Their former range was from Mount Gara Muleta in the east to Shashamene and the northern Bale Zone to the south; currently, the main area of distribution is the Bale Mountains National Park.
The five largest ethnic groups reported in Shashamene were the Oromo (74.11%), the Amhara (9.26%), the Welayta (5%), the Kambaata (2.3%), and the Soddo Gurage (2.13%); all other ethnic groups made up 7.2% of the population.