I was twirling my angel haired pasta when my table mate asked if she was Abesha. I looked up and around the restaurant to see who was around. All the tables were empty except one with a dozen or so people.
They were all African American, and the father was introducing her as his daughter. It was indeed a family gathering. It seemed like a typical African American family.
Yes, she looks like it, but I guess not… don’t you see that is her father?
Back to my pasta, and then her mother walked in; now she was indeed Abesha. So I asked my friend, how he knew albeit her being she is only half Abesha… she walked talked and acted African American…. All her family was African American nevertheless he knew!!
Don’t you see the dark outline around the eyes?
Accordingly, that is the stamp, sign, symbol, mark of an Ethiopian!
Published by December 4th, 2006 in Uncategorized.Send this post to a friend
The reason Ethiopians have dark circle around the eyes is because of MALNUTRITION- lack of nutrients in the diet, or the lack of a balance diet
Hello Dr, I beg to differ your assertion?
did you ever question why that the dark circle around the eyes is more prevelante on certain famlies…
Malnutrition cannot be the only contributing factor because some of the traits seem to be hereditory traits… I mean there is no actual study to back this up but.. if kids born in the US have the same dark outline around the eyes… it automatically disproves you claim doesnt it?
i have dark circles. but they’re not under my eyes.
*ahem*
toothpick,
lol. then according to dr. Ethiopian, you’ve been deprived everywhere.
I’m not sure about circles beneath the eyes being the mark of an Ethiopian, but Ethiopians sure seem to have really big eyes.
Okay, I am still looking around to find my dark circle. Ohhhhhhh, I know! Why didn’t you say so? When you said around the eyes, I thought you were talking about the eyes that we see with. Duhhhhhh! AaaNiWay, it should be around the EYE……………………………………..WELL, how many of you have been bombarded with this question one way or the other, AbeSHa NeSh? or AbeSHa NeH? and sometimes its more like YeSirQoT type of look because you or the other person is hesitant to ask that question. I was on my regular train one time heading to my office in downtown and there was this beautiful girl who happens to ride the same train as mine at almost around the same time. I am not much of a socializer on trains. The only thing I socialize with is my coffee in a mug and the comics page on the Chicago Tribune, sometimes fliping through the Headline news, and if its a Friday, I only focus on the Weekend page of the newspaper to see which celebrity is in town so I can check them out. Anyway, this girl always happens to sit just a few rows from my seat and she would occationally sneak a look at my eyes. If our eyes met, she would smile and I would gracefully respond with another smile. So at that particular day, I decided to break the ice and talk to her anyway. So I approached her seat and said, “Good morning, is this seat taken?” No, she said. I sat and continued, my name is “so-and-so” took my gloves out for a hand shake, she shook my hand with her gloves on, and said “Hi”. I was hoping she would say her name, but nothing. I didn’t wanna beat around the bush and so I went directly to the question I was dying to find out. So I asked her if she was AbeSHa. She said, “No, I’m from Oromia”. Okay, now what? What the hell do I do? then I am like, COOL! which part? she’s like Ha? she got confused. I guess usually abesha people confront her right there and then and try to lecture her about her identity. After she gave me a surprised look, She said “FinFinE”. Okay…(this is saying to myself) FinFinE is modern day Addis Ababa right?, I am like COOL, with excitment, we’re from the same city. Which part of FinFinE did you live at? She is surprised, confused, and utterly astonished by the fact that I was just looking for a decent conversation and not at all interested in trying to save someone’s identity crisis. Then she said, okay… I usually get lectured when I say I am from Oromia, so what’s the catch here? Are you oromo? she said. I don’t think so, I replied. I think I am like “MenZE” or something to be specific (NefTeGNa….ya know?”) she laughed her ass out. We talked for a long time until it was time for her to get off the train. Apparently, she was born and raised in the states but her parents were hard core “OLF/Oneg” and she was thought that she was never Ethiopian and only Oromian. so usually she gets upset when everyone ask her if she was ethiopian and when she replied saying she was Oromian, she usually gets a nasty response. So where do you stand on that issue? when you see someone you thought was Ethiopian and they reply to you by saying….“No I am not Ethiopian, I am GonDerE!”…. Or am I just blowing whistle here? So is it the mark of an Ethiopian or …”blank”… I always get it confused.
well she is right.. although I used the word abesha here.. I tried to avoid the word Abesha on most occasions..
the term is more prevalent post Ethiopia & Eritrea disintegration because people wanted a word that incorporates both countries while excluding other african countries..
people from those two countries still are intagled culturally and socialing here in the US is on going…
the proof is sites like habeshahookup.com , habeshaconnection.com habeshacorner.com abesha.com… among others which claim to be for people from both countries…
and also since we have friends from the other countries.. we do not want to exclude them publicly in our conversations… thus the growth of the word abesha..
but it does not include Kushtic speakers of Semites… the girl is right she is not abesha! technically speaking..
