>How do the Muslims and Christians get along with the
>indigenous religion cats? Is there shared cultural
>attributes at all in Ethiopia? Like for example, amongst a
>certain ethnic group. Lets take Somalis. Are there
>Christian, Muslim, and or indigenous Somalis? If there are,
>do they have shared cultural attributes?

I am not from Ethiopia but from Kenya,but if you allow me I can answer the above question with reference to my own people.I am of a tribe called the Agikuyu(colloqial term,Kikuyu)and yes there are Christian,Muslim and also Kikuyu who practice the indigenous religion.My answer to your question would be that some cultural attributes that are specific to the Kikuyu apply regardless of religion.My family is Catholic but alot of the things we do even within the Catholic church are from Kikuyu perspective.We have mass in our traditional language(including hymns,and prayers)and for the offering at Mass, it is normal to give fruit from the harvest or even livestock.This is Kikuyu practice.I am not sure how Islamic worship is carried out though, but I would assume that the same does not apply.As far as I have observed,the language used is Arabic and the Kikuyu practices have not made much inroad into the systems of worship here.(Although this might have to do with the fact that there are many more Christian Kikuyu than Muslim)
As far as social practice and day to day behaviour is concerned,The Kikuyu identity is very strong and takes precedence over anything else.That means that customs concerning birth and marriage and circumcision etc are still followed today and apply across religious boundaries.Interestingly,my cousin got married last Summer and there was a big fuss and alot of family dispute because her husband to be was from another tribe.It didn't matter that he was a good Catholic man who teaches at a good Catholic School.What makes this even more interesting is that my Aunt awhile ago converted to Islam but there was not much concern because at the end of the day,we still saw her as a member of our tribe first and anything else second.These are just some examples of the relevance we still attach to our traditional heritage and there are countless other examples I won't bore you with.
Another poster(Allah) has mentioned that we need to stop romanticizing this idea of the single or uniform African thought or practice.I must agree wholeheartedly.There is no such thing and there is no such place.Take it from someone who encounters the day to day realities of what is really just a small piece of Africa.Kenya is not even the size of Texas and we have more than 70(seventy) ethnic groups.Each one thinks it kicks ass and the others come a close second.Imagine how much more the complexity of this is amplified over the entire continent!!! And by the way,alot of us find it insulting and offensive when in discussion we are lumped together as "those Africans".Discussions of this type fail to take account of the fact of the different Nationalities and ethnicities.These nationalities and ethnicities are very unique and individual and it is lazy to think otherwise.But y'all just didn't know





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