Christian traditions. The major Christian holidays include Orthodox Christmas, The Ge’ez New Year, Timket – the Baptism of Christ, Easter and Meskel – the Finding of the True Cross. The dates of Muslim holidays, which follow the lunar calendar, change each year. Eid el-Fitr is a feast celebrated in the spring, Eid el-Adha during the summer and Eid Milad el-Nabi, celebrated in autumn. Traditional feasts celebrated by children are mostly religious in origin, they include: Hiyo, Aba Abraham and Hoye. Hiyo, is celebrated on the day after Christmas and in some places on March 5. It is celebrated to remember the child victims of the biblical king Herod, who is said to have killed many innocent children on order to exterminate baby Jesus. On the occasion, Kolo, roasted chickpea, is prepared in every house while children go around singing to earn their share of the treat. Aba Abraham is celebrated on August 27. A torch is lit by every child and together in groups, they move around singing Hoye through out the evening. Akokhay a sort of blessing and thanksgiving is preformed indoors, where elders step across burning torches and invoke God to send seasons of plenty. Hoye is children’s favorite event because they light their torches and go around their neighborhoods singing and shouting in groups. This ritualised torch lighting falls on the Ge’ez New Year Eve and Meskel Eve. The celebration is similar to Aba Abraham, but in this one Ge’at, porridge served with molten butter and chilli, is eaten and on Meskel eve, people wear a crown made of palm leaves on their heads. The history, customs and tradition of the Tigrinya are extensive and very broad. Here we have tried to enlighten our readers by briefly accounting the way of life of these fascinating people. |