I try not to use the word Abesha on the titles or categories.. instead use Ethiopian… see below from Abesha.com about page…
You done it again, interesting…I don’t know if that applies to all Ethio’s. Dark circles happen for so many reasons including heredity but I think most Ethiopians, especially those that left Ethiopia as adults have a lot of stress and responsibility for their family back home and that’s how the dark circle was born. In this case the girl was part AA and that is a little puzzling. But then again a lot of AA’s have dark circles under their eyes. Could this be a black folk thang? We are black aren’t we? Let me see….according to my arm I’m a latte with a hint of cinnamon but no circled eye’s egezer yemesgen.
There are so many more reasons why Ethio’s have dark circles:
1. I think a lot of Ethio women wear those cheap drug store brand eyeliners and mascaras, I have nothing against cheap stuff, but that crap runs and causes dark circles around the eyes. Invest in some department store brands pleeeease they think the circles are for real.
2. Once at a family gathering my older brother was taking a nap and I drew dark circles around his eyes, with an eye liner, he walked around for about 30 minutes before he noticed. I have the pictures…does that count too? He’d kill me if I let anyone see it. Actually when he came to visit he took it out of my album and tore it up. Thank God to back up’s on disk the proof is in the poodin.
3. Some Ethio guys just fight too much, causing a blood clot that looks like dark circles. There’s always someone wanting to prove his manhood (usually a youngin). Abesha parties have become like AA parties…the police are always called. 911 what’s you’re emergency? Huelet sewoch legedadelu new, ere deresulene. Eshi, eshi ahenu metan. Then everyone runs like they stole something. That’s why I is thru with Ethio parties, I’m tired of training for the marathon against my will.
But what’s up with “a typical African American family.” I reprimand my AA friends when they say “typical Ethiopian family” ze typicals are so, so typical aren’t they?
Dr. Ethiopian, malnutrition? Not only that reason but also some medications can cause dark circles around the eyes. What’s up doc, didn’t you know that?
Toothpick, tzzzzzzzzzzzzz (that’s my brain when I read your comment)
Chelema, When a strange Abesha guy asks for my name I usually come out with…Dawit, Eskendar, or Mesfin…that’s a good conversation piece. I always get the stare followed by a laugh…never fails. I seriously met one of my very good friends that way he still says mesfinisha.
The guy in the picture, front row, wearing the knitted flag looks like he’s about to beat the crap out of someone. His punch I’m sure will cause dark circles”
The woman next to him is thinking, “wonder if he knows my son in Amerika?”
The girl in the red, sitting to the left, is thinking, “that’s my baby daddy snapping all those photos, where’s my money boo?”
Aren’t’ our people just beautiful? I’m so proud to be an Ethiopian.
LOL Celebrate!!Girl you do it again…crack me up as hell!
Nolawi, great piece! I wish ppl in my city could see it just like you: as a fact and not one designed to irritate them. I was once introduced to some girl by a Somali friend of mine and she introduced her as another “Habesh” Girl corrected her and said she was from Oromia and not a Habesh, hell I learned right there to live and let live but looked it up and girl was right!
celebrate but, why do ethiopian have them more so than anyone else… I think the answer lies in heredity…. because the reasons you mentioned can happen to all people…
There is reason that Ethiopian have dark eye becose there is very much aboAra in our country!
Talk about possible malnutrition or genetic effects. Have you noticed that most Ethiopian babies have bigger head that is disproportionate to their body? One of my friend’s baby used to tilt his head to the side until he was almost a year old because his neck wasn’t strong enough to carry his big ass head. Especially, the newborn babies usually have a face that makes them look like they are a couple months older and 10lbs heavier but with tiny bodies. My mother went to an acquaintance house that just had a baby, the mother is Ghanaian. Later on my mother commented that the baby has a very small head and my answer was that…no, Ethiopian babies have an abnormally big head. Do you think it was caused from generations of malnutrition and is now part of our genes?
lol @ Abuara. good one, meskot.
