Touring Ethiopia

Ethiopia is home to a number of diverse and interesting ethnic groups who follow their own distinct life styles, customs, traditions, beliefs and rituals.

Hamers number around 25,000 and live in the lower Omo valley. The valley is situated between Jinka and the Ethiopian boarder with Kenya and Sudan.

Hamers, mainly pastoralists, speak an Omotic language which is closely related to the Cushitic languages of Oromo.

Both men and women give special importance to their personal beauty adorned by metal bracelets on their arms and legs.

The women’s hair is thoroughly covered in a mixture of grease and red ochre coloring. The young girls flatten it and make little tufts while the married women wear an elaborate plait which covers the forehead and falls down at the shoulders and back.

They beautifully attire in their beaded skins and iron jewelry; wear their hair in dense ringlets smeared with mud and clarified butter and topped off with a head-dress featuring oblongs of gleaming aluminum courtship.

Hamers have two basic events in the progression up the social ladder. Circumcision, which occurs when a child or young man has lost his milk teeth and the ukuli bula, a big step forward in the life of a young man- a leap over the bulls.

The jumping the bull ceremony is the most spectacular rite of passage in Southern Ethiopia. This ceremony marks the invitation of young men into adult hood.

Their marriages include the handling over of a large dowry to the family of the chosen girl. The dowry, a high price of goats or sheep is the reason why there is no set age for the ukuli bula.

This of course depends on the wealth of the young man’s family, the number in the family, as well as the number of brothers he has.

The leaping over the bulls is a ceremony (similar to pilla of the karo people) to determine whether a young Hamer male is ready to make the social jump from youth to adulthood and for the responsibilities of marriage and raising a family.

The main players are the initiates who are going to jump the bulls, the mass and those who have recently undergone this rite. The ceremony takes place in clearings in the countryside and is attended by the family, relatives and close friends of the ukuli.

Decorated with feathers, necklaces, bracelets and wearing their best cloths, the maz, who is responsible to whip the women, approach the area carrying long thin flexible branches to be used as whips.

The initiate boys are required to jump onto the backs of a line of fifteen to thirty, run the whole length of this formidable obstacle, jump down onto the other side and then repeat the entire procedure three more times without falling.

During the ceremony, the maz escort the initiates to the jumping arena and help to keep the cattle together, young women who are relatives of the initiates beg to be whipped by the maz.

This order reveals their ability to endure pain on behalf of the boy they love. The more numerous and extensive the scars, the deeper the girls devotion to the boy who is about to become a man.

Finally the initiate boys walk out of the arena through a special gate way, after which they are judged to have passed from childhood to manhood. Should they fall off, they would be whipped and teased mercilessly by the women.

On the day after the jumping the bull ceremony, women gather together, dances continue for the following two days and nights.

The Mursi dueling
The Mursi are cattle headers and cultivators who number about 6000.

They live in the lower Omo valley of the river Omo about 100 km North of the boarder with Kenya.

Their territory lies between the Omo and its tributary the Mago River and falls administratively in the southern regional government.

One of their most significant ceremonies (tagine or sagine) is a duel between single young men from different territories.

At a certain age, they must face each other with long wooden clubs (donga) whose ends have a phallic form. During the fight they protect their most vulnerable parts with coarse cotton cloths.

Dueling is a form of ritual in which men from different local groups join in brief but furious single combat with wooden poles (donga), around two meters long.

Some twenty years ago contestants used to wear basket-work helmets. Nowadays these have been discarded in favor of the more effective protection afforded by widening the head around with the long swathes of cotton cloth.

Each contestant wears a dueling kit (tumoga) which is both protective and decorative. It includes a basket-work hand guard, rings of plaited sisal cord to protect the elbows and knees, a leopard skin over the front of the torso, and a cattle bell tied round the waist.

Simply participating in the fight, win or lose, is enough for the young man to receive recognition for his bravery and to prove he is ready for marriage.

The fights are a way to publicly display one’s personal qualities and an attempt to conform to the tents expected of an adult behavior.

A dueling contest (tagine) usually takes place over several days and is carefully prepared for often being discussed, within and between both groups, for several months in advance.

