Est. 1200000
in 1994 (of whom only 1,650 retain the language.)
Regions with significant populations
Ethiopia
Languages
Qemant
Amharic
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox
Traditional faith[1]
Related ethnic groups
Beta Israel, other Agaw people
The Qemant (also known as western Agaws) are a small Cushitic ethnic group in northwestern Ethiopia, specifically in Gondar, Amhara Region.[2] The Qemant people traditionally practiced an early Pagan-Hebraic religion, however most members of the Qemant are followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. They are historically related to, but distinct from, the Beta Israel.[3]
The ethnicity's population is reported to be 172,000, according to the 1994 national census;[4] the latest available national census, the one performed in 2007, does not list them as a separate group.[5] However, only 1,625 people still speak Qimant, and it is considered endangered, as most children speak Amharic; likewise, adherence to the traditional religion has dropped substantially, as most of the population has converted to Christianity. Converts often consider themselves to be Amharas.
The Qemant live in an area traditionally called Qwara, along an axis stretching from Ayikel in Chilga woreda to Kirakir and north to Lake Tana in the woredas of Lay Armachiho. Most remaining speakers of the language are near Ayikel, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Gondar. They are mainly farmers.
The Qemant are divided into two patrilineal moieties, Kɨbbɨr and Yetanti; the Kɨbbɨr moiety is higher in rank. A traditional Qemant can only marry a member of the other moiety, so, while the moieties are exogamous, Qemant society as a whole is endogamous.[3]
^Leyew (2002), p. 8.
^Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World. Elsevier. 2010-04-06. ISBN 9780080877754. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
^ abGamst (1969), p.67
^and 169000 according to the 1984 Ethiopian Census. 1994 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Results for Amhara Region, Vol. 1, part 1 Archived November 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Table 2.7 (accessed 6 April 2009)
^"Census 2007" Archived February 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, first draft, Table 5.
Amhara Region. The Qemant people traditionally practiced an early Pagan-Hebraic religion, however most members of the Qemant are followers of the Ethiopian...
scattered enclaves include the Bilen in and around Keren, Eritrea; the Qemantpeople (including the now-relocated Beta Israel), who live around Gondar in...
northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara, Awi, Xamir, Argoba, and Qemantpeople. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Regional Government...
The Kimant Democratic Party or KDP (also: Kemant, Qemant) is a political party of the Qemantpeople in Ethiopia. In December 2019, the Kimant Democratic...
highly endangered language spoken by a small and elderly fraction of the Qemantpeople in northern Ethiopia, mainly in the Chilga woreda in Semien Gondar Zone...
men and boys. According to researchers, shepherd boys of the Amhara and Qemant commonly developed homosexual relationships with one another. This resulted...
occupational segregation and caste-based endogamy practiced by the Ari people, have been revealed by advances in archaeogenetics to be among the oldest...
Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Fano units have been accused of participating in ethnic massacres, including that of 58 Qemantpeople in Metemma...
Bilad el-Sudan List of ethnic groups in Ethiopia Qemantpeople, a small subgroup of the Agaw people from Ethiopia, whose members traditionally practiced...
Lists of Jews Crypto-Judaism Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jewish people by country. References and sources are given within the articles themselves...
The Harari people (Harari: ጌይ ኡሱኣች Gēy Usuach, "People of the City") are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group which inhabits the Horn of Africa. Members of...
gradually replaced by a new design. Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (?-2023) Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Ethiopia...
between Amhara security forces and militia comprising Qemantpeople left tens dead. The Qemant are a minority in Amhara pursuing greater autonomy. TPLF...
North Amhara Region Qimant (Western Agaw) nearly extinct, spoken by the Qemant in Semien Gondar Zone (dialects Qwara – nearly extinct, spoken by Beta Israel...
settling in Ifat. Argobba have historical links with Harari and Harla people. Argobba people consider the inhabitants of Doba their ancestors. After the collapse...
Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Fano units have been accused of participating in ethnic massacres, including that of 58 Qemantpeople in Metemma...
groups reported in Gondar were the Amhara (88.91%), Tigrayans (6.74%), and Qemant (2.37%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.98% of the population. Amharic...
was exposed to Judaic influence, of which the best-known examples are the Qemant and Ethiopian Jews (or Beta Israel) ethnic groups, but Judaic customs, terminology...
G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z by status: List of Indigenous peoples List of diasporas List of stateless nations regional lists: Ethnic groups...
were Muslim. Although the Amhara people are the predominant ethnic group in this woreda, the Qemant, one of the Agaw people, are an important minority who...
chose rebelling the government by financing several factions in Oromo and Qemant minorities. Contested areas in Western Tigray such as Welkait, Tsegede,...
some speaking the nearly extinct Qemant language, and was formerly inhabited by a substantial number of Qwaragna people, who spoke the Qwara language, and...
religion, while 2% of the population said they were Muslim. The Qemant, one of the Agaw people, are the largest ethnic group living in this woreda, and are...
Global Information
Ethiopia