ሳሆ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Eritrea | 250,000–650,000 (2015)[1] |
 Ethiopia | 25,471 (2007)[2] |
| Languages | |
| Saho | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlySunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
TheSaho are aCushiticethnic group who are one of the 9 official ethnic groupsEritrea. They speak Saho as a mother tongue.[4]
The Saho were originally a northern extension of theAfar who moved along theGulf of Zula and settled into the eastern foothills ofAkele Guzai sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries.[5] The first mention of the Sahos comes from theRoyal Chronicle of EmperorSusenyos I, which notes a "country of the Sahos" existing on the "confines of the Ethiopian kingdom".[6]
During the 19th century, the Sahos were described as being cattle herders who controlled all the caravan routes fromTigray to the ports ofMassawa andHirgogo. They did not tolerate being treated unfairly by theNaib ofMassawa or the Egyptian appointed governor and regularly refused to pay tribute to the authorities atMassawa. In 1848, the British explorerWalter Plowden described the Sahos as being "the most expert of fleecers" in all ofAbyssinia.[7][8]
In 1933, the Italian colonial authorities organized all the Sahos into five tribes (leaving out theIrob inAgame) under government appointed chiefs, using a divide and rule policy against the Saho to facilitate their submission under Italian rule. An "Eritrean mission" led by A. Mochi and L. Loria visited the Saho speaking areas ofItalian Eritrea and collected an abundance of Saho cultural objects, many of which were displayed at theMuseo di Storia Naturale di Firenze.[9][10]
During theEritrean War of Independence, the Sahos suffered from Ethiopian military raids, which forced many of them to flee toSudan. Unlike other Muslim ethnicities in Eritrea, the Sahos were well represented in theEritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF). AfterEritrean independence, many Saho fighters were rewarded positions in the Eritrean government, among the most prominent wereMahmoud Ahmed Sherifo,Osman Saleh andMohammed Omar Suba. Many Saho also hold high ranking posts in theEritrean Army and the Eritrean police.[11]
According to Abdulkader Saleh Mohammad, most of the Saho (like theAfar and theSomali) have a primordial view of their own ethnicity, and claim to be descended from Arabian immigrants; this in turn allows for an identification with the family ofMuhammad, and for an association of their history with that of theNear East. The societal structure is patrilineal and hierarchic, with society vertically organized in tribes and clans and families. The tribe (meela,kisho, orqabila) is organized into sub-tribes (gaysha,harak, or'are) or clans (dik or'are), but these two concepts are not always clearly distinguished, which are the most important strata because they indicate an individual's "personal descent or origin". Family descent is memorized going back at least 30 or 40 generations. Also memorized and narrated are laws and customs, and consanguinity plays an important role in these traditions, indicating again the primordial quality of tribal and ethnic identity.[12] The descendants of Islamic scholars are referred to as the al-Kabiri.[13]
Most Saho are pastoralists that also engage in some agriculture but a few groups are settled farmers.[14]
Regarding the customary law of the Saho, when there is an issue the Saho tend to call for a meeting or conference which they callrahbe. In such a meeting the Saho people discuss how to solve issues related to water, pasture or land, clan disputes and how to alleviate these problems. This is also discussed with neighboring tribes or ethnic groups and sub-clans to reach a consensus.[15] A skilled representative is chosen for this meeting, this representative is called amadarre. A madarre brings forth arguments to his audience and sub-clans or tribes who are involved and tries to win them over. This is discussed with clan or tribal wise men or elders,ukal. On smaller scale conflicts between 2 individuals, one of the 2 takes their grievances to theukal, they in turn appointshimagale or mediators for the dispute.[15]
Among the Saho there is a sub-clan called the Gadafur. The Gadafur are an independent sub-clan affiliated with the Minifere tribes and are believed to be originally from the tribe of Gadabuursi.[16]
The total population of the Saho is unclear due to conflicting figures. However, most Saho reside in Eritrea. According to a 2015 estimate, the total population ranges anywhere from 250,000 to 650,000.[17] According to Saho advocacy groups, they estimated that the population of Sahos in Eritrea was about 206,000 in 2016.[18] The Saho represent about 4% of the population of Eritrea as of 2021.[19][20] Within Eritrea, the Saho primarily reside in theSouthern andNorthern Red Sea regions.[21] The Saho people speak theSaho language as amother tongue. It belongs to theSaho-Afar dialect cluster of theLowland East Cushitic languages, which are part of theCushitic branch of theAfroasiatic family.[22] and is closely related toAfar.
The Saho are predominantlyMuslim. Majority of the Saho had adopted Islam by the 13th century due to the growing influence of religious mystics and traders from theArabian peninsula. Many Saho people have mingled with other Muslim tribes such as theJeberti (Tigrinya-speaking Muslims) and theTigre and have as a result adopted those tribes languages.[23] Many Saho are members of theKhatmiyya Sufi order, which became dominant in the region around the 19th century.[24] A fewChristians, who are also known as theIrob, live in theTigray region of Ethiopia and theDebub Region of Eritrea.[25]
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