Ok debritu,
You make an interesting point
That could be true.. I think if families could hereditarily get bad metabolism or heart Disease cancer.. I’m sure malnutrition!! as well…
Very impressed with how you phrased your argument!! atitfi!
http://allergies.about.com/od/darkcircles/a/aa071304.htm
I sometimes get “woy Abesha nesh ende?” Maybe it is because I am not so malnourished, if you know what I mean. But most people know I am Abesh. There is definatly an “abesha” look. I can tell abeshas by the way we look, the way we walk, the way we style our hair etc… The same way my Japanese friends can tall a Chinese from a Japanese or a Korean. One Knows one’s peoples idiosyncrasies. I am not 100% with my “habeshdar” but I am pretty close. As to the dark circles, we don’t have it in my family but that is a pretty common trait. Maybe it has smeting to do with Injera, all that iron and stuff.
Here is my two cents on this subject:
The dark circle thing is amazingly true in most cases, where it really comes from… I don’t really know. One of my feringe friends used to point that out to me when I was in college. He thought it was very sexy and he loved that about the Abesha women… for all I know, he was throwing me some BS, but who cares – the complement was well taken.
Anyway, my deal is: how would one explain the mark of an Ethiopian or in this case an Abesha when viewed from behind. I am not referring to the ladies “behinds” here… I’m referring to our distinct style of walking (both ladies and gents). I have on many occasions recognized an Abesha from a distant and always wondered what made me guess it… my conclusion and please don’t be throwing hate my way… just stop and think about it first; plus, I don’t mean to generalize, nor am I possibly referring to our ghettofied and beautiful Celebratelife (my alter-ego)
… but, here is my thought about it:
1) We walk with our heads down, no confidence in our walk at all – why? I have not a clue.
a. Always looking scared or nervous about something… its almost like we are too conscious we are walking and are afraid others are watching our every step!
2) As for the clothing style, that is another issue:
a. Heavy leather jacket – Men, I understand you love that jacket and paid all that money for it, but please save it for spring/winter. Summertime in LA, especially during the day – leather NOT a necessary accessory!
b. Ladies: I won’t even go there with your mark – the “hair”… I have read the article on the “big hair-do” we have been sporting forever… I have to agree with all those that gave us a reality check - thank you!!!
In conclusion… I loves my people… leather in the summer time or not!!! Love them wherever I go
HA HAHA HAH HAHA HAA AHHA
I am dying here…. you are so funny shanti… I knew that Ethiopian had a bad posture (mostly because of not being athletic)
but but
I didnt know we walked with a slouch!
Am I the only one who has never noticed the dark circles around the eyes of some Ethiopians? I think I am.
Nolawi, Just curious has this always been the identifying mark of some Ethiopians or is within the past 2-3 generations? Thanks for clarifying H/Abesha I do use it loosely.
Shanti, You remind me of my best friend and I know you didn’t call me ghettofied, girlfriend don’t you know I’m from the 90210 district (yeah right) beautiful I’ll accept graciously. “leather NOT a necessary accessory!” love it but love Ethio men so go easy on my brothers, the sista’s you can do with as you wish j/k.
Kiki, Actually iron deficiency causes dark circles under the eyes, I believe.
I get Abeshanesh from Abesha’s when I’m alone or among other Abesha’s but if I’m around my non-Abesha friends I’m not acknowledged as an Abesha at all - zilch. If I wear my hair up I’m asked if I’m an Indian or Latino, If I wear my hair down I’m acknowledged as an Abesha. When my hair was much longer I was asked if I was Pureto Rican or Dominican and never an Abesha. So my hair do’s are determined on what nationality I want to be that day, funny Ethiopian wins every time.
this whole time i thought the mark of an ethiopian was the vacination scars on there deltoids (hot) (real hot)
hahaha…yeah basically what shanti said….Yabesha skeletonu yastawQal…when we walk it seems like we cheering with alphabets…GIVE me A! Give me B! Give me E!Give me S! Give me H!..lol..usually i am 95% right guessing abeshas from a distance…if they are elders you can tell by their gabi and neTela.
Celebratelife…you not alone…me too ..never seen or notice abesha with dark circle..but definetly abesha women have big eyes..Silemilim yale eyen..
