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21-705: Barentu may refer to: Barentu, Eritrea , a town Barentu Oromo people , a moiety of the Oromo people in Ethiopia Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Barentu . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barentu&oldid=739851011 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

42-515: A matrilineal clan-based society, where some of the most notable clans include the Alaka, Lakka, Serma, Kara, and Nataka. The majority of the Kunama are adherents of Islam or Roman Catholicism , while a few still practice their traditional religion. The Kunama converted to Christianity and Islam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The award-winning documentary film Home Across Lands follows

63-509: A hospital and a clinic. The town consists of 3 administrative quarters or zobas (as they are called in tigrigna) namely zoba Fthi [ፍትሒ], Selam [ሰላም] and Biara [ቢያራ]. Nearby towns and villages include Tauda (14.8 km or 8.0 nmi), Alegada (12.8 km or 6.9 nmi), Dedda (13.3 km or 7.2 nmi), Augana (5.9 km or 3.2 nmi), Cona (10.6 km or 5.7 nmi) and Daghilo (14.4 km or 7.8 nmi), Mogolo, Kofa Arenku, Arada Tarkina and Lemesa. Its climate

84-411: Is hot semi-arid ( Köppen : BSh), warm during summer and cold during winter. Its climate is favorable for different types of crops, fruits, vegetables and a large variety of animals flourish in the region. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. It acts as a hub for the surrounding agricultural areas, as a center for trade and exchange of commodities owing to its location in the center of

105-619: Is a hub that connects different parts of the country and it has asphalt roads connecting it with Asmara, Keren, Tessenei, Haikota and Agordat, dirt roads connect with smaller towns like Tokombia, and Shambuqo. Due to its location the town is busy with travellers from all over the region. Locally transport is supplied with taxis and buses which connect different parts of the town, but it seems the locals prefer to walk. 15°07′N 37°36′E  /  15.117°N 37.600°E  / 15.117; 37.600 Kunama people The Kunama are an ethnic group native to Eritrea . They are one of

126-523: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Barentu, Eritrea It was mainly inhabited by the Nilotic Kunama people and Nara people in the past. The Nara people leader Shekaray Agaba was the first to build the town Umba Arenku which it means the white water. It is located in the Gash-Barka Zone of Eritrea. Barentu is the largest town in

147-561: The Tigrayans of Wolkait , Adiyabo and Seraye are still remembered for their devastating raids against the Kunama to obtain slaves, grain and loot. Among the most violent raids ever recorded in the region was conducted by the Tigrayan warlord Ras Alula of Ethiopia, who in 1886, killed off two-thirds of the Kunama and Nara populations living north of the Mareb River . Italian colonialism in

168-558: The 1890s put an end to the raids. During the Eritrean War of Independence , the Kunama were the only tribe in Eritrea to have consistently supported Ethiopian rule. In the 1940s they were raided by Hamid Idris Awate and many of their villages were destroyed, another raid by the ELF in 1962 forced many Kunama to flee towards Tigray province . In 1977 the Kunama raised a militia to fight alongside

189-606: The EPLF. The Ethiopian-Eritrean War (1998–2000) forced some 4,000 Kunama to flee their homes to Ethiopia as the most intense parts of the conflict took place in their own homeland. The Kunama speak the Kunama language . It is conventionally classified as part of the Nilo-Saharan family, which also includes the nearby Nara language although they are not closely related. Although some Kunama still practice traditional beliefs, majority of

210-733: The Ethiopians against the Eritrean separatists. As a result, whenever the Ethiopian soldiers went through the Gash Barka region, they would burn down the villages belonging to the Tigre and Nara but leave the Kunama villages alone. In the 1980s, the EPLF sought to gain Kunama support through village self organization programs, social services and education. By the end of the decade some Kunama had begun participating in

231-578: The Gash Barka region. The town is not only growing fast but it is also developing with the scale, and it have been able to provide basic services, such transport, education, health facilities and all that coupled with a fine weather. The town gets very active on the weekly market days which host farmers, traders and livestock herders who all come to the town on Thursday and Saturday from surrounding villages to sell their produce and in return purchase commodities and goods to take back home. Products which come from

