The Qemant: A Pagan-Hebraic Peasantry of Ethiopia

by Frederick C. Gamst

Well-written and well-illustrated, The Qemant offers readers a solid exposition of a particular ethnic group in the exotic setting of Ethiopian civilization. This descriptive analysis of the peasantry in an agrarian state provides a backdrop for the serious study of the core conceptions of sociocultural anthropology.

Genres: Anthropology, History, Africa

Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Rudi]

The traditional Qemant religion is probably all but gone by now. Gamst's fascinating look at a culture and religion that was already vanishing half a century ago begs more questions than answers. One wonders how Levitical practices came to this remote corner of Ethiopia? Furthermore, who are the Qemant and what is their relationship to the Bene Israel "Falasha" and surrounding Agaw peoples? How did this religious synthesis develop and why? Are the Hebraic practices the result of Judaizing or a much earlier Hebraic influence? Further study of the Qemant might yield insights into the region's association with both Christianity and Judaism.

[Diocletian]

An interesting look into a unique society in decline. Our period of history seems to be one of a major decline in diversity in all aspects of life- and this goes for animal species, plant species, human cultures, languages, and pretty much anything else that makes humans unique from each other. A loss in diversity for us is not always a bad thing, but much, if not most, of the time it can be, and either way, it is almost always irreversible. With every passing day, humanity loses more and more of its cultural diversity to that of cultural uniformity.

Because of this, anthropologists and linguists often are recording cultures in their death throes, which in a few generations may be gone entirely. The Qemant are one of these societies. For thousands of years, they have been a unique group, with their own identity, social structure, and religion, but with the rate of Amharization (absorption into mainstream Ethiopian society) being what it is, the Qemant will not have their unique aspects from the rest of Ethiopia much longer.

The book is an anthropological recording of this unique group of people. It offers a glimpse into all aspects of their everyday life and their rituals which make them unique from- as well as what what makes them similar to- other Ethiopian ethnic groups such as the Amhara (probably the most influential Ethiopian group) and the Falasha (Beta Israel; or the Ethiopian Jews). The Qemant- in their traditional state- can almost be looked at as an opposite of the Falasha; the Qemant are mostly pagan with slight Hebraic influences, while the Falasha are mostly Hebraic with slight pagan influences. However, this book's covering of the Qemant offers a much better glimpse into Ethiopian society before the introduction of the Abrahamic religions. As the Qemant have retained much more of their ancient pagan roots than any other group, they offer the most insight into what Ethiopia was once like thousands of years ago.

Overall, this was a fascinating read. Along with being a fascinating read about Ethiopia and brief glimpses into what it may have been like before the introduction of monotheism, it is also a nice introduction into the anthropological study of societies. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the history of Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular, or in anthropology and the evolution of human cultures.

[Leslie]

Took a class with the author many years ago. Wonderful class and excellent book!