Irob people

The Irob people (Ge'ez: ኢሮብ ʾirōb, also spelled Erob) are an ethnic group who occupy a predominantly highland, mountainous area by the same name in northeastern Tigray Region, Ethiopia. They speak the Saho language. The majority of them are Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo and Ge’ez Rite Ethiopian Catholic, and they are largely agriculturalists. The etymology of the name Irob is debatable, but the elders of the Irob say that the term was derived from Saho word "Oroba", meaning "welcome to our house". The boundaries of Irobland are, to an extent, identical to the Irob woreda; both are bordered by the following areas: Dabri-Mela to the north, Hado to the east, the Afar Region to the east and south, Shoumezana and Gulomakeda to the west, and Saesi Tsaedaemba to the south. The first two neighbors are Saho speakers and predominantly Muslim, the third are Muslim Afars, and the others are Tigrigna-speaking Christians.

The capital (traditional center) of Irob is Alitena. Irobs trace their lineage to one man, Summe, son of Neguse Worede-Mehret, who according to the Irob oral history, migrated to the Irobland from Tsira'e in Kilite Awla'elo, a part of Tigray, about 700 years ago.

Despite their relatively small population, the Irob have been at the forefront of regional and national politics in Ethiopia. Starting with the Zemene Mesafint, the Irob family of Agame Woldu dominated Tigrayan politics. The dynasty included Dejazmach Subagadis (whose rule extended to present-day Eritrea), Shum Agame Desta, Ras Sebhat Aregawi, and many others including Emperor Yohannes IV.

During the Italian invasion, Irob patriots, led by individuals such as Dejazmach Ayele Sebhat and Dejazmach Kassa Sebhat, contributed to the anti-Italian resistance movement from their base on Mount Asimba.

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