© 2007 Institute of Current World Affairs
The Institute awards long-term fellowships to develop a deep understanding of an issue, country, or region outside the US and to share that understanding with a wider public.
Institute of Current World Affairs - Home Page

Below is a hobbled text version of a PDF document.
In order to read the actual document please click the link below and register if necessary.
(One-time registration is free and very quick.)
Read article

3/18/1957 - Ethiopia: The Land and the People by Smith Hempstone Jr.

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT ORLD AFFAIRS SH Ethiopia The Land People Addis Ababa Ethiopia mailed Nairobi Walter S Rogers Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Avenue New York New York Dea Rogers Before going deeply problems prospects Ethiopia describe limited extent people Two points should country which rugged inaccesible contains every parched desert capped mountains jungle properly speaking there thing Ethiopian The acceptance these facts essential rudimentary people think The first physical remembered Ethiopia while rivers navigable appreciable distance furnish enoug moisture postage stamp rainy seasons The greatest rivers Blue Nile which rises mighty Lake Tana northwestern country swings south miles bores through gorge pours westward The Sudan where hundreds miles further joins White Nile Khartoum The Blue Nile although navigable gorge irrigation purposes played major Ethiopian history Its importance Ethio Egyptian relations estimated The Blue Nile supplies majority Egypt water escaped either Ethiopian Egyptian diplomats At stage history Nile failed accustomed Caliph Egypt quickly appreciated cause Sent patriarch Coptic Church laden gifts intercede Ethiopian emperor enough water level D three Ethio threats Egypt desert however ludicrous still During audience emperor Haile Selassie would consider damming Blue Nile Egypt objections refused consider reapportion Nile waters Internally Blue Nile importance Ethiopian affairs because served natural barrier SH between Gojjam north river Shoa Amhara kingdom whose center Addis Ababa This until recent times possible kings princes Gojjam state ranging nominal subservience Emperor defiance Of Ethiopia rivers Awash which rises Addis Ababa hooks south flows north finally itself swamps Lake Abbe French Somaliland importance The Awash water round anywh Ethiopia develop industrial potential An example water Dutch sugar plantations Wonji Nazareth We heard plantation literally stumbled while returning Galla country Addis Ababa Suddenly scrub great carpet green unfolds Through gates country compound complete picture window ramblers tennis courts swimming pools And behind great stacks modern factory A visit manager produces rather remarkable statistics years plantation factory Ethiopia annual sugar consumptien Next Year exporting With exceptien Takazze which separates Tigre Gojjam provinces though always impregnably remainder rivers seasonal present neither channels munication barriers interchange goods ideas On sides Ethiopia separated neighbors expanses desert desert country The greatest these Nubian desert north parched D ankali plain which stretches along Red Sea Nassawa Djibouti endless shifting Somali desert which sOuth Addis Ababa covering almest fourth Ethiopia One these deserts while their brain searing realize factor isolation introversion xenophobic development people Ethiopia Last greatest physical phenomena which affected national character Ethiopia mountains These twisted ranges almost vertically floor Dankali desert heights The plateau which south Ababa Eritrea turns south wstward descends slowly Lake Rudolph East Lake Ru dolph rises another range mountains fierce Arussi Gallas And north range another block mountains which stretch eastward through Harar Gulf Aden You central Ethiopia Shoa called outside world succeeding SH blocks mountains which crescent curviug Red Sea north Lake Rudolph south In protected terraces Wallega boundless wastes Nubian desert The internal topography Ethiopia almost fearsome frontiers Although around Addis Ababa volcanic plain table country tortured steep mountains gorges The ranges vengeful taken peaks hurled heavens letting where chance placed One forms taken these mountains truncated cones almost sheer sides These called ambas almost impregnable fortresses reached paths enough crops garrison These ambas played major Ethiopian They B fortresses rebel tribes refuges bandits centers resistance foreign invaders They still provide excellent isolating ambitious rases other political prisoners One emperor confine every royal blood exception himself eldest ensure tranquility State Ethiopia sealed mountain desert through often broken Red Sea route other civilization history The different peoples within borders separated other equally impassable ranges mountains The country rebellion mountain peoples hardy conservative suspicious strangers quick advantage In wonder entity which Ethiopia survived obstacles which nature threw nationalism The people themselves country enormously A Somali camelman Harar common fuzzy headed Wallega Lekempti Swede Chinaman In travels visited train every section empire These principa tribal linguistic racial groups which They polyglot thing which Ethiopia First greatest peoples Ethiooia Amharas first greatest because subjected others numerically stronger their The Aaras plateau Adowa north south westward Gondar through Debra Tabor Blue Nile Addis Ababa The Amharas somewha shorter other groups legged straight nosed Caucasian features brown black brown curly SH sometimes kinky Amhara women their floppy pompadors The Amharas proud intelligent hospitable Somewhere along character enabled impose other tribes courage simply prefer intrigue litigation The second important group Gallas They surround Anhara pocket Addis Ababa occupy mountains southwest scrub plains southeast There groupings Gallas Wllega Gallas Arussi Gallas Boranos general Nilotic contrast Amharaswo basically Semitic people nosed fuzzy haired fierce horsemen humorous trecherous generally industrious their their Amhara overlo The Somalis mostly nomadic great western barrens Harar Neghelli Ferret They uslim Semitic bright colors mentally quick politically minded prone great length camels Their cousins Dankalis southern Eritrea French Somaliland similar primitive fierce The tribes Eritrea Tigreans Beni Amer Kunama Hamasien dealt least superficially earlier newsletters This anthropological study I trying point Ethiopian empire peoples language religion social Organization mores these further divides scores tribes tribes their individual characterstics The these groupings tribes cases historic distrust toward their neighbors importa TO Ethiopia world until recent times natural obstacles frontiers distrust outsiders engendered isola Internally rugged nature topography communaication encouraged separate development fering peoples central government political provinces dependent vitality government The Amharic speaking semitic Christian peoples Shoa efforts several strong emperors subdued other peoples country together empire nation The present emperor bring empire iddle Ages Century It cannot accomplished overnight Smith Hemps Received New York