With more than 80 people groups, Ethiopia is a country of many different peoples, each having their own cultural identity. This identity is found in their history, cultural practices, languages, religions, and traditions. Numbering approximately 83,000, the Shinasha are a small minority group. They claim that their original homeland is the biblical land of Canaan. It’s said that they left Canaan in search of pastureland and were led by Hamati, one of their ancestral fathers. Similar to the Israelites, who crossed the Red Sea after it was divided by God during the Exodus led by Moses, the Shinasha crossed the Walel River led by Hamati and entered Egypt. Later, they were led by other leaders to Ethiopia, where they settled on both sides of the Blue Nile River. The name Shinasha means “thousands of thousands” and was given to them by the Ethiopian people who saw “thousands of thousands” move into their region. Clearly, the Shinasha had some early exposure to Christianity, as they knew the stories of Moses. Eventually, they became Ethiopian Orthodox, a works-based religion that has no understanding of salvation by faith in Jesus. Pray that believers from nearby people groups will take the gospel to the Shinasha people.