Welayta people
Wolaytta Kochchaa | |
|---|---|
Welayta woman in traditional attire | |
| Total population | |
| 1,707,079 (2007) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ethiopia | |
| Languages | |
| Wolayttatto Doonaa (ancestral and primary) Amharic (auxiliary) | |
| Religion | |
| Mainly Protestant Christians with sizable minority of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Gamo, Gofa, Dawro, Dorze and other Ta-Ne-Omotic speaking peoples. |
The Welayta (Ge'ez: ወላይታ Wolayta) are an ethnic group located in Southern Ethiopia. According to the most recent estimate (2017), the people of Wolayta numbered 5.83 million in Welayta Zone. The language of the Wolayta people, similarly called Wolayttatuwaa, belongs to the Omotic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Despite their small population, Wolayta people have widely influenced national music, dance, and cuisine in Ethiopia.