What's up brothers and sisters! Do you know where I am? I'm going to give you
five clues to figure out where this sister is...
[music]
This country grows a lot of coffee.
[music]
Some people say this country has some of the largest crocodiles in the world
[music]
In this country,
several religions coexist peacefully. The people here pride themselves on
practicing religious tolerance and two of the most popular religions here are
Orthodox Christianity and Islam.
[music]
This country is on the continent of Africa.
[sound effect]
[music]
So here's your last clue! In 1974 a paleoanthropologist discovered hundreds
of human bone fossils dating back to approximately 3.2 million years ago
these bone fossils were named Lucy. Do you know what country we're talking about yet?
[music plays over the Ethiopian Flag]
Hey brothers and sisters!
I wonder if you guess we're in the beautiful land of Ethiopia.
You are just beginning your tour of Ethiopia.
We're going to learn more about the culture and the people but what's really
critical is to understand the essence of Ethiopia we see that in the people we
see that in the relationships we see that in the homes in the love that this
people hold in their country for thousands of years so be curious look
inside not only will you learn about Ethiopia but you will also learn about
yourself
[music]
Amharic is our official language in Ethiopia although there are many
language spoken in Ethiopia. This is what it looks like:
In Ethiopia we greet each other with
"Salam Salam Salam Salam"
[music]
Have you ever wondered where coffee comes from?
It starts off as a small plant like this!
Coffee trees take two years to start growing berries.
When they are fully grown they can produce over fifty pounds
of beans a year. Coffee farmers know berries are ready to be picked when the
outside turns a bright red color. The berry is pulled apart to reveal two
beans inside the beans are roasted to bring out their flavor.
Most Ethiopians roast their beans at home over a charcoal fire.
Next time you or your family enjoy a coffee mocha latte or expresso
the beans might have come from Ethiopia!
[goat bleating]
Legend has it that coffee was discovered a thousand years ago by an Ethiopian goat.
huh?
A goat herder by the name of Kaldi noticed one night that
his goats were very energetic and could not sleep after eating some red berries
and shiny leaves from an unfamiliar tree. called II also tried the berries and
before he knew it both he and the goats were frolicking from bush to bush!
When a local monk heard about these dancing goats, he took the berries and
turned them into a drink that could help him and his fellow monks
stay awake when praying. Thus began the spread of a new beverage.
[music]
Music is used for different purposes all around the world. These are traditional Wolaitian
musicians from Ethiopia, and they are playing an instrument called chachazeah.
These instruments are airphones which means you have to use air to play them
and they are used for all kinds of celebrations weddings and even funerals!
Let's hear how they sound:
Are you ready to dance? I'm going to show you how to dance I'm a
Latina. So the first the body part you're gonna move is on your leg
maybe any leg which is comfortable for you so you'll spin in the tip of the leg
and the foot so like that at that time you move your booties too - so like that
then when you want to turn around that you can turn in any ways which is
possible for you like that or maybe like that and come back and then yeah for
fast for fast dancing you move your foot straightly and then make in the v-shape
which is like that
Wow! Great, you're doing great!
[music]
now you give it a try
[music]
There are many forms of transportation in Ethiopia.
You can ride around in cars, on motorcycles, on donkeys or in a bajaj!
The bajaj has three wheels space for a driver and passengers it's kind of like a taxi
Come on let's go!
[Bajaj honking]
Let's count all of the fruits and vegetables we bought at the market. Are you
ready to count in Amharic? Repeat after me
and(1) hulätt(2) sost(3) aratt(4) amməst(5) səddəst(6) säbatt(7) səmmənt(8) zäṭäňň(9) assər(10)
Here it is all together now
and(1) hulätt(2) sost(3) aratt(4) amməst(5) səddəst(6) säbatt(7) səmmənt(8) zäṭäňň(9) assər(10)
Food plays an important role in many Ethiopians day-to-day lives.
Their staple food is injera which is made from fermenting a
plant called tech. Other staple foods are konjo which is made from roots and bread
just like we have in America. Ethiopians normally eat by placing their injera
flat out on a plate and spreading mixtures of beans and spices on top.
They pinch the mixtures, called Wat in the injera, and put it in their mouths.
Normally families share all their food on one plate a friendly gesture is
to feed your friends and family by your hand.
This according to Ethiopians makes them feel closer to their friends and family.
You can also buy a variety of handmade goods at the market such as baskets,
which are made out of grasses or palms, or you can get hats or scarves which are
made out of cotton. First, Weaver's spin the cotton into thread then they wind
the thread around a spool by pushing the shuttle back and forth on the loom a
beautiful scarf is skilfully created.
In Ethiopia typically potters are women
and the women you see here our sisters who learn the skill from their mother.
To start making a coffee pot the Potters find earth that is made of clay they
sift the dry clay to remove rocks then they need water into the powdered clay
to make it malleable. To enjoy themselves, they love to sing and dance while making
their coffee pots. Once they've made their pinch pot they walk circles around
the pot to smooth it out then using a snake of clay they attach
and carve a spout and handle after sculpting the pot the potters wait 15
days for the pot to dry then they place the dry pots in a wood fire to make them solid.
Any idea what this is? In Ethiopia this is called mafic eeeh it's sold on
the streets and it can be used to clean your teeth. It actually comes from a tree
and what you do is you bite off the top so that you get some bristles and then
you can use it like a toothbrush
[music]
This is a Gojo bet a traditional Ethiopian home.
Now let's take a look at other homes found in Ethiopia!
Architecture is the tool that is used to
design for the ways that we live, work, play and worship. There are many
different styles of architecture to be found in Ethiopia. While in many cultures
traditional styles of architecture and building practices are no longer in use,
many Ethiopian traditions continue to create an eclectic and unique atmosphere.
Most of the homes are designed with purpose in mind for the storing food or
hosting a coffee ceremony many homes have separate buildings for kitchens and
bathrooms divided small courtyards for gardens or work in play spaces in the
countryside you can still find homes being built of raw unplaned wooden
frames then they are covered in mud and often finished with a cement or stucco
like exterior. For examples of modern or contemporary architecture look toward
many of the new buildings on university campuses. Some religious congregations
have built larger cathedrals or mosques and others have continued to worship in
or around traditionally designed Hut's. Whatever the style Ethiopian
architecture is designed for people to gather, exchange ideas, create new
friendships and strengthen existing ones
[music]
Did you know that Ethiopia follows a different calendar than in America?
There are 13 months in Ethiopia and each month is 30 days except for the thirteenth
month it's five or six days. So if it was 2017 in America in Ethiopia it would be
2009! And their new year is in September! So what day is it today in Ethiopia?
Hi my name is maureen porter and i'm the faculty director of this
fulbright-hays project here in beautiful Sodo, Ethiopia. We've had a wonderful time
here going out into the field, going to visit of people's homes, walking through
markets, being out among folks asking questions, sitting down and having lovely
conversations with tradition bearers who can talk about the folk life and the
long legacy of cultural innovation and celebration here in Ethiopia. All the way
through we've had people partnership with the tremendous efforts of faculty
and new friends from Sodo Wolaita University. I hope you enjoy this video
of all of the wonderful highlights of the things that we've learned and we
focused on here as we've come to celebrate the indigenous wisdom and
culture of Ethiopia!
[music]