It is scheduled for a time of a year when there is plenty of food available, so that the contestants can be physically well prepared.

When it eventually takes place, it is treated with the utmost seriousness and like war. It is seen as part of a continuing series of events in which each side takes its turn.

The ceremony takes place every year after the harvests (November to January).

The fight is symbolic and the adversary has to be defeated but not killed. If an adversary is killed, there are serious reprisals for the young man and his family.

In dueling, contestants should never come from the same local group or the same clan. He can only duel with men whose sisters he can marry even though they are called miroga, a term used for enemies from neighboring groups.

To win the duel, one’s opponent must either fall to the ground or retire hurt. Then the victor is carried round the field on the shoulders of the local age mates.

The victorious young man wins a special prestige and above all, an attention from the young single women. He is then brought forth in front of a group of those unmarried girls of his mother’s clan who lay goat skin skirts on the ground for him to sit on.

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By Mewded Yelowesen

Ethiopian cooking involves a wide selection of fresh herbs and spice mixtures that give the dishes flavorsome and rich tastes.

Cuisines are composed of various vegetable, grain and meat dishes, mostly accompanied by “injera”.

Injera is a flat and circle like pancake with a much bigger radius, made of fermented grain powder called ‘teff’.

Unlike normal bread, injera isn’t eaten alone. It comes with different dishes where the most common ones are sauces similar to stews or broths called ‘wot’.

Different kinds of lip smacking, finger licking wots can be prepared depending on the content and ingredients used.

Due to the fact that Ethiopia is mainly Orthodox, different fasting seasons including Wednesdays and Fridays are given by the church. And dishes are mainly classified into two; ‘yetsom’ (fasting) and ‘yefisik’ (non-fasting). The difference being that fasting dishes are fully deprived of any kind of meat as well as butter.

On the other hand, ‘yefisik’ dishes have meat and/or butter added to them. The traditional Ethiopian butter ‘kibbe’ is boiled with various spices to give it an alluring aroma and a delectable taste to the non fasting foods.

Another way to classify dishes, mainly stews (wots) are ‘aletcha’ and ‘keye’.

The difference? When a meal is ‘keye’ meaning red, it comes reddish and has a spicy taste due to the ‘berbere’ added in it.

Berbere is a combination of chilly pepper and other spices where as ‘mitmita’ is a stronger version of it made in the same process except using a much hotter variety. Using different amounts, the spiciness of the wots is controlled to get that right flavor.

So when a meal is ‘aletcha’ it means that it doesn’t have berbere in it. Therefore has a rather light color and is usually a better choice for the weaker stomach.

Once the injera and dishes are ready, small pieces of it are used to pick up (some what roll) bite sizes of vegetable and meat dishes or stews available on the plate.

This is done using your hands. It is an ideal choice and way to get a bursting taste of every flavor.

Although nowadays people eat on separate plates, the traditional way is for the whole family or group to eat from one giant round plate (tray) creating a much more social environment for family or friends to interact.

Breakfasts to be served

‘Tchetchebsa,’ kita, one similar to pancake is made from different kinds of flours, wheat barley etc. It is cut into small pieces and mixed with a little bit of berbere and kibbe.

Particularly, this breakfast dish is eaten using tablespoons. Quite spicy and hearty this dish is a delicious one to start the day.

‘Firfir’  - This famous dish is made of scrambled injera put into a special sauce.  If the pieces of injera are put into an already made wot it changes its name to ‘fitfit’.

Although, it is traditionally a breakfast dish, it’s normal for people to have firfir or fitfit for lunch or dinner. The different fresh herbs, spices and butter used to make the special sauces and wots matter in making the exact mouthwatering taste for you.

‘Kinche’ is also a famous breakfast, is made of crushed grains of barely, wheat etc. It is boiled with water and then mixed with kibbe.

Its taste can be described as distinctive (an obvious good taste of course!!!) and makes quite a wholesome breakfast.

Lunches and dinners

The most common lunch dishes are other vegetable and meat dishes, or stews.

The beginning of any stew whether it is a fasting or non-fasting day, keye or aletcha is a measured amount of chopped red onions.