I am not gonna comment about the habesha posture thing and black circles and whatever…. but someone please tell me what the fuck is the people at the Ethiopian embassy in DC are doing? I am pissed and pissed like I wanna kill somebody. Do these people ever work. Its been three days now since I tried to get a person on the other line that could help me answer some questions. I called the Embassy on Monday morning at 9:15 AM ET and the operator told me the person I wanted to see is not in the office yet. She transfered me to another person she thinks might help me, that person wasn’t in his office So I left a message. I called back at 11:45 AM Eastern Time, operator told me they were out for lunch, I left a voice mail. No call back. 2:15 PM, I called again, operator told me they were still out for lunch. She asked if I wanted to speak to the secretary, I said ok, but the secretary wasn’t in the office. I waited and waited and finally called back again at 4:24 PM Eastern Time, operator told me the two people that could help me already left for the day. So Okay, I lost one day and it was a Monday… no big deal. Tuesday comes, I called the office again at 9:30 AM ET, both these guys hadn’t come in yet. Left another voice mail. I called back at 10:45 AM, operator said she hasn’t even seen them this morning. I left another voice mail anyway, Called them back at 3:30 PM, operator said they just left for the day. This morning on Wednesday, I called again at 9:10 AM, they’re not in the office. operator transfered me to the secretary, but she wasn’t answering either. Left voice mails. and waited and called back this afternoon at 2:00 PM ET, they were still out for lunch. Ohhhhh my GOOOOOOOOD. JEEEEEEEZ. Who pays these people? and why in the fuck aren’t they returning my call? I am a citizen of Ethiopia, don’t I deserve a little gratitude? I am PISSED AND PISSED AND PISSED, AND I CAN’T STAND THESE SORRY ASS MEN AND WOMEN. GOSH! I JUST WASTED THREE DAYS OF MY TIME FOR NOTHING. IF ANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE RELATIVES OR FRIENDS THAT WORK AT THE EMBASSY, PLEASE TELL THEM THAT THEY BETTER NOT MAKE ME COME ALL THE WAY TO DC FOR THIS SHIT. ’cause they’ll get a taste of me believe me. ahhhhhhhhhh
I came to check out the site for the first time and its very nice. A friend refered me. Its funny that this topic has been brought up. The abesha look. We should have a topic on non-abesha who look a little abesha. I swear I was faked out twice in as many pass weeks. What is going on? That ever happen to any of you? You say Abesha Neh/Nesh? only for them to tell you they aint habsha? So embarrassing. They were like “what?
Chelema…how funny is that …my mom has tried to talk to a human being the the office and she has given up….i feel you…try the california office…i think they are a little bit quicker
Gebre, you realize we “assume” everyone that looks handsome or pretty and if they have a slight resemblance to an Abesha is automatically an Abesha. Haven’t you heard your older family members say… “esuma Abesha new, s’yamir!” - that was the quote of my family and friends of my ex… who was actually mixed!
For real… I dated him just for that reason - he looked so much like an Abesha…. NOT!
What I don’t get is what in the fuck do these people spend their time doing? This week is not the only incident I encountered. I have been very patient and very diplomatic in the past so I can get things taken care of. But this time they pushed it and THEY PUSHED IT HARD. I will wait until the end of today to see if they call me. If not, I will be on my first flight to DC tomorrow. Then we’ll see. Motherfuckers have pushed me too fucking FAR. Does anyone know what the engine size limit is for a car you can import to Ethiopia DUTY FREE. please advice. thanks
Now breath brother Chelema…you know the saying “don’t ever let them see you sweat” or in this case don’t ever let them hear you sweat…you have become one of my favorite Ethio’s cause you are so real. The honest truth rule’s for dealing with the Ethiopian Embassy in the greater DC area. This is through my own personal experience.
*Don’t deal with them unless you really, really, I mean really have to.
*Don’t lose your temper cause they get a high off of that.
*Don’t send email cause you’ll never get a response.
*Don’t send mail cause they’ll lose it.
*Don’t call cause they’ll tell you they’re always out (you got a taste of that).
*DO meditate before you call them.
So my solution…..find someone who can charm the pants off of them to get it done for you. See you have to learn to melemamete and learn to say yene geta/yene emebet after each sentence. If you’re like me…if I’m paying I want the service and I’m not kissing no ass, my money is already doing that for me. Unfortunately, in this case, they have the upper hand and they know it so you have to put up or shut up to get what you paid for, isn’t that sad. It usually works when you let your money do the talking but they don’t listen even for the mighty dollar! Who are you going to file a complaint with the BBB, ha!
What do they spend their time doing? Obviously not work. Bunawen man yetetalachew?
Find someone to go down there for you cause I don’t want to read about you in the newspapers. LOL
Can’t wait for the t-shirts but the Alien Ethiopian t doesn’t have any dark circles, darn but I can imagine them there. Have a wonderful Holiday everyone see you in 2007! Be safe and no drinking and driving!
