Hello Lydia Befekadu, thank you for the compliment and the further information/perspective ( “And then you discover that our [your] Oromo family don’t recognise themselves as Habesha as it is a Semetic term and not a Cush term. … .”). I know for a fact, like you had pointed out, that certain sections of the Oromo Community may not identify as Habesha, others of the Oromo heritage/ethnic group do on the other hand. This all depends on that person’s personal identity. For example, the Oromo part of your family (as you have said) does not, this is perfectly fine. Nevertheless the I have organized and republished some writings that address the Habesha pan-ethnicity (its hard to go into detail right now but I will add a few links that a show different perspectives as well. The word “Habesha” is of unknown origin, but it is most evident that it is of an (proto-)Afro-Asiatic Language origin (this includes various languages like Ge’ez, Afaan Orom/Oromiffa, Amharic, Somali, Tigriniya, etc.) at the least. On another note, Eurocentric German anthropologists (and thoses who have been influenced by them) have tried to claim that those of Northern Ethio-Eritrean ancestry (most speak an Ethio-Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family) are supposed ‘Middle Eastern Arab Seimetic peoples’ (false). I am not saying you said this but, I would like to make this clear to the general public. But indigenous Ethiopian/Eritrean historians not influenced by Western interpretations of Horn African history disagree with this false ‘Northern Ethio-Eritreans are Simetic peoples’ theory. It is believed that this notion was a ploy to set Northern Ethiopians against Southern Ethiopians and created the divide between “Cushitic” and the misconstrued Northern Ethiopians as ‘Semitics.’ Most Horn Africans, that is including, Oromos and Amharas (and others to as well) are what some would call “Cushitic peoples.” Sorry if this sounds like gibberish/nonsense, but the links to the articles would explain this way much better in detail. Oh, I’m not trying to forcibly convince you, but I would like to share another perspective.
Related Articles:
- What do you mean by Habesha? — A look at the Habesha Identity (p.s./t: It’s very Vague, Confusing, & Misunderstood) | @habesha_union
[Originally published as/on What do you mean by Habesha? — A look at the Habesha Identity (p.s./t: It’s very Vague, Confusing, & Misunderstood) , Habesha Union. “What Do You Mean by Habesha? A Look at the Habesha Identity (Habesha Union: @habesha_union).” Medium, Medium, Academia.edu, 1 Oct. 2018, www.medium.com/@habeshaunion/what-do-you-mean-by-habesha-a-look-at-the-habesha-identity-habesha-union-habesha-union-43f22ab8bc35,http://habeshaunion.blogspot.com/2018/10/what-do-you-mean-by-habesha-look-at.html?m=1,https://www.academia.edu/37510451/Habesha_Union_at_habesha_union — https://www.academia.edu/37510451/What_do_you_mean_by_Habesha_A_look_at_the_Habesha_Identity_p.s._t_It_s_very_Vague_Confusing_and_Misunderstood_at_habesha_union . — — — — — — Habesha Union [ሐበሻ] . “What Do You Mean by Habesha? — A Look at the Habesha Identity (P.s./t: It’s Very Vague, Confusing, & Misunderstood) | @habesha_union.” Academia, 1 Oct. 2018.]
- Public Service Announcement (PSA) on the topic of Wikipedia’s Questionable Accuracy on the Abyssinian people (Habesha) Article[Habeshas (Abyssinian People) are not Mixed Race nor Semites,: Are Eritreans, Ethiopians, Habeshas, Somalis, Horn of Africa people, and other East Africans “Black ?” (Long Story Short, We’re “Black” but …)]:
Habesha Union. “Public Service Announcement (PSA) on the Topic of Wikipedia’s Questionable Accuracy on the…” Medium, Habesha Union [ሐበሻ], 22 Oct. 2018, www.medium.com/@habeshaunion/public-service-announcement-psa-on-the-topic-of-wikipedias-questionable-accuracy-on-the-c4ed9e13e7c.
- Eurocentrism and Ethiopian Historiography: Deconstructing Semitization (A Eurocentric Interpretation of Ethiopian History Led to the Misconception of Horn of Africa People Being of Supposed ‘Semitic Origin’):
Kebede , Messay. “Eurocentrism and Ethiopian Historiography: Deconstructing Semitization (A Eurocentric Interpretation of Ethiopian History Led to the Misconception of Horn of Africa People Being of Supposed ‘Semitic Origin’) [by: Messay Kebede, University of Dayton; International Journal of Ethiopian Studies].” International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (Published by: Tsehai Publishers), vol. 1, no. 1, 2003, pp. 1–19., www.academia.edu/37670452/Eurocentrism_and_Ethiopian_Historiography_Deconstructing_Semitization_A_Eurocentric_interpretation_of_Ethiopian_History_led_to_the_misconception_of_Horn_of_Africa_people_being_of_supposed_Semitic_origin_by_Messay_Kebede_University_of_Dayton_International_Journal_of_Ethiopian_Studies_.