Then depending on whether the day is a fasting day or not, the cook can chose to add kibbe or vegetable oil.

Afterwards the stew and its name depend on what we chose to add on it.

We can add lentils and get a ‘messer wot’ (lentil stew), or parts of chicken to make a ‘doro wot’ (Chicken stew) etc.

Shiro, is another lentil based wot widely eaten in Ethiopia. With the many different variety of flavors, lunch really is something to look forward to.

These stews are more often than not served for lunch and dinner, however, there are other more famous dishes.

‘Kitfo’ is common to the Gurage region. It consists of minced meat marinated in kibbe, mitmita and rubbed thoroughly with certain aromatic spices.

This mouth watering dish can be eaten with injera, but traditionally it comes with a similarly unique bread called ‘kotcho’ which, unlike injera, is made of false banana tree.

Kitfo is famous raw or rare but well done also doesn’t deprive the rich flavor from engulfing your taste buds.

‘Tibs’ is the combination of small pieces of meat fried with Kibbe, fresh chopped onions, fresh green peppers, tomatoes, certain herbs. And at times certain spices to give a deliciously enticing aroma and an unforgettable flavor.

However fully spicy tibbs is called ‘Awazie Tibbs’, it is different from the normal tibbs because it gets mixed with Berbere.

Ethiopian traditional drinks

‘Tela’ is similar to beer. It is made of barley and fermented with different grains, which is when it becomes alcoholic. Light in alcohol content, this drink has a grainy texture much like dark beer.

‘Tej’ is a combination of honey, water and herb call ‘gesho”.

It ferments for days and becomes alcoholic, the longer it is left, the stronger it gets.

The sugar from the honey makes this drink a rather tasty drink, whether mild or not.

Tej can also be served non alcoholic by just leaving out the Gesho and fermenting the honey and water for days, in this case, it’s called ‘Berze’.

Berze is sweet and usually made on festive occasions together with tej for children with a sweet tooth.

Mewded Yelewossen is a graduate of Marketing Management at Addis Ababa University and works as a guide and event coordinator in Addis Ababa.

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By Mewded Yelewosen

A goat herder once saw his goats ‘dancing’ with increased vitality after munching on certain green and red beans.

Out of curiosity and maybe with a good deal of time on his hands, the goatherder Kaldi dared to taste the beans that stimulated his goats.

And he found it himself quite refreshing; feeling as though his fatigue had been chased away.

Those who cannot face a new day without a cup of coffee may be surprised to know its birth place is in Ethiopia’s Kaffa region from which it gets its name.

Kaldi of the same region of Ethiopia was known to be the first to have introduced to the world the mild yet refreshing addiction known as coffee.

It is said that traders of those days started its use not long after its discovery.

Before coffee ever reached the Americas it went right around in an easterly direction – first crossing the Red Sea to Yemen and Arabia.

There it got its name translated into Arabic qaweh. It was used as a mild stimulant in regions where alcohol was taboo. It became popular throughout the Middle East then through the Far East and eventually across the Pacific Ocean.

The berries were originally only eaten, never roasted and ground for a drink. Only since the thirteenth century has coffee been made into a hot drink.

Even today in the remote parts of Kaffa, people crush the berries or chew them after mixing them with butter.

Ethiopia was praised for the production of some of the world’s finest coffees. Mostly they are produced in Yirgachefe, Limu and Harar regions by preserving the natural environment of the growing fields.

And up to this day, Ethiopia, the old Abyssinia remains one of the biggest producers and exporters of coffee in Africa where over 10 million Ethiopians are coffee workers.

The country being one of the oldest coffee exporting countries is famous as ‘The homeland of Coffee Arabica’.

Still, most of the crop grows wild in Kaffa and neighboring areas where the soil, altitude and climate are ideal for its cultivation.

Coffee is the most important plant in Ethiopia, valued for its economic, spiritual, social and religious significance.  Though for many, it is an addictive beverage roasted, ground and brewed in a traditional way.

In Ethiopia it is done in a ceremonious way where you would sit and watch the whole process.

