A Kemant (Ethiopian Agaw) Ritual

The Kemant Agaw people are considered as the original inhabitants of central-northern
Ethiopia. Living in the Gondar area – the historical ‘Kemantland’ (Gamst 1969:1) –
they have been progressively, then massively Christianised and Amharized the last
century. Nowadays, less than one percent of the 170,000 Kemant people (1998 census)
have preserved their ancestral language and beliefs. Our personal observation during
three different field works conducted in the Gondar area
2
(1999, 2002, 2007) confirm
Zelealem’s expertise (2002:15) considering that without the intervention of
extraordinary circumstances, ‘the extinction of Kemant is conceivable the next 40-50
years’.
The traditional Kemant are found in small villages in the Chilga area, about 60-80
kms west of Gonder. In this area, one can find high priests (kamazana) and priests
(abayegarya), led by the Wambar(litt. ‘seat’), their religious and political figure.
Monthly and annual festivals as well as other more private circumstances require their
competence. On these very occasions, theyperform through prayers, chant and dance a
ritual called Kedassie. This paper will focus on the presentation of this ritual.
Myths and beliefs of the Kemant people
Frederick Gamst (1969: 3-4) considered that the syncretized and archaic forms of belief
which characterize the Kemant religion are the result of two different religious strata
that exist in the Ethiopian Highlands: the Agaw and the Hebraic. That is why he called
them ‘Pagan-Hebraic’. This denomination has been contested by Joseph Tubiana