Kingdom of Kaffa

The Kingdom of Kaffa was an ancient state located in what is now Ethiopia, with its capital at Bonga. The Gojeb River formed its northern border, beyond which lay the Gibe kingdoms; to the east the Konta and Kullo peoples lay between Kaffa and the Omo River; to the south numerous tribes of the Gimira people, and to the west lay the Masongo people.1

Related Topics:
Ethiopia - Bonga - Gojeb River - Gibe - Konta - Kullo - Omo River - Gimira - Masongo - 1

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Kaffa was divided into four sub-tribes of the Sidamo people, who also spoke a language called Kaffa, one of the Gonga group of Sidamo languages; a number of groups of foreigners, Moslem traders and members of the Ethiopian Church, also lived in the kingdom . There were a number of groups of people, "but with the status of submerged status", who also lived in the kingdom; these included the Manjo, or hunters; the Manne, or leatherworkers; and the Qemmo, or blacksmiths.2 The Manjo even had their own king, appointed by the King of Kaffa, and were given the duties of guarding the royal compounds and the gates of the kingdom.3

Related Topics:
Sidamo - Sidamo language - Moslem - Ethiopian Church - 2

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The land where this former kingdom lay is mountainous with stretches of forest. The land is very fertile, capable of three harvests a year.

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