Ethnic Relations and Social Change among the Dant'a in Southern Ethiopia
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Date
2001-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This thesis describes th e ethnic relations and soc io-cultural change among the
Dant'a of southern Ethiopia. The major objectives of the study are to explore the ethnic
relations and soico-cultural change in terms of marriage practice, kinship ties,
administrative and religious systems, political power and economic relations, and
interdependence in rel ations to the neighboring communities such as Kambatta, Hadiya,
Donga, T'ambaro and others. It also examines to identify the impact of government
policies imposed on them and their role in changing the nature of the ethnic relations with
the neighboring communities during the Haile Sellasse, the Derg and the EPRDF regimes.
The conquest of Dant'as and their neighboring communities by Menelik's troops in
1892 and the establishment of the Naflanna Gabbar system had resulted in the eviction of
many Hadiyas and their settlement in the territory of Dant'a. In turn, this resulted in
shortage of cultivable land in the territory of Dant'a and led some of their community
members to move to Gibe (Omo) valley where they could subsist on pastoral way of life.
The Dant'as conversion from their previous traditional religion and Orthodox Christianity
to Protestant Christianity is resulted from the activities of missionaries who thought the
Bible in local languages and who constructed schools, clinics, health centers, roads and
other infrastructures in their locality.
Moreover, their long established marriage relationship with the neighboring
Hadiya resulted in shift of many of their younger generation from their ancestoral
language of Kambatssa to Hadiyissa.
The government policies of designing the administrative map of the country and
naming the administrative units of Awraja (province) and 'Woredas' (districts) without
taking a local condition of settl ement patterns and population distribution of various ethnic
groups into consideration during Menelik and the Haile Sellasse regimes have been the
main cause for the escalation of conflicts and emergence of competition over the political
power and economic opportunities in subsequent periods of the Derge ,md the EPRDF
regimes. In this regard, the Haile Sellasse's regime was not able to resolve the conflict
among the Dant'a and the neighboring communities which was associated with an issue of
renaming the Kam batta 'A wraj a' and T'ambaro ' Woreda' into names which could
represent all community groups who live in these ad mini strative divisions. However, the
Derg regime made an effort to reso lve the conflict among these communities by naming
the "Kambatta Awraja" into "Kambatta and Hidiya Awraja" in May 1976. Nevertheless,
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both the Oerg and the [ PROF governments co uld not able to res lve the co nni ct
assoc iated with 'Woreda' name inhabited by the Oant'as, the two groups of Hadi ya (Agar
and Sooro) and other .
Sub equently, th e change in nati onal politics of the country and the EPRDF policy
of des igning the admini trati ve map of the co untry along ethni c and/or lingui stic lines
further aggravated the connict between the Oant'a and the neighboring communities, and
resulted in competiti on over politi cal power and economi c opportunities at the zone and
'Woreda' levels. In addition, th e cial relationships of Oant'a with the neighboring Hadiya
at the local level ha been adverse ly affected and changed as a res ult of politi cal change.
Moreover, the ex isting national politi cal climate led the Oant'a to demand for power
sharin g at the zone level and recently for their own spec ific 'Woreda' admini stration by
cl aiming di tinct identity.
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Keywords
Ethnic Relations