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252-706: The Gash-Barka Zone in Eritrea, lying west of Asmara. It is the capital of the Gash-Barka and home of the Nara and Kunama Ethnic groups. The town has typically been a center of mining and agricultural activities for the area. During the Eritrean War of Independence the town was besieged . As part of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War of 1998-2000, the then flourishing town suffered major damage but has since undergone reconstruction. Thus it now attracts settlers from all parts of

273-462: The Government of Eritrea is that all land is state property and the Government encourages large commercial farms. The Kunamas are settled agriculturalists and pastoralists living mainly from cattle. They are matriarchal with a prominent role played by women. According to their social system, a child is a member of Kunama society only if his or her mother is Kunama, and relatives are only recognized on

294-505: The Kunama have adopted Islam . The fertile plains of the Gash-Setit, also known as the Gash-Barka region, where the Kunama live are sometimes referred to as the "breadbasket of Eritrea". Formerly nomadic, today they are farmers and pastoralists. Historically, the Kunama have been dominated by other ethnic groups and they are often forced from their traditional lands. The official policy of

315-750: The Kunama worship a God called Anna, and were ruled by a community of elders. The Kunama were victims of frequent slave raids, the Kunama called these raids sakada masa or baada . In 1692, the Ethiopian Emperor Iyasu I undertook an expedition in the Mareb river valley, against the " Shanqella of the Dubani" (the Kunama), in present-day Gash Barka . At the sound of the musket fire, the tribesmen were terrified and fled, but were pursued by Iyasu's men who massacred them and sacked their towns. In local oral traditions,

336-496: The country especially from the Gash area and the Eritrean highlands. Owing to this factor the town has expanded rapidly in the last decade. This rapid expansion is also partly attributed to the Eritrean returnees from Sudan who established their home in the town after years of migration spent in Sudan. Barentu is the administrative center of Barentu Subregion ; has basic electricity services,

357-577: The indigenous Kunama and Nara traditional beliefs. Traditional Kunama religion is monotheistic , with worship of the goddess Anna . The name Anna appears in many phrases of the Kunama language , such as " Annam koske " ("God exists, sees and judges"), " Anna laga " (lit. "God’s world", i.e., "the universe belongs to God"), and " Anna hedabu " ("God willing"). Education is supplied by a number of elementary and junior high schools, and one high school. Schools teach in Kunama , Nara , Modern Standard Arabic , Tigrinya , and English. Transport wise Barentu

378-452: The mother's side. The Kunamas are both linguistically and culturally closely related to the Nara people of Eritrea. Many of the Kunama were traditionally hunters and gatherers. They also engaged in hoe-farming . However, some Kunama took up pastoralism as agricultural land became scarce. Contemporary Kunama are mainly sedentary agriculturists and pastoralists who raise cattle. The Kunama are

399-501: The other regions of Ethiopia. The earliest written mention of the Kunama comes from Ya'qubi , writing around 872 AD. His account is based on travelers' reports. He noted the 'Cunama' tribe living on the eastern borders of Alodia . They were later mentioned by the 10th century Arab geographer Ibn Hawqal . He states they lived in the Barka valley, and fought with bows, poisoned arrows and spears, but did not use shields. He also mentions that

420-557: The smallest ethnic communities in Eritrea, constituting only 4% of the population. Most of the estimated 260,000 Kunama live in the remote and isolated area between the Gash and Setit rivers near the border with Ethiopia . The Kunama people have ancient ancestry in the land of Eritrea. In the 2007 Ethiopian census, however, the number of Kunama in Tigray has dropped to 2,976 as the remaining 2,000 or so members of this ethnic group have migrated into

441-556: The villages include crops such as sorghum, millet and sesame. Live stocks such as cows, camels, sheep and goats fill the market with active sense of exchange especially when it is near the holidays. Barentu is inhabited by the Kunama and the Nara peoples. Religiously, the city has adherents of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church , the Eritrean Catholic Church , and Islam , as well as practitioners of

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