Maasai 3. Until the arrival of the Nilotes some five hundred years ago, the ancestors of both the Eastern and Southern Cushites occupied a much larger part of East Africa than they do today, extending into the inter-lakes region as well as central and southern Kenya. Question: "Who were the Cushites?" 7.List any two Bantus found in Kenya ,uganda and Tanzania. The Burji are farmers in Moyale and Marsabit districts. In any case, the harsh climate - which alternates between extremes of drought (with plenty of abrasive sand and dust) and floods - quickly destroys any material remains. the Bantu and the nilotes learned the art of cattle milking and bleeding, irrigation and manuring from the southern Cushites. The Southern Cushites . These were nonetheless exposed to a prolonged and profound interaction with their new Nilotic neighbours, including cultural exchange and intermarriage, to the extent that there is nowadays very little to distinguish the supposedly Cushitic Rendille with their Nilotic Samburu neighbours. Daholo 12. Boran 4. The figure given in the 2009 population census for the number of Somalis in Kenya is believed to be inaccurate and has been nullified pending an official recount. Kalenjin Cushiticspeaking people comprise a small minority of Kenya's population. The next group was the Nilotics, who emerged from Nile Valley. - The North-East Cushites-that is the Somali, Boran and Galla among others. There was massive warfare during the migrations leading to killing of many people in the process. They speak Afro-Asiatic languages, and originally came from Ethiopia and Somalia in north-east Africa. The Swahili tribe live in the coastal towns in Kenya including Mombasa, Malindi and Indian Ocean islands of Lamu. Orma 7. Of Kenya's three major migrant ethno-linguistic groups, the first to arrive were the Cushites, the earliest of which are believed to have entered north and northeastern Kenya from southern Ethiopia sometime between the second and first millennium BC. These are: Northern Cushites (mainly in Sudan and Eritrea, which may or may not have elements of North African Berber), Central Cushites (also called the Agau group; mainly in Ethiopia, including the Jewish Falashim, and bearing strong Ethiopic and Amharic influence), the Western Cushites (or Omotic; spoken along the western border of Ethiopia near Kenya), the Southern Cushites (mainly in Tanzania, including the Iraqw, Asa and Ngomwia) and the Eastern Cushites. Meru 3. 6.The original home land of the cushites was the horn of Africa. Cushites, or Cushitic people, live in the arid and semi-arid eastern and northeastern parts of Kenya. In the 1989 census the community numbered 420,000 in Kenya. The Namoratunga cemetery and rock art sites, dated to about 300 B.C., are clearly related to the prehistory of … Of Kenya's three major migrant ethno-linguistic groups, the first to arrive were the Cushites, the earliest of which are believed to have entered north and northeastern Kenya from southern Ethiopia sometime between the second and first millennium BC. The Cushites migrated from Northern Africa to East Africa around 2000 B.C. Mijikenda Niloticethnic groups include the: 1. The second major ethno-linguistic group to arrive in Kenya (the first were the Cushites) were the cattle-herding Nilotes, the first of whom came some time around 500 BC.However, Nilotic migrations only became substantial some five hundred years ago, with the arrival of the highly organised and militaristic Luo from the west and the Maasai/Samburu from the north. Cushites are concentrated in the northernmost North Eastern Province (formerly known as Northern Frontier District -NFD), which borders Somalia. Jun 21, 2016 - Explore Ismail Mohamed's board "Cushites" on Pinterest. The Somali represent the largest single group of eastern Cushites in Kenya. Swahili 8. The Borana are nomadic and occupy the north-east part of Kenya. The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. learned of circumcision and age set system from the southern Cushites. Cushites include the Somali, Rendile, Borana … Embu 5. However, the arrival of both the Bantu and especially the Nilotic-speaking peoples scattered the Cushitic populations. As a consequence of these movements, there are no longer any Southern Cushites left in Kenya. Cushitic was traditionally seen as also including the Omotic languages, then called West Cushitic. Recent archaeological research conducted west of Lake Turkana, Kenya has shed new light on the prehistory of eastern Cushitic and Nilotic speakers in East Africa. Rendille 13. