Afar people

The Afar (Afar: Qafár), also known as the Danakil, Adali,Teltal, and Odali, are a Cushitic ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa.^[4] They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti, as well as the southern coast of Eritrea. They inhabit the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea, the Afar Region of Ethiopia, and the Tadjourah and Obock Regions of Djibouti. The Afar speak the Afar language, which is part of the Afroasiatic language family.^[4] Afars are the only inhabitants of the Horn of Africa whose traditional lands or areas border both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.^[5]

The Afar people inhabit the Southern Red Sea Region in Eritrea, the Afar Region of Ethiopia, and the Tadjourah Region and Obock Region of Djibouti.

The Afar people are divided into two classes : Asaimara (“The Red Ones”) and Adoimara (“The White Ones”). Cooperation in larger units is only induced by warfare. The Àfars think their color designations (Asaimara, and Adoimara) came from the reddish soil of the interior desert and the white saline coastal soils.

The Afar tribe is famous for its elaborately curled ‘dayto’ do and the butter-covered ‘asdago’ afro styles. The Afar wear brightly colored wraps. The Afar men carry the jile, a famous curved knife. Afar women intricately braid their hair in tight, fine plaits, often incorporating beads, shells or small coins.

The Afar are known for the salt trade. They mine the salt and break the salt using simple tools, like axes or sticks, to break it into large slabs or blocks (amole). Workers shape and smooth out the salt so they are ready for trade. These slabs (amole) are then loaded onto camels or donkeys, and they form long caravans. The caravans travel for days or weeks to towns and markets in the Ethiopian highlands. Historically, salt was used as money in the form of amole salt bars. Salt mining still provides income for the Afar people.