Half a dozen dark-skinned men lean against a long bar, laughing and drinking. Their conversation is soft - words roll quickly off their tongues with broken sounds, like the chatter of birds - and the aroma of lamb and spices emanates from the kitchen behind them. The counter should hold bottles of birra and tej, but Budweiser and California wines take their place.
Elsewhere, in a church, a little girl in a traditional dress of white gauze jumps up at the sound of hand bell to take communion. Her mother pulls her back and puts a white shawl around her neck before letting her do down the aisle. A few minutes later she returns, holding the bit of cloth to her mouth, as the other children do, and takes her place in the pew. When she joins the chants in the church's ancient language of Ge'ez, members of the congregation turn to inspect the owner of this strong voice. Later, she whispers to her mother in English, with an American accent, "Everyone stared at me 'cause I sang loud."
These are Ethiopians, heirs to the ancient Abyssinian culture mentioned in the Old Testament and in Homer's Odyssey, living in what is for them a very new world. More of them flee their country each year to escape a strict military regime and a long-standing civil war. Two thirds of the Ethiopians who arrived in the United States in 1987 were political refugees. If civil strife in Ethiopia persists, Ethiopians may become a sizable ethnic minority in the United States. Having never been colonized and therefore without European apron strings, Ethiopians have already settled in Italy, Germany, England, and Canada. Large communities have also developed in San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Washington, D.C., has the country's oldest and most populous Ethiopian community, while the New York City area is home to an estimated three to four thousand refugees.
Some Ethiopians have assimilated into American society, but not all have fared equally well. Though underemployment is common, there is little unemployment among the refugees. Their occupations range from dishwasher to professor. The United Nations employs many Ethiopian administrators. Washington, D.C., has an Ethiopian business directory, listing such occupations as realtors, doctors, and caterers.
Unlike many other immigrants, however, they migrated not for economic reasons but to protest political conditions at home. Most are highly educated, and many have a working knowledge of English, the language of instruction in high schools and colleges in Ethiopia. Many also speak Arabic and Italian.
The vast majority of refugees are young, between twenty-five and thirty-five years old, and approximately 60 percent are male. Most came alone, fleeing persecution, and few have relatives here. Ethiopians may be unique among immigrants in New York, for they intend to return home.
Most Ethiopian expatriates have a strong desire to retain their native culture. This desire has spawned cultural and religious organizations, community assistance centers, and an elaborate social network. Efforts at unity are frustrated, however, by cultural differences among the refugees themselves. They represent nearly a dozen ethnic groups, which they call "nationalities", speak several languages, and practice three religions. They include separatists, monarchists, democrats, and Marxists. Many see
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