Agaw
The Agaw are ancient Cushitic-speaking peoples who historically inhabited the northern and central Ethiopian plateau, particularly in the regions of Amhara, Gojjam, and Shoa. They are believed to have developed agriculture and animal husbandry around 7000 BCE, marking a significant advancement in their society. The Agaw are part of a broader group of Cushitic peoples, which includes the Beja and others categorized by similar historical and cultural traits. Notably, the Falasha, also known as Ethiopian Jews, are thought to be descendants of the Agaw, as evidenced by linguistic connections, particularly in religious terms.
By around 700 CE, Agaw languages began to supplant the Omotic languages in their region, with various Eastern Cushitic languages becoming prominent in the Rift Valley and highlands. While the Agaw have largely merged with other ethnic groups over time and now represent a small minority in modern Ethiopia, their linguistic influence persists in the phonetic characteristics of several Ethiopian languages, including Amharic. Historical accounts suggest that the Agaw faced subjugation by Semitic-speaking Coptic Christian Axumites during the ninth and tenth centuries CE, further shaping their historical narrative.
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Subject Terms
Agaw
Related civilization: Cushites, Ethiopia.
Also known as: Agau or Agew.
Date: 2500 b.c.e.-700 c.e.
Locale: Ethiopia
Agaw
The Agaw (AH-gah) were the ancient Cushitic-speaking people who lived in the northern and central Ethiopian plateau around the Amhara, Gojjam, and Shoe regions. The ancestral Cushites developed agriculture and animal husbandry about 7000 b.c.e. The Agaw and four other groups—the Beja, Eastern Cushitic, Western Cushitic, and Southern Cushitic—have similar historical, linguistic, or cultural Cushitic background. The Jewish blacks known as the Falasha are believed to have descended from the Agaw, a belief based on their linguistic expression, especially their religious vocabulary.
Sometime after 700 c.e., Agaw languages replaced Omotic tongues in northern and central Ethiopia; Eastern Cushitic languages predominated in most areas around the Rift Valley and the eastern side of the highlands. Agaw languages are still spoken in the mountainous region of Simen northeast of the City of Gonder and in the southeast region of Gonder. The Agaw gradually merged with other groups that presently constitute only a small ethnic minority in modern Ethiopia, but the phonetic reflexes of the proto-Cushitic sounds are still evident in many of the Ethiopian groups, including the Amharic. Other historical evidence suggests that Semitic-speaking Coptic Christian Axumites subdued the Agaw during the ninth and tenth centuries c.e.
Bibliography
Vogel, Joseph A., ed. Encyclopedia of Precolonial Africa: Archaeology, History, Languages, Cultures, and Environments. Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press, 1997.
Yakan, Mohamad Z. Almanac of African Peoples and Nations. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction, 1999.