Kwama People of South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Saturday, October 9, 2021
Kwama People also known as Gwama and Komo People can be found in South Sudan and Ethiopia, Kwama are part of the Nilo- Saharan Speaking People.
They grow crops such as tomatoes, corn, onions, carrots, cabbages and raddish. Their Staple food is Sorghum with which they make beer and they make cassava porridge, they gather fish and honey, Sorghum beer is poured from a large pot and straws are used for drinking.
Marriage plays a big role traditionally by Sister exchange, Kwame are made up of Clans.
It is believed women cannot marry a man from the same clan, Polygamy as well played a big role in their culture, Kwama language is referred as Madiin, Komo, Gokwom and Hayahaga.
In their Culture , they play musical instruments such as flute, rattles and they eat chicken it is said they can play their instruments until the morning, a load of work is done by any farmer of the community, he will prepare a traditional drink known as ” tella” and he will Invite his fellow farmers to his house later on. Kwama People in the Villages will go to the field and help him out as a reward from a tiring day they will go back to the farmer’s house and they will reward them with a drink for their well done job, their language is similar to languages such ad Gwama, Yange, Zebsher and Kessir.
It is believed some of them are miseducated that their Culture should be abolished and they are bullied and others referred them as Uncivilized People according to myths.
Traditionally, they have opened shops for their own traditional coffee and tea and they built their own artefacts so that others of Kwama heritage can visit and will not lose their rich cultures.
They also have written poems in Gwama languages passed down throughout generations.
According to Mohammed Mussa he wrote a poem bringing his People back to their roots to bring the language, culture and develop it, he also said People can listen to their language, listen to each other, respect each other, It is better not to lose the Culture .
According to some account , Kwama migrated from Present day Lake Chad then crossed Present day Libya, Present day Western part of Egypt, Present day Central African Repblic, Present day Uganda before settling in Present day South Sudan around 590 BCE and later made their final settlement in Abyssania Present day Ethiopia around the late 17th Century, It is also claimed they migrated from the Eastern part of Sudan during the Nuer territorial expansion to access the control over vital natural resources, cultivation diring the 16th Century the wars between the Kingdom of Ethiopia and the neighboring Sultnate of Adal which resulted in the exhaustion of both States, Kwama and Oromo moved North into the territories of Sultnate of Ifat, Adal Sultanate, Sultanate of Showa and Abyssinian Empire were some of the Kingdoms in the area before the medieval Oromo migrations for Kwama.
It is believed they migrated Northwest in the late 17th Century, Kwama settled in an area in the norh by the river known as Yabus in the South near Yeshkap mountain and later moved to Present day Ethiopia.
It is claimed Surma People referred them as “Gwama or Kwama” before they considered their land in the Upper Nile and they celebrate Eid al- Adha which is the great sacrifice a customary to kill a Sheep and give the part of the meat to the needy, they also celebrate Eid al- Fitr and other festivals.
In their tradition, they are patriarchal society which It is believed women are generally accorded a lesser Status than men, they learn to read Quran attend Islamic Studies between ages five, six and nine but when you turn into a teenager you have to stop attending.
Kwama literary tradition is Oral tradition rather than written variety of Stories, myths and proverbs, they used Ivory, Silver, Copper, Carvings, leatherworks to produce carved wooden masks, figures and sculptures.
