Boran (people)

They live in the desert in the very north, near the border with Ethiopia. Once they lived in the Horn of Africa region - the geography name of the Somali Peninsula, deeply protruding to the east in the form of a horn, then, several centuries ago, migrated to northern Ethiopia, and at the beginning of this century invaded Kenya. About 2 million boran live in Ethiopia, and only 35 thousand people in Kenya. (Yagya V.S. 1998: 24)

Oromo, living in northern Kenya, first entered the region of southern Ethiopia during a major migration expansion in the late 10th century. Then they began to divide into groups for cattle and camel breeding.

Boran speak the language of boran , which is part of the Cushite branch of the Afrasian family . (Kobishchanov Yu. M. 1977: 162)

Boran are nomadic herders, they migrate four times a year in search of pasture, live off the sale of cattle and cultivate crops, including teff and chat. Most household items they make of wood and skins. In the ownership of property and the construction of houses, women are equal in rights to men. (Wright M.V. 1951: 25)

Also, the people of this tribe "cooperate" with the medical handbooks , which indicate to them the location of the nest of wild bees. People always leave honeycombs for birds.

In the parking lots they build round huts made of branches and grass, and while the dwellings are not ready, they sleep in portable grass huts - dassa . Typically, their settlements are organized around deep, never-drying wells. To get water from them, men line up on a rickety staircase from the bottom to the surface and, under rhythmic chants, pass buckles of water from the bottom up until they fill the drinking bowls for livestock. (Volyak P.K. 2009: 222)

The song tradition in the Boran culture is very strong. Boran also have their own calendar, dating back, according to researchers, to the III century BC. Depending on the position of the sun and moon, 12 months are distinguished, the names of which are given by the constellations and lunar phases. (Olderogge D.A. 1936: 6)

The boran society still has a hierarchical structure - a reptile , distributed among all Oromo people from the 17th century. (Chernetsov S. B. 1981: 117) The population of the tribe is divided into age classes, the rights and obligations of each of which are strictly outlined, based on a patriarchal family . For example, a young boran warrior was traditionally obliged to commit to neighboring territory and kill at least one adult enemy. Now, however, it is allowed to replace the enemy with animals. The type of marriage is patrilocal (Olderogge D.A. 1936: 11)

Boran polygamous , have at least two wives. Often, true and divorces. (Volyak P.K. 2009: 222)

People of this tribe prefer dark colors in clothes and wrap themselves in shawls or thin blankets.

Women often cover their heads with a scarf, while men wear a small hat or turban . In addition, men cut their hair in the center of the head, and longer side strands beat in the shape of a ball. The red, henna- dyed beard of the leader of the Boran tribe is a sure sign that he is still capable of procreation. (Volyak P.K. 2009: 222)

Women decorate their heads with hundreds of thin black braids.

Boran men are thin, with a proud posture and chiseled faces and long noses, anthropologists are ranked among the Ethiopian race . Going on a journey, the boran build on their heads a huge white turban with a loose end. (Kobishchanov Yu. M. 1977: 171)

Despite the fact that the Orom tribes were greatly influenced by Islam , the Boran still adhere to the ancient religion, worshiping the god Wak. In severe droughts, sacrifices are made to him, the most valuable of which is the first-born. Today, human sacrifice has remained in the field of legends. (Wright M.V. 1951: 27)

• Olderogge D. A. Population and social system in Ethiopia // "Soviet Ethnography". 1936. No. 1. S. 5-17.
• Kobischanov Yu. M. Ethnic groups and cultures of Ethiopia // Races and Peoples. 1977. issue. 9. S. 161–184.
• Wright M.V. Russian expeditions to Ethiopia in the 19th – early 20th centuries and their ethnographic studies // Brief Communications of the Institute of Ethnography named after N. N. Miklukho-Maklaya "- M .: 1951. issue. XII. S. 23-30.
• Yagya V.S. Modern Ethiopia // Reference / Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences - M .: 1988. P. 24–25.
• Volyak P.K. Boran // Around the World. 2009. No. 11 (2830). S. 222–223.

• People of Africa, Oromo Culture and Eretcha festival
• Boran