The
Kwama (also called
Gwama and
Komo), are a
Nilo-Saharan-speaking community living in the Sudanese-Ethiopian borderland, mainly in the
Mao-Komo special woreda of the
Benishangul-Gumuz Region in
Ethiopia. They belong, culturally and linguistically, to the
Koman groups, which include neighboring communities such as the Uduk,
Koma, and
Opuuo. Although they traditionally occupied a larger territory, they have been forced to move to marginal, lowland areas by the
Oromo from the 18th century onwards. In some villages Kwama, Oromo and
Berta live together. The Kwama are often called "Mao" by other groups, especially by the Oromo. The people who live in the southern area and near the Sudanese borderland often call themselves "Gwama" and use the term "Kwama" to refer to those living further to the south and in Sudan. These other "Kwama" are usually known by anthropologists as Koma or Komo (Theis 1995). In recent years, many people belonging to this ethnic group have been resettled by the Ethiopian state in order to provide them with clinics and schools.