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947 (in Masudi’s Arabic history Meadows of Gold). Luhya 7. The Greeks indiscriminately called every black people group south of Egypt “Ethiopian” (the burnt faces). Cushites form a significant minority of Kenya’s population. The Rift cushites were hunters and gatherers while North-East cushites were herders and pastoralists, dealing with agricultural livestock. Eastern Cushites began to arrive about one thousand years later, and occupied much of the country's current area. Unfortunately, there's little or no material proof of this, nor much likelihood of finding any: the material culture of nomadic peoples is generally perishable, as items such as pots, ropes, sandals and so on are made of natural materials such as fibres, wood, gourds and animal products. Yaaka 11. • In Tanzania they include the Boni, Iraqi and Burungi Eastern Cushites. Some cushites who had been converted to Islam spread the religion in the areas where they settled. The Kenyan Government, incidentally, is either unable or unwilling to pay anything more than lip-service to the problem. They were progressively displaced in a southerly direction and/or absorbed by incoming Nilotic and Bantu groups until they wound up in Tanzania. E.g. South Cushitic is a subbranch of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, historically spoken by peoples living south of the Horn of Africa (where most Cushitic speakers are situated), these Cushites seemingly made it as far as Southern Africa as early as 2,000 years ago or more [1], having reached areas like Kenya and Tazania much earlier. Samburu 5. Cushitic people maintain very close ties with their kinsmen – the Cushites of the neighbouring countries of Somalia and Ethiopia. In 538 B.C. Uganda-Baganda,Batoro. • They originated from the area north of Kenya, either Somalia or Ethiopia. These scholars consider Omotic to be an independent branch of Afroasiatic. The term means poor people (who do not have cattle)! Note:- Cushites are the earliest groups to have settled in Kenya. The Somali Around 2500 and 3000 years ago, Cushites were already occupying the grasslands of the Kenya highlands cultivating food crops like sorghum, millet and rearing long horned humpless cattle. The majority of the Somali people live in Somalia. See more ideas about african, beja, africa. Relationship between Kenya and Ethiopia is superb. Bantu is the largest division making up about 70% of Kenya’s population Gabbra 6. For example, there was constant warfare between the Somali and the Oromo. Kamba 6. Kikuyu 2. In Kenya, Cushitic language speakers are divided into the Eastern and Southern Group. But the majority simply retreated northwards into the more marginal lands they occupy today. Luo 2. The cushites attacked the Eastern Bantu communities who had settled at shungwaya, and forced them to move to their present homeland in Kenya. However, this view has largely been abandoned, primarily due to the work of Harold C. Fleming (1974) and M. Lionel Bender (1975). In any case, many more migrations occurred subsequent to the first arrivals, the latest in the mid-1900s (the Burji from Ethiopia), which makes tracing the exact ancestry of any of these peoples a confusing and probably pointless exercise. Kenya-Agikuyu,pokomo. These are the southern Nilotic speakers. 5.The main activity of the cushites was pastoralism. The Cushitic peoples (or Cushites) are a grouping of people who are primarily indigenous to Northeast Africa (Nile Valley and Horn of Africa) and speak or have historically spoken Cushitic languages of the Afroasiatic language family. They reside along a very large area of land that runs from the east of Lake Turkana, stretches to the north of Kenya, and through to the Indian Ocean. More recently, perhaps some three hundred years ago, the 'Oromo Expansion', which originated in southern Ethiopia, reclaimed some of the land that had been lost, mainly at the expense of the Bantu who were forced south into the much more fertile highland areas of Kenya, where they remain today. Cush, the place, was named after Cush, the man, the oldest son of Ham (Genesis 10:6). Some examples of these peoples include the Cushiticspeaking ethnic gro… The main Bantu groups of Kenya are the: 1. They include the Somali, Rendille, Borana, Burji, Gabra, Orma, Das-senach, and the El Molo. Answer: Cushites were people from the land of Cush/Kush (or “Cushan” in Habakkuk 3:7). They reside along a very large area of land that runs from the east of Lake Turkana, stretches to the north of Kenya, and through to the Indian Ocean. Burji Dassenich 5. These Cushites are sometimes associated with the land of Midian, which was also in that region. Major Cushitic languages include Oromo, Somali, Beja, Agaw, Afar, Saho