Argobba people
An illustration of Argobba women by William Cornwallis Harris c. 1845 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 140,134 (2007 census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ethiopia | |
| Languages | |
| Argobba, Oromo, Amharic, Harari, Arabic, Afar | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Amhara • Silte • Harari • Tigrayans • Tigrinya • Zay • other Ethiopian Semitic peoples |
The Argobba are an ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia. A Muslim community, they spread out through isolated village networks and towns in the north-eastern and eastern parts of the country. Group members have typically been astute traders and merchants, and have adjusted to the economic trends in their area. These factors have led to a decline in usage of the Argobba language. Argobba are considered endangered today due to exogamy and destitution as well as ethnic cleansing by the Abyssinian state over the centuries.