Far Over Wood and Mountain Tall Quiz

Answer: Ethiopia

The Amhara people live in the highlands of Ethiopia. The culture is a predominant part of the Ethiopian population, with sources like Encyclopedia Britannica describing it as much as one-fourth of the country's total population. The Amharas have their own mother tongue, Amharic, which is a Semitic language. The language is spoken among Amharas all over the world, including in the United States, Canada, and Israel. This ethnic group has been living in the mountains for thousands of years, and there are records of poetry and literature by the Amhara that date all the way back to the 14th century.

Because of the Amhara's strong connection to Ethiopia, they are often referred to as the Abyssinian Empire. Indeed, most emperors of the Ethiopian Empire have historically been Amharas. Other notable Amharas include musician Muluken Melesse and Olympic gold medallist Abebe Bikila.

Answer: Kenya

The Kikuyu or Agikuyu people are an ethnic group who live in and around the Laikipia District, in the Aberdare Range of Mount Kenya. Traditionally, the culture's economy was based on harvesting millet and other cereals like corn, as well as fruits and vegetables, crops they used to trade with neighbouring tribes like the Maasai. They speak Bantu, though the word "Kikuyu" derives from the Swahili language. In this culture, it is normal to see men have many different wives. Their traditional homes are huts built with wood, mud, and stone, and are planned meticulously to be finished in a single day to prevent evil spirits from taking over the unfinished home. They played an important role in the Mau Mau movement that led to Kenya's independence from the British.

The Kikuyu believe that their supreme being, Ngai, lives on Mount Kenya. Sacrifices are conducted occasionally in his honor. Their native tongue is Gikuyu, but many also speak Swahili and English. Because the Kikuyu are one of the largest ethnic groups in Kenya, many famous Kenyans have emerged from this culture. Some of them include Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Ngugi Njoroge, and Olympic gold medallist Samuel Wanjiru.

Answer: Kenya

The Aembu or Embu people live in an eponymous district in Mount Kenya. They are of Bantu origin like the Kikuyu, with whom they share several historical and cultural roots. The Embu people cultivate and farm their own food and are relentless defenders of their territory.

For example, they have successfully avoided invasions from other groups like the Maasai. Inside the culture, a man is considered richer the more children and wives he has, which is not uncommon in polygamous societies. Today, the Embu host tourists in their expeditions of Mount Kenya, including the Karue Hill that attracts tourists because of the beautiful views one can see from there.

Answer: Kenya

The Tharaka or Atharaka people live in Mount Kenya's Tharaka-Nithi District. Like many other Kenyan cultures, they also speak a Bantu language: Kiitharaka. Most of the community lives in the lower plains of Mount Kenya, where they migrated from Congo centuries ago. One of the most told legends among the community involves Kibuuka, a spiritual leader whose name refers to the loud cries of babies.

He became a leader of the tribe, successfully protecting his people from their opponents in war. Today, a number of places honor Kibuka's name, including waterfalls, a farmhouse, and a river.

Answer: Tanzania

The Chaga or Chagga people live on the southern slopes of Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the highest mountains in the world. The Chaga sustain themselves by planting their own crops, including millet, plantains, and coffee, which they also sell or trade.

Their proficiency in agriculture has allowed them to become one of wealthiest tribes in East Africa. The Chaga use bananas in many of their food and drink creations. A notable one is mbege, a type of beer made with fermented bananas. Some famous Chagas include historian Nathaniel Mtui and billionaire Reginald Mengi.

Answer: Uganda

The Bakonzo people live in the Rwenzori mountains, a mountain range found between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Also known as the Konjo, this ethnic group is believed to have settled in Eastern Uganda many centuries ago. The Konjo are agriculturalists and grow various crops like beans, peanuts, potatoes, and coffee. "Rwenzori" translates to "place of snow" in the Konjo's language, because the part of the mountains where they live has had unusual glacial climates. Like several other cultures in the area, the Bakonzo believe circumcision is a necessary step to become a man, but it is not treated as a big ceremony like in other cultures.

Answer: Uganda

The Gisu people live on the slopes of Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano on the border between Uganda and Kenya. Geologists believe it to be the oldest volcano in East Africa. Also known as the Bagishu, this culture speaks Lumasaba, which is of Bantu origin.

Some of their distinctive rituals are largely organized around circumcision in both men and women, when they reach puberty. The ritual is a formal ceremony attended by many, including government officials. The Gisu are also known for their highly superstitious beliefs.

They are closely related to the Bukusu people from Kenya.

Answer: Rwanda

The Tutsis lived in Rwanda and in neighboring territories as early as the 1600s. Starting in the 19th century, Belgian and German forces occupied their land and reassigned Tutsi land to the Hutu after the former group largely refused to be converted to Catholicism.

This was one reason why tensions rose between the Tutsis and the Hutu, which forced many Tutsis to flee Rwanda. In 1994, the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were assassinated, an event that caused the beginning of the horrific Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi.

The Hutu-led government is believed to have killed over thousands of Tutsis between April and July of 1994. The Rwandan Civil War followed, and the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front took power from the Hutu.

Answer: Rwanda

The Hutu or Abahutu are believed to have settled in Rwanda and Burundi as agriculturists. Throughout the years, the ethnic group solidified political and economic control thanks to their advanced agricultural talents. Rwanda became independent from Belgium in 1962, which left the question of who would take power (between the Tutsis and the Hutu) open.

The tensions eventually led to civil war and the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Violence between the two groups has decreased in the 21st century, but conflict between the two is still present in modern-day Rwanda and Burundi.

Answer: Uganda

The Ik people are also known as the "Mountain People". They mainly live in the Morungule Mountains of Uganda, close to the country's border with Kenya. The Ik are distributed among several villages in Uganda, and speak the Teuso language. British-American anthropologist Colin Turnbull published an ethnography in 1972, titled "The Mountain People", which described the Ik as an individualistic society who gave no importance to family.

His work was criticized notably by German linguist Bernd Heine, who claimed that the Ik are not hunter-gatherers, but instead, had been farming for years.