Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/African Lore/Answer Key"

Revision as of 19:31, 8 January 2005

The Xhosa people live in South Africa and Namibia.

History of the Xhosa

The name supposedly refers to one of their legendary chieftains of old. They refer to themselves as the amaXhosa and their language is known as isiXhosa — another prefix-oriented Bantu language. As their Bantu-speaking ancestors moved south, they may have absorbed some local Khoisan and Griqua populations, with a consequent impact on the language.

Although they are distributed across the country and into Namibia, they are concentrated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Under the pre-1994 South African system of bantustans, they were allocated to Transkei or Ciskei, now both a part of Eastern Cape.

Historically they were pushed west by expansion of the Zulus, as the northern Nguni put pressure on the southern Nguni, a process known as the Mfecane. Their ability to resist the British colonisers was weakened by the famines and political divisions that followed in the wake of the Cattle-Killing of 1856–1857 (see Nongqawuse).

The "Xh" in the word "Xhosa" is pronounced as a clicking noise.

Famous Xhosa People

Nelson Mandela is Xhosa, and they provide a significant portion of the African National Congress leadership.

External Links

Xhosa Folklore - a neat site which consists of Xhosa folklore collected in 1886.

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-'''Amhara''' is the ethnicity of people in the central highlands of [[Ethiopia]], numbering about 15 million, 27% of the country's population. They speak [[Amharic language|Amharic]], which appertains to the South-Western [[Semitic|Semitic languages]] group. Their predominant religion is [[Christianity]] of the [[Ethiopian Church]].
+The '''Xhosa''' people live in [[South Africa]] and [[Namibia]].
-The Amhara have been Ethiopia's ruling elite for centuries, represented by the line of emperors ending in [[Haile Selassie]].
+== History of the Xhosa ==
+The name supposedly refers to one of their legendary chieftains of old. They refer to themselves as the '''amaXhosa''' and their language is known as [[Xhosa language|isiXhosa]] &mdash; another prefix-oriented [[Bantu]] language.  As their Bantu-speaking ancestors moved south, they may have absorbed some local [[Khoisan]] and [[Griqua]] populations, with a consequent impact on the language.
-The Amhara are known for their beauty, as exemplified by the supermodel [[Liya Kebede]].
+Although they are distributed across the country and into Namibia, they are concentrated in the [[Eastern Cape Province]] of South Africa.  Under the pre-1994 South African system of [[bantustan]]s, they were allocated to [[Transkei]] or [[Ciskei]], now both a part of Eastern Cape.
-'''Amhara''' is also one of the nine [[Regions of Ethiopia|ethnic divisions]] (''kililoch'') of [[Ethiopia]], containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is [[Bahir Dar]]. Covering 156,960 km<sup>2</sup> in the northwest of the country, its population (as of 1999) is 15,850,000.
+Historically they were pushed west by expansion of the [[Zulu]]s, as the northern [[Nguni]] put pressure on the southern Nguni, a process known as the [[Mfecane]].  Their ability to resist the British colonisers was weakened by the [[famine]]s and political divisions that followed in the wake of the Cattle-Killing of [[1856]]&ndash;[[1857]] (see [[Nongqawuse]]).
-{{stub}}
+The "Xh" in the word "Xhosa" is pronounced as a [[click consonant|clicking]] noise.
-==External links==
+== Famous Xhosa People ==
-* [http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/amhara.htm Africa Guide: Amhara]
+[[Nelson Mandela]] is Xhosa, and they provide a significant portion of the [[African National Congress]] leadership.
+== External Links ==
+[http://http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/xft/ Xhosa Folklore] - a neat site which consists of Xhosa folklore collected in 1886.
+[[Category:South Africa]] [[Category:Ethnic groups of Africa]]