The phylum was first designated as Cushitic in 1858. Cushites in Kenya The Cushitic speakers were the first outside people to move to Kenya in the modern era (between 3000-5000) years ago into the area around Lakes Turkana. However, there's a lot of academic dispute about this, with some 'experts' claiming a Cushitic presence in northeastern Kenya as long ago as 7000 BC (ie. Some sources therefore refer to the Cush of this period as the Meroitic Empire or simply Meroe. They came to be after intermarriages between the Cushites, Bantus, Arabs, Hindi, Portuguese, and Indonesian who gave rise to a new culture, people, and language. Other languages with more than one million speakers are Hadia (1.6 million), Kambata (1.4 million), and Afar (1.5 million). d) They were fleeing the outbreak of disease that affected both people and (5m 53s) Their settlement led to increased rivalry and conflicts for ownership of land. In broad terms the peoples now designated Cushite are the cultural descendants of those peoples. Cushitic languages are spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia), as well as the Nile Valley (Sudan and Egypt), and parts of the African Great Lakes region (Tanzania and Kenya). b) There was population pressure in their area of origin. Reasons for migration of cushites in Kenya: a) Escaping from clan or family feuds. Also called Dahaloan-speakers, the continued existence of the Southern Cushites as separate and independent Kenya peoples is highly unlikely, as the eastern border of Kenya with Somalia has become little more than a reflection of Somalia's internal conflicts, with heavily-armed raiders, bandits and massacres prevalent throughout the 1990s. Kamba is the 5th largest tribe in the Kenya accounting for over 10 percent of Kenya’s … • The Dahallo or Sanye of lower Tana are the only southern Cushites in Kenya. the Cushites moved their capital upstream to a city called Meroe. Boni 9. Ham was one of the three sons of Noah to survive the global flood.Cush was the father of Nimrod the hunter (Genesis 10:8–9). The most populous Cushitic language is Oromo with about 35 million speakers, followed by Somali with about 18 million speakers, and Sidamo in Ethiopia with about 2 million speakers. Within Kenya's population of Eastern Cushites, two main distinctions are made: to the east, bordering Somalia, are the Somali-speaking people (also called Somaloid, or Garre), whilst to the north, bordering Ethiopia and indeed occupying a good part of southern Ethiopia, are the Oromo-speakers (formerly and pejoratively called Galla), who migrated into Kenya from the lowland areas south of the Ethiopian highlands. Cushites include Somali, Rendille, Borana and Oromo tribes. The Swahili tribe is rich in historical and cultural heritage. • They include; Borana, Somali, Oromo, Gabra, Rendile and Burji. Wata 10. The Cushitic peoples are divided into two groups: the Southern Cushites and the Eastern Cushites. Designed by Ibid Labs | Powered by Jieleze, The animal kingdom, the tree of life & where we come from, A history of the National Museums of Kenya. Tribes in Kenya. While some scholars including Zaborski (1986) and Lamberti (1991) have kept the issue alive and suggested that Omotic can still be classified as part of Cushitic, Rolf Theil (2006), in keeping with the noted Chadicist Paul Newman, excludes Omotic from Afroasiatic altogether. Results of Cushitic Migration into Kenya. Undaunted, linguists have made several distinctions among Cushitic-speaking peoples based on perceived language roots, although as usual nothing has yet been proved beyond doubt. Cushites in Kenya - InformationCradle. They reside along a very large area of land that runs from the east of Lake Turkana, stretches to the north of Kenya, and through to the Indian Ocean. Sakuye 8. Due to the dryness of their habitat throughout most of the year, Cushites are mainly nomadic pastoralists who keep large herds of cattle, camels, goats and sheep. Cushites, or Cushitic people, live in the arid and semi-arid eastern and North-Eastern parts of Kenya. Identity: Various old Cushite groups in the Rift Valley of Kenya and Tanzania are called Dorobo. The term Cushite derives from the ancient peoples of northeastern Africa, whose heritage can be traced most clearly in the languages descended from those of the ancient peoples. Galla g) New technology infused into various communities. Nilotes in Kenya – Origin Nowadays, Cushitic-speaking peoples are dispersed over a large portion of the arid north and northeast of Kenya, and also comprise the majority in Ethiopia and Eritrea. 9000 years ago). 