Bertat

(also Shangala, Beni-Shangul), a people, living south of the Blue Nile, on both sides of the Sudanese-Ethiopian border. They number about 100,000 (1967 estimate). The group is divided into tribes: the Shogale, Agaro, Dashi, Sillok (Fesaka), and so on. The Bertat language is related to the languages of the Central and East Sudan. A significant number also know Arabic. Their religion is Sunnite Islam. Livestock-breeding and the cultivation of durra, millet, and vegetables are their chief occupations.