Hedareb people
An illustration of "Beni Amer" men, from 1888 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Eritrea 100,000–202,000 | |
| Languages | |
| Beja, Tigre, Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Beja and other Cushitic peoples |
The Hedareb or T'bdawe are a Cushitic ethnic group native to northwestern Eritrea. They are a subgroup of the Beja. They are more diverse than the other Eritrean ethnicities; one subgroup speaks the traditional Beja language, which belongs to the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family, while another is more closely related to Sudanese Hadendoa. They are among the least-researched groups in Eritrea.
The Hedareb people live in northwestern Eritrea and extend as far as the borders with east Sudan. Nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralists, they typically migrate seasonally with their herds of camels, goats and sheep.