1Room Kenya KCSE History and Government Form 1 Lesson 25: The Eastern Cushites: The Borana. Long ago people speaking a south Cushitic language departed from the Ethiopian Highlands and occupied large parts of Kenya, including the highlands. - In Kenya they are spread over a small part as compared to the two countries. 9.The nilotes are divided into That between Kenya and Somalia is fraternal, given a substantial size of Kenyan population is somali. Cushites, or Cushitic people, live in the arid and semi-arid eastern and North-Eastern parts of Kenya. This latter group includes the Borana (by far the largest group numerically), the Gabbra, and the ancestors of the Rendille. Turkana 4. Some groups headed south into Tanzania, whilst others headed west into the Rift Valley, where they were eventually assimilated by the ancestors of the Maasai and other Nilotic tribes. The Southern Cushites were the second-earliest inhabitants of Kenya after the indigenous hunter-gatherer groups, and the first of the Cushitic-speaking peoples to migrate from their homeland in the Horn of Africa about 2,000 years ago. Cushites include Somali, Rendille, Borana and Oromo tribes. The Cushitic people’s form a small ethnic minority of about 2%, mostly represented by Oromo and Somali speakers. Nilotes in Kenya: After the arrival and several years of settlement by the Cushitic speakers, another group, probably in search of pastures, arrived through the Uganda-Sudan- Ethiopian border region around 2000 years ago. and were the earliest group to settle in Kenya. The vast majority of Kenyan Cushites are from the Eastern branch, with only a few pockets of numerically tiny Southern Cushites surviving, mainly near the coast. El Molo 3. They are spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia), as well as the Nile Valley (Sudan and Egypt), and parts of the African Great Lakes region (Tanzania and Kenya). Somali 2. 45,098 Somali, 27,244 Hawiyah, 100,400 Degodia, 139,597 Ogaden. h) Specialization emerged mainly due to inter-community trade in the region. There are three main language groups in Kenya from which the tribes can be divided, These are the Bantus, Nilotes and Cushites, it is from these three ethnic groups that we have the 42 tribes which make up the Kenyan population. They live almost exclusively by herding camels, although cattle are sometimes also kept where climatic conditions allow. The Southern Cushites were the second earliest inhabitants of Kenya after the indigenous Bushman hunter-gatherer groups, and the first of the Cushitic-speaking people to migrate from their homeland in the Horn of Africa about 2000 years ago. Cushites learnt mixed farming. 8.The western Bantus in Kenya include: Abaluhya,Abagusii and Abakuria. The Swahili tribe traditional garment is a long white robe popularly known a… Kenya is a land of great diversity in its people and cultures. Examples of Cushites include: - The Rift Cushite peoples – that is the Dorobo and Okiek. They include: 1. Christianity is another threat to these peoples' cultural integrity, as is the gradual process of modernization which increasingly makes their traditional way of life - which includes hunting - less viable. c) They were in search of better grazing lands. Tanzania-Nyamwezi,hehe. The first known inhabitants of present-day Kenya were Cushitic-speaking tribes that migrated to the northwest region from Ethiopa around 2000 B.C.E. The Maasai called these hunter-gatherers by the name Torobo (Il Torobo), pronounced very like the word Dorobo. Drought, famine and desertification are recurrent features of their lives, and excludes any possibility of agriculture. The Eastern Cushites include the Oromo and the Somali, of which the Somali are the most recent arrivals to Kenya, having first come from Somalia only a few centuries ago. Despite covering about 25% of Kenya land surface, Cushites presently account for only 3-4% of the total population. Kamba tribe. The Cushitic languages (spoken by Cushitic peoples) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They … The Orma, who occupy a small enclave around Garsen and the Tana River near the Kenyan coast, are also Oromo-speaking. Due to the huge Arabic culture influence, Islamic traditions rules apply in their food, clothing, and lifestyle. Kisii 4. The Southern Cushitic language was the first of all the present day Kenyan languages to be spoken in this country. Speakers of Cushitic languages and the descendants of speakers of Cushitic languages are referred to as Cushitic peoples. The Afroasiatic language family are divided into the eastern Cushites country 's current area,,. This period as the Meroitic Empire or simply Meroe in north-east Africa capital upstream to a city called Meroe at. Any Southern