Fresh beans are roasted on the open fire, then ground by hand with a wooden pestle and mortar.

Small cups and saucers line up in a tray, freshly cut grass decorate the scene and incense fills the air. Corn is popped as an accompaniment.

Coffee beans are then washed in preparation for the roasting in traditionally made pans with a stick called ‘mekuya’.

Then after being roasted the beans are ground by hand with a wooden pestle and mortar called ‘mukecha’.

One needs to wait patiently till the ground coffee and water bubble aromatically in the long spouted clay pot.

Finally, as you smell the wonderful scents of essences, it is declared ready and the tray of filled cups graciously offered.

The ground beans would keep being brewed at most trice. The first round has the strongest coffee; then it continues untill  three rounds meanwhile accompanied by much conversation.

Families also do it the old way on holidays and special events. The ceremony gives them, friends or neighbors an even longer time to gather and spend quality time together. Other than at houses one can find the ceremony at traditional restaurants.

But nowadays, to enjoy a cup of coffee, some use coffee machines on a daily basis at the comfort of their own homes or drop by a café.

You can find different cafes in Addis known for their coffee specialties. Cafes are overly abundant in the streets of Addis Ababa, out of the love of coffee Ethiopians have.

One is Kaldi’s which has now more than 5 branches located in different areas of the city. They are the perfect places to hangout or surf the web using wireless internet.

All while benefiting from freshly made coffee products, ranging from a simply brewed cup of coffee to espresso flavored ones.

I bet there is no going back once you have tasted Ethiopian coffee. For those who want to visit and have a real Ethiopian experience, the coffee ceremony should not to be missed.

Come and enjoy Ethiopian coffee, till then you may shop for it at your local store.

Mewded Yelewossen is a graduate of Marketing Management at Addis Ababa University and works as a guide and event coordinator in Addis Ababa.

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by Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska

There is an ancient Axum site in Ethiopia called the palace by some and tomb by others. It is situated toward the north-east, on the road leading in the opposite direction to Gonder. The ancient Aksum stones are best known as the Kaleb and Gebre Mesqel tomb.

Nobody is sure today, what was the purpose of the building.

The question is valid since the Deutche Aksum Expedition lead by Enno Littmann made its archaeological research here in 1910 and found the remains.

While going up the road to visit the place it is easy not to pay attention to one of many tiny sheds which seem to serve for some storage purpose.

In fact one does serve as storage and the object kept there is a stone, more or less the size of a man, with an inscription in three languages - South Arabian, Geez and Greek.

The Axum stone brings to one’s mind the famous Rosetta stone that also made a similar impact on research conducted on the Aksumite civilization, as the Rosetta stone did in the case of Egypt.

Facing the main Axum obelisk field there is a crowded meeting place. This is another ancient site – the artificial pond or water reservoir called “Queen of Sheba’s Well”.
Most of the day many women and girls come here to collect water and take it home. Gossip and laughing are loud, exchange of information vivid.

The archaeological Museum in Axum shows a splendid exhibition of items excavated in the area of the town. The objects of every-day life like terracotta jugs, glasses, jewellery and coins prove the role and history of ancient Aksum.

They show its close connection with the Red Sea trade, the area of the Arabian Peninsula which is Yemen today, and formed the kingdom of Axum between the 3rd and 6th Centuries. It also had connections with the Mediterranean Sea trade routes.

Axum is proud of its historical places the most sacred Ethiopian place is also here. Many stories were told about the Arc of the Convent and its mysterious disappearing.

For the Ethiopians a legend tells the story about King Solomon, Queen of Sheba and their son, the first emperor of Ethiopia, Menelik and serves as a foundation of the national and state ideology.

It also tells the story of how Menelik came to King Solomon, to meet his father and learn from him. Eventually Menelik decided not to stay in Jerusalem with his father, but return to his home-land Ethiopia.

However, Menelik decided to take, or rather to steal the Ark of the Convent and he successfully fulfilled his plan. On arriving in Axum he placed the Ark in a temple being a copy of the Jerusalem Temple, Maryam Tsion Church.

What only men can visit and experience in Aksum is Maryam Tsion Cathedral built in the 17th Century.

