Gumaa

                                                  Kunama

                                                 Introduction

The Kunama are Nilotic people living in Eritrea and Ethiopian 80% of Kunama live in Eritrea yet make up only 2 percent of the population of Eritrea, where they are one of the smallest ethnic group. Most of the estimates 100,000 Kunama live in the remote and isolated area between the Gash and Setit River near the border with Ethiopian.

Language the speak the Nilo –Saharan Language are a proposed family of Africa language spoken by some 50 million people mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile river (hence the term “Nilo”) including historic Nuba north of where the two tributaries of the Nile meet. The Language s extend through 17 Nation in the northern half of Africa from Mali in the west to Benin,Niagera and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the South, and Sudan to Tanzania in the east. Eight of its proposed constituent division (excluding Kunama, Kuliak and Songhay) are found in the modern Nation of Sudan. Through which the Nile River Flows. As indicated by its hyphenating name, Nilo-Sahara is a family of the Africa interior, including the greater Nile basin and the central Sahara desert.

Religion within this tribe it divided in to three that mean Muslim, Christian and God believers or traditional believers.

The tribe of Kunama is divided in to four clans or groups these are 
           Gu-maa
           Serma
           Shu-waa
            Kar-waa

Also each major class have divided in to many sub divisions for example –Abina,Momoda, Sila Nataka, Jula,Alaka, Agartakara, Bosa and Sogoua so on… Within these major classes the Kunama tribe divided in to seven groups.

Kunam Itanaor Koita Kunama Imasa Kunama Taguda Kunama Tekaa Kunama El-etaa Kunama Sokodasa Kunama Barka Kunama tribe are very hard workers and very cooperative, most of them they work as group called (Ka waa) by Kunama Language working as a group.

Wedding: - within this tribe by love but mostly a family chooses a bride for their son whether he like or not, but must the two family member they should agree, the family of the bride groom they prepare the wedding things. After Festival or party done the bride groom must live with his wife in the same compound for one year then after one year he will choose what he want to do. Most people only have one spouse but may have multiple partners and may have children with those multiple partners.

Death in Kunama God believers is little bit different I will try to explain how death treats among these believers. If same one dies among believers at age 0-60 they will cry and they will become very sad, but for old person 80 years on ward they close family will cry but other relative they will not cry. Because they think that old person had seen enough in the world and only chance it waiting for him is death, so they hold a big party for 2-3 days eating and drinking Local beer (Kina Ai fa) and dancing, some people use Dress of dead body for dancing.

Within believers some rich people prepare food and drink for relatives in order to dig a family grave this family grave only for close family members this grave it take about 50 -100 people if someone die they will take to family grave and buried in this grave.

Once a year some family members take a piece of food, tobacco, milk, Aifa to the cemetery (that according the dead body favourite food or habit which he had been addicted when he was a live ) and put on the grave with believe that the spirit of dead person will eat and drink.

Dancing this tribe it has many kind of dancing during death, wedding time, War dancing Harvest dance and circumcision dance Special celebration this tribe it has special annual celebration these annual celebration is only in particular area that is in kona and Taguda ,(Kundura) and (Shatta or Galli-Galla)in Sosona this ceremony is specially death with the followings:- The annual birth and death in that area The annual harvest in that area The annual health situation with in that area

  Shatta during the celebration of this culture event the young men dance wearing only local pants, which are in fact forbidden but they would instead deliberately wear,  and challenge the Shatta manna( Shatta chief ) an elderly man who would punish the culprits , whipping them on their naked upper- bodies. The more upper bodies of the young men bleed, the more cheers do they get their female admirers.”Shatta” is only a feast of display of endurance, courage and bravado.  

As I said this tribe live between Gash and Setit but Eritrean government change from Gash –Setit to Gash Barka 1995 name of Gash given by Sudanese but by Kunama called Sona Suba. And Setit also given by Ethiopian but by Kunama called Tika Suba/Bahara. Some Area which Kunama live in Eritrea: - Sub Regions Barentu, Hikota, Gogne, Shambuko Tukumbeya Tesseney Galuj Umhajer In Ethiopia Sheira and Helagin

Berantu has been established as a Kunama regional capital town and seat of the first Italian colonial administrator of the Kunama land in 1937 ,and is known and has been kept as the Kunama regional capital town ever since.

Relationship between Kunama and the Government of Eritrea has tense since the country is independence in 1993. Kunama have accused the Eritrean government of expropriating Kunama land for the resettlement of Eritrea refugee from Sudan (Eritrea Kunama de may 2002). There have been various incidents including the killing of two Kunama brothers by a Tigrinya policeman in Shambako in 1995 that have increased tension between the Kunama and Eritrea authorities.

Some Kunama have come out in opposition to the Eritrea government and formed the Eritrea Kunama Democratic liberation Movement (EKDLM) and the Eritrea Democratic Resistance movement Gash –Setit. Both Groups are listed among 11 signatories to the 6 march 1999 political chapter of the Alliance of Eritrea National Forces.

Kunam people are not only suffering from Eritrean government also from DMLEK’s Leader Kornelios Adolay Osman We all know the DMLEK’s leader, Kornelios Adolay Osman, as “The Man Of All Evils”, who has been kidnapping, imprisoning, torturing and killing a lot of innocent, educated and knowledgeable ethnic-Kunama members, for no reasons at all. Due to this, many DMLEK’s members abandoned it and went either to Shimelba’s refugee-camp or to Sudan. Some of them had even gone back to their enemy, the Shabia’s regime. And no one was willing to struggle alongside the DMLEK. Currently, the DMLEK’s members and the Kunama refugees are finding themselves in very critical conditions. The DMLEK’s members are abandoning the struggle and trying to get to the Shimelba’s refugee-camp, but on their way, they are being intercepted by the Ethiopian police and handed back to the DMLEK, We Kunama are totally unable to understand and explain regarding the sad state of the Kunama refugees in Shimelba refugee camp. In January 2004 Kornelos Adolay Osman came to Waalanihbi refugee camp and ordered the Kunama elderly individuals’ .Adam Muas and Lager Gaia and some youth to kill certain Kunama individuals assuring them that the Ethiopian government would not say anything.