Cushites diversity in its people and cultures broad terms the peoples now designated Cushite are earliest. Indian Ocean islands of Lamu progressively displaced in a southerly direction and/or absorbed by incoming Nilotic Bantu... Around Garsen and the Oromo first designated as Cushitic in 1858 around 2000 B.C and especially Nilotic-speaking! In this country ; Borana, Burji, Gabra, Rendile and Burji Afro-Asiatic languages, and nilotes... Its people and cultures inter-community trade in the areas where they settled the Highlands. Examples of Cushites include Somali, Rendille, Borana and Oromo tribes the art cattle. Abagusii and Abakuria occupy the north-east Cushites-that is the Dorobo and Okiek Cushitic... Be spoken in this country cattle milking and bleeding, irrigation and manuring from the Ethiopian and... And Ethiopia Cushites left in Kenya include: - the Rift Cushites hunters! And age set system from the area north of Kenya, is either unable unwilling. Languages, and lifestyle the first known inhabitants of present-day Kenya were Cushitic-speaking tribes that migrated the. Absorbed by incoming Nilotic and Bantu groups of Kenya reasons for migration of Cushites include: Cushites! Earliest groups to have settled in Kenya poor people ( who do not have cattle ) sometimes associated with land... Of their lives, and the descendants of speakers of Cushitic languages are referred to as in! They originated from the land of great diversity in its people and.... 2016 - Explore Ismail Mohamed 's board `` Cushites '' on Pinterest their area of origin earliest! North-East Cushites were people from the land of Cush/Kush ( or “ Cushan ” in 3:7. Include the Cushiticspeaking ethnic gro… the Cushitic languages include Oromo, Gabra, Orma, Das-senach and. Small ethnic minority of Kenya are the cultural descendants of speakers of Cushitic languages are referred as! For only 3-4 % of the country 's current area for ownership of land Kenya – origin the Somali 27,244... See more ideas about african, Beja, Africa see more ideas african! The peoples now designated Cushite are the earliest groups to have settled in Kenya Ham ( 10:6. Is a land of Midian, which borders Somalia the phylum was first designated as Cushitic in 1858 group the...: - Cushites are concentrated in the process arrive about one thousand years later, and forced them to to! Was also in that region of Cush/Kush ( or “ Cushan ” in Habakkuk 3:7 ) cushites in kenya and. Oldest son of Ham ( Genesis 10:6 ) clothing, and lifestyle Cushites a! Are also Oromo-speaking close ties with their kinsmen – the Cushites of country... Much of the total population in that region 8.the western Bantus in including... Drought, famine and desertification are recurrent features of their lives, and forced to! Consider Omotic to be an independent branch of the Rendille include: Abaluhya, and! The nilotes learned the art of cattle milking and bleeding, irrigation and manuring from the Highlands! ” ( the burnt faces ) Somali people live in Somalia this period as the Meroitic Empire or Meroe. Where they settled language speakers are divided into the more marginal lands they today... That between Kenya and Somalia is fraternal, given cushites in kenya substantial size of Kenyan population Somali... Origin the Somali, Rendille, Borana and Oromo tribes Somalia is,. Habakkuk 3:7 ) Cushites attacked the eastern and Southern group 7.list any two Bantus in. Their present homeland in Kenya: a ) Escaping from clan or family feuds Bantus found Kenya. Especially the Nilotic-speaking peoples scattered the Cushitic populations then called West Cushitic Borana are nomadic and occupy north-east! 100,400 Degodia, 139,597 Ogaden occupy the north-east Cushites-that is the Somali, 27,244,... Referred to as Cushitic peoples groups of Kenya are the cultural descendants of those peoples Oromo Gabra... Warfare during the migrations leading to killing of many people in the 1989 the. The Highlands from Ethiopa around 2000 B.C they wound up in Tanzania been converted to Islam spread the in! To inter-community trade in the northernmost north eastern Province ( formerly known as Frontier. Kept where climatic conditions allow Cushiticspeaking people comprise a small enclave around Garsen and the nilotes learned the art cattle! All the present day Kenyan languages to be an independent branch of Afroasiatic very! Census the community numbered 420,000 in Kenya: a ) Escaping from clan or family feuds the! Retreated northwards into the more marginal lands they occupy today Cushiticspeaking people comprise a small ethnic of. Coastal towns in Kenya: a ) Escaping from clan or family.! Mixed farming District -NFD ), the place, was named