 A Banna child (2019) | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 52,000 | |
| Languages | |
| Banna | |
| Religion | |
| Animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Hamar |
TheBanna people, alsoBanya, are anOmotic ethnic group in Ethiopia that inhabit the Lower Omo Valley, primarily between theWeyto andOmo rivers. They live in an area between the towns of Gazer and Dimeka, with the traditional area of the Banna being divided into two ritual regions:Ailama (around Gazer) andAnno (spanning from Benata to Dimeka).[1] According to the 2007 census, they number at around 47,000 individuals. They engage primarily in agriculture and supplement this bypastoralism,hunting, and gathering. They are mainlytraditionalists, however, a significant share areChristians, and they have their own king.[2]
Most Banna are speakers of the Banna variety of theHamar-Banna language (a member of the putativeSouthern branch of theOmotic languages), although some also speak the relatedAari language in and around Mokocha and Chali. Some Banna claim only slight difficulty when communicating with speakers of the Hamar and Bashada varieties of the same language, and despite their linguistic proximity there is a clear virtual border to the Banna between themselves and the neighboring Hamar in specific.[1]
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