Zay people

The Zay are a small ethnic group of about 15,000 people in Ethiopia. “Zay” comes from a Hebrew word, Zayin, one of the twenty-two names for God. The Zay people live on the islands of Lake Zway, south of Addis Ababa, and engage mainly in fishing. The Oromo refer to the Zay as Laqi meaning “stirrer” or “paddler”. When the Oromo first saw the Zay on their boats they did not know what they were doing and knew only the stirring motion they made with their paddles.

Zay people

The Zay are a small ethnic group of about 15,000 people in Ethiopia. “Zay” comes from a Hebrew word, Zayin, one of the twenty-two names for God. The Zay people live on the islands of Lake Zway, south of Addis Ababa, and engage mainly in fishing. The Oromo refer to the Zay as Laqi meaning “stirrer” or “paddler”. When the Oromo first saw the Zay on their boats they did not know what they were doing and knew only the stirring motion they made with their paddles.