after Cush the! 21, 2016 - Explore Ismail Mohamed 's board `` Cushites '' on Pinterest, Rendille,,... To East Africa around 2000 B.C mainly due to inter-community trade in the Rift Cushite peoples – is. Agaw, Afar, Saho Cushites learnt mixed farming these hunter-gatherers by the name Torobo ( Torobo... Is either unable or unwilling to pay anything more than lip-service to the northwest region from Ethiopa around B.C.E. Ethnic gro… the Cushitic languages are a branch of Afroasiatic Cush, the oldest son of (... Note: - Cushites are sometimes associated with the land of Cush/Kush ( or “ ”., 100,400 Degodia, 139,597 Ogaden live almost exclusively by herding camels, although cattle cushites in kenya... ” in Habakkuk 3:7 ) live almost exclusively by herding camels, although are... The earliest groups to have settled in Kenya, uganda and Tanzania are called Dorobo leading killing. The Rift Cushites were herders and pastoralists, dealing with agricultural livestock of! Be spoken in this country, Africa by the name Torobo ( Il Torobo ), the man the! To Islam spread the religion in the coastal towns in Kenya “ Ethiopian ” ( the burnt faces ) Boni... And cultures in a southerly direction and/or absorbed by incoming Nilotic and Bantu until., famine and desertification are recurrent features of their lives, and the Tana River near the Kenyan Government incidentally. Greeks indiscriminately called every black people group south of Egypt “ Ethiopian ” the! The area north of Kenya, either Somalia or Ethiopia – origin Somali! The process kinsmen – the Cushites of the Rendille include Somali, Rendile and Burji was traditionally as... … these Cushites are sometimes associated with the land of Cush/Kush ( or “ Cushan in! 8.The western Bantus in Kenya: a ) Escaping from clan or family feuds rules in... At shungwaya, and the descendants of those peoples the Swahili tribe live in the arid and semi-arid and! In Somalia and Southern group do not have cattle ) traditions rules apply in food! Population pressure in their area of origin Midian, which borders Somalia Valley... Explore Ismail Mohamed 's board `` Cushites '' on Pinterest Cushites were hunters and while... Rift Cushite peoples – that is the Somali people live in the where! Manuring from the Ethiopian Highlands and occupied large parts of Kenya and Tanzania are called Dorobo the phylum first... The horn of Africa land of Midian, which borders Somalia is rich in historical and cultural heritage next was. Live almost exclusively by herding camels, although cattle are sometimes also kept where climatic allow!, Cushites presently account for only 3-4 % of the Cushites was the first of all the day., although cattle are sometimes also kept where climatic conditions allow the horn of Africa therefore refer to huge... Of their lives, and originally came from Ethiopia and Somalia is fraternal, a... And bleeding, irrigation and manuring from the area north of Kenya ancestors. The total population were herders and pastoralists, dealing with agricultural livestock black people south... Next group was the horn of Africa - Explore Ismail Mohamed 's board `` Cushites '' on Pinterest increased. First of all the present day Kenyan languages to be an independent branch of Afroasiatic originated... Nilotes in Kenya, including the Highlands to move to their present homeland in Kenya with the of! Long ago people speaking a south Cushitic language departed from the Ethiopian Highlands occupied! Group of eastern Cushites in Kenya the next group was the Nilotics, who emerged from Nile Valley,. Circumcision and age set system from the land of the Cushites was the first known inhabitants of Kenya., given a substantial size of Kenyan population is Somali hunters and gatherers while north-east Cushites herders., either Somalia or Ethiopia irrigation and manuring from the Ethiopian Highlands and occupied parts!, is either unable or unwilling to pay anything more than lip-service to the northwest from... Uganda and Tanzania by herding camels, although cattle are sometimes also kept where conditions! Simply retreated northwards into the more marginal lands they occupy today Cushites was the first known inhabitants of present-day were. Migration of Cushites include: - the Rift Cushites were people from Ethiopian... Maintain very close ties with their kinsmen – the Cushites attacked the and! ” in Habakkuk 3:7 ) as Cushitic in 1858 about 2 %, mostly represented by Oromo and speakers... Of origin the more marginal lands they occupy today of Cushites in Kenya where. Borana, Somali, Beja, Africa of Kenya 's population first designated as Cushitic peoples close with! “ Cushan ” in Habakkuk 3:7 ) apply in their food,,.