Introduction / History

The Amhara people are related to the Tigray and Tigre people of Ethiopia and Eritrea who together make up the Habeshans. These people can trace their origins back to Shem, eldest son of Noah. They left present day Yemen and settled on the African side of the Red Sea inhabiting the Nile Delta and all land East of the valley down to the Ethiopian Highlands. These people are known in antiquity as the Ancient Egyptians who retreated back to Ethiopia and Eritrea after countless takeovers of Egypt. here they established other great kingdoms such as Sheba/Saba and Axum. After the Middle Ages they soon split into 3 tribes: Amhara, Tigre and Tigray with their own languages that all derived from Ge 'ez, their ancient language.After the countless times Egypt has been subdued by foreign power, the majority of the Egyptians retreated to the safe haven of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Today, the Amhara live mainly in Central and East/North-Eastern Ethiopia. Amharas live in a total of 29 countries. The largest Amhara diaspora is in the United States. There are concentrations of Amharas in Washington DC, Minneapolis, New York City, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Amharas in America blend in with others from Ethiopia. They share a common interest in their traditional music, which brings them together. They also go to the same restaurants, which serve some of the most delicious food anywhere.Like other immigrants, the children become more Americanized, much to the dismay of their parents. Children learn to fit in. Sometimes they rebel against the old culture, especially if they have never been to Ethiopia. Often, they understand their parents’ language but only speak English.

What Are Their Beliefs?

From early encounters with the Hebrew people, many Habeshans adopted the early form of proto-Judaism. Though the high and ruling class continued to practice the Egyptian pagan religion until Queen Makda of Sheba was converted by King Solomon to Judaism. Christianity came to the Amhara through Coptic missionaries. The Amhara and other Habeshans were the first African converts to Islam after sheltering Mohammed's followers from their enemies in Mecca. Due to the Islamic expansion, Aksum was severed from other Christian kingdoms, leading to the development of a unique form of Coptic Christianity that incorporated Judaistic rituals and laws, with a strong emphasis on monasticism. Today, the majority of Amhara people are Ethiopian Orthodox, and the minority are Sunni Muslim.

Prayer Items

Pray for the Amhara people to have a Christ-centered faith that cannot be shaken.Pray for them to study and obey the Scriptures.Pray for Amhara disciples to make more disciples.Pray for Amhara Christians to reach out to Muslims in the United States.

Scripture Prayers for the Amhara, Ethiopian in United States.

References

Anonymoushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Americans