The Amhara have historically dominated Ethiopia through military, government, and religious activity. Amharic was the official language of Ethiopia until the 1990's, and the Amhara people constitute just under one-third of Ethiopia's population. Amhara society is deeply rooted in Christianity, and "the Amhara themselves often employ the term 'Amhara' synonymously with 'Ethiopian Orthodox (Monophysite) Christian,' although their own, more precise expression for this religion is 'Tewahedo'

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... ox)" (Messing and Skoggard, 1998). The religious group is thus considered to be coterminous with the society throughout this entry. This entry focuses on the Gondar District of Ethiopia, ca. 1953.