Nilo-Saharan farmers and hunters of the hot lowlands west of the Ethiopian escarpment: the Blue Nile (Abay) valley below Gojjam, the Dinder and Rahad headwaters and the country towards later Gallabat.
Their traditions say they once lived higher up, in western Gojjam, and were pushed down to the river valleys by the Agaw and Amhara; Ethiopian Christians raided them for slaves for centuries. In 1200 they are probably on the edge of the Zagwe kingdom's Agaw lands.
Who holds it
- Title
- Elders and chiefs
- Since
- Not pinned
- Confidence
- low
How things stand that morning
Self-governing villages, raided from the highlands.
Customs
Village elders; exchange marriage; bows and arrows.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Later Ethiopian sources and travellers (first named by Bruce in 1790); traditions; language.
On the map: East edge at the foot of the escarpment; the Gojjam plateau and the Agaw are on the Ethiopia part of this sheet.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia: Gumuz people (traditions of being pushed from western Gojjam; the name Shanqella)
- Wikipedia: Kingdom of Fazughli (Fazughli first named in 1607; Gumuz, Burun and Berta country in later descriptions)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.