BURJI ANCESTORS: ORIGIN AND HISTORY
Review of the 2019 Burji Book by Shibru Galla Hiyo By Tego Wolasa What is the origin of the name Burji? Do the Burjis have alternative names? Where is their origin? First Published in 2019, the book answers the above questions and delves into several other historical and contemporary issues about the Burji. The 18 […]
WHAT IF THE DIZI PEOPLE ARE THE LOST BROTHERS OF THE BURJI?
By Tego Wolasa In the words of Albert Einstein, Curiosity has its reason for existing. And I agree with him. Last year, while collecting secondary materials about the migratory path of the Burji, I was stung by the curiosity bug. But before I tell you about the curiosity, I found that there are three general […]
TEFF FARMING IN BURJI
By Tego Wolasa The historical hate-love relationship between Burji and Teff Also known as Williams love grass or annual bunch grass, Teff is believed to have been domesticated by the Abyssinians between 3000 and 6000 years ago. Teff flour is mainly used for preparing fermented flatbread indigenously known as Injera. But can also be used […]
THE BIRTH OF BURJI SOYAMA
By Tego Wolasa When Burji was upgraded from mitikl woreda (sub-district) to status of a woreda (full District) in 1965, the District’s administrative center, which was at Ilale-Sego was moved to Bader. Bader was later renamed Soyama. One account says that Soyama was named after a range of mountains found in the northeast of the […]
Do The Burji Belong to The Cushitic Family?
Some people argue that the Burji are Bantus because they are farmers and not pastoralists like the other Cushites that we know They belong to the Highland East Cushitic-speaking people. Cushites comprise of around 47 tribes divided into five categories based on their linguistic characteristics and geographical location. The categories are; Highland East, Lowland East, […]
THE BURJI POPULATION COULD HAVE BEEN 1.2MILLION TODAY
By Tego Wolasa What if the Burji population was supposed to be 1.2million today? Looks farfetched right? Historical events which happened during the reins of Menelik II and Haile Selassie between 1894 and 1941 explain the likelihood. The death of Emperor Yohannes of Ethiopia in the Battle of Gallabat in March 1889 led to coronation […]