Yea, Chelema chill. And easy of the f*** word:) Just go to the source and call the officials in Ethiopia. Here is a link for you with some phone numbers. http://addisababa.usembassy.gov/doing_business_in_ethiopia.html
Chelema,
Funny. I recently wanted to renew my passport and I called the embassy to ask a question. They said they only process Passports after 1 pm or something, so I started calling in the afternoon. The first day I was driving for about 40 min. I called when i got in the car, and was told in multiple languages, ‘Please wait on the line until the next available officer can talk to you … ‘. I finally had to get out of my car and go about my business. End of day one. Next day I called while I was at my office. I put it on speaker phone and eventually forgot about it. Went about doing my stuff until one of my officemates asked, about 2 hrs later, ‘Am I nuts or have I been hearing voices all afternoon?’. No buddy, the Ethiopian embassy is nuts. Finally, I decided to email them. Fished out their website and the only e-mail address listed. The email bounced. It bounced! Are they kidding me? At the end of the same day I decided to send them a fax. Of course, I never heard back.
On a good note, eventually I sent in my passport, and it was returned to me very promptly. So promptly that it was disturbing.
Anyway, try the consulate in NYC. Maybe they’ve learned some NYC manners:
Phone: 212-421-1830
Fax: 212-754-0360
Hizbe-Bernos, sorry for digressing.
I was going to say the mark of an Ethiopian is “Chewanet” until I read the profanity laced comments of Chelma. I guess I have to fine another mark
Even as the bible indicates there is something unique about the Ethiopian I just don’t know what that is…
King James Bible Jeremiah Ch13 V-23
Chelema,
In order to import a car, it has to be a 1.8 size engine. I hope that helps.
- What dark circles?
- Long Live Celebratelife! You crack me up. I am addicted to reading your point of view on these issues!
- Re: Our appointed Ethio officials in DC. At least renewing a passport is a once a year day mare! Attempt to do a business in Ethiopia as an American citizen. Imagine, you have to get all types of paperwork from the Ambassador. My husband almost lost his religion in the process. They are so incompetent it is not even funny.
May we see the job description for the secretary please? Or is she one of those secretaries that has a secretary? Whoy gud
Hmm….this is quite interesting.
Well I sometimes get those ‘dark circles’ around my eyes as well (and I am not even a girl, and also not old). In fact, I find it quite funny when I get compliments from girls on my eyes (maybe because of the long eyelashes??) and ask me if I use eyeliner.
The thing is I usually don’t notice them unless I’m told by others, and I’m not quite sure how and/or how I get them either, because they are not always there.
Shanti,
I have often heard….’she is pretty, must be habesha.’…but ‘isuma abesha neww, siamrr’ is a rare case. I even remember a magazine article on Aster Awoke’s concert…which was published by some West African magazine…..it goes on and on about how beautiful Ethiopian girls are, documented by some beautiful pictures from the concert….and then…it just ends it with ‘What’s with the men?? they are nowhere near comparable!”…..oops!
[quote comment="7956"]. She said, “No, I’m from Oromia”. Okay, now what? What the hell do I do? then I am like, COOL! which part? she’s like Ha? she got confused. I guess usually abesha people confront her right there and then and try to lecture her about her identity. After she gave me a surprised look, She said “FinFinE”. Okay…(this is saying to myself) FinFinE is modern day Addis Ababa right?, I am like COOL, with excitment, we’re from the same city. Which part of FinFinE did you live at? [/quote]
Great way to handle the situation. my only wish is that people would actually talk about this kind of stuff cos it’s gotta reach a point of no return sometime!
FUNNY STORY I AM TIRED OF HABESHA PEOPLE TELLING ME…YEAHEE TIKUR/BARYA MIN LITAREG AMETAHEW…BLA..BLA..BLA. HABESHA MECHEM WE DON’T HAVE MANNER. WHAT’S UP WITH OUR OLD CULTURE?THE GENERATION IS GETTING WORST FROM TIME TO TIME.WEYEE TATA
Hi !
you know what this particular family picture reminds me the “operation Solomon” in 1985 when ethiopian jew (felasha) trasported to Isrial through The Sudan.
I LOVE ETHIOPIAN LADIES.
I LIVE IN ADDIS ABEBA AROUND FRENCH EMBASSY.
What in the world happened to yo.
your dating other guys, your telling me lie. Anandi Hristina.
I don’t know about the dark circle thing .I have been staring on the mirror for minutes its just not there .
Gin there is this thing about Habeshas.Its not looks ,its not colours,I guess you just know it when you see one .Its like when you sit at the back and some one else is driving,you can tell when they are looking at you through the mirror with out even looking at their face just by looking at the mirror.I guess its like that ,If I haven’t made it more obscure