Wolaytta people
Wolaytto (Wolaytta) | |
|---|---|
Wolaytta pattern | |
| Total population | |
| 1,707,079 (2007) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ethiopia | |
| Languages | |
| Wolayttatto Doonaa (ancestral and primary) Amharic (auxiliary) | |
| Religion | |
| Significant Majority: Christianity (P'ent'ay) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Gamo • Gofa • Dawro • Dorze • Ta-Ne-Omotic speaking peoples. |
The Wolaytta (Welayta; Ge'ez: ወላይታ Wolayta) are ethnic group mostly inhabiting in southern Ethiopia. According to the most recent estimate (2017), the people of Wolayta numbered 5.83 million in Welayta Zone. The language of the Wolayta people, similarly called Wolaitta, belongs to the Omotic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Despite their small population, Wolayta people have widely influenced national music, dance, and cuisine in Ethiopia.