It was constructed on the place of the ancient temple. Here, until the 19th Century all the imperial coronations took place.

Today visitors (but only male visitors are allowed) can admire royal regalia.

Close by the old church, is the new one, built by Emperor Haile Sellasie in the 60’s of the 20th Century, is available for both men and woman. This one also bears the same name of Maryam Tsion Cathedral.

If one does not feel like staying longer in the ancient Kingdom of Aksum the rock churches of Tigre province can be visited in the eastern direction. The Simien mountains are also half-way toward Gonder in the southwest.

One can also fly to Addis, if you prefer not to spend four days on public transport, to get to the capital.

Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska has traveled extensively throughout Ethiopia and is a regular contributor to this blog.

She has specialized in modern history of Ethiopia and currently lectures at Warsaw University, Department of African Languages and Cultures.

Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska (Ph.D.)

Visit Choosing a Tour for a short Video or Brochure
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by Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska

What is definitely the most striking part of Gonder are the ruins of the 17th Century castles.

Two remaining churches from the same period survived the worse period in the history of the town.

The Mahdist invasion in the 19th Century also destroyed most of the many Gondar historical churches.

Over the years there followed a slow process of collapse, but the most harm to the royal buildings was done in 1941 by the Allies’ bombing.

It happened during the British army support of Ethiopians in their final struggle against the occupying Italians. Now, UNESCO takes care of what remains of Gonder’s historical buildings, and what remains is a lot and they are impressive.

The walled palace compound was built during the reigns of the Ethiopian emperors, who ruled between 1632 and 1855. Fasilades (r. 1632-1667) and chose Gonder for his residency.

During Fasilades’ reign Gonder rose to power and its fame started circulating in the contemporary world.

Apart from the Emperor Fasilades Palace, there is also his bath compound which was named after him.

This place, known as Fasil Mewagnia, is composed of a rectangular pond, or pool, with a tiny lion-shape castle-like building on its side. The baths are at a walking distance from the castles and still today, the pool serves for the baptismal ceremony during the Timqet celebration every year.

Huge old trees sitting at the sides of the pool, impressive with their external roots holding the pool’s walls, turn the baths today into a city park. A benefit of a shadow makes a special prize for the tired tourists, who can take a nice break here from the hard job of exploring distant lands and visiting historical places.

During the Fasilades’ reign and years which followed, many churches were built in the town.

Also the succeeding emperors had their palaces constructed for them.

Yohannes I (r. 1667-1682), Iyasu I (r. 1682-1706), Dawid III (r. 1716-1721), Bekaffa (r. 1721-1730), Iyasu II (r. 1730-1735), Yoas (r. 1755-1769).

Empress Mintiwab (wife of Bekaffa) had her palace built in the south-north direction.

Apart from the royal castles within the walls, there are also many other remains of the court life. They include stables, situated next to the Bekaffa’s palace, or kitchen of the Fasilides palace. Also a library and archive built for a Fasilides’ son, Yohannes I, and lion cages from the reign of Dawit III.

One can see what is left from a music hall and in the bathes there are still cow’s horns which used to serve as hooks for the clothes. The horns are not 17th century originals, but that does not matter.

Unfortunately, apart from the castles themselves, the condition of most ruins do not make it easy to imagine the purpose for which they were used. Here, the Gonder guides of knowledge and talent help to see what life was like at the royal court of the time.

The latest built is Kweskwam, palace and monastery of Empress Mintiwab. It is situated in the western outskirts of the town at a distance from the main palace compound. Kweskwam is impressive, huge and quite well preserved, with nobody to disturb the visitor, except for hordes of birds and crowds of lizards.

Another highlight of Kuskuam is a coffin, which can be shown by the guardian of the place to those who are interested. The coffin, placed in a church crypt, contains three skeletons. A bit crowded? Obviously, it is.

One of them is said to be Queen Mintiwab herself, accompanied by Iyasu and Yoas. How much is this true? Probably nobody will ever know. However, the three skeletons placed in a tiny coffin manage to produce a royal impression.

There is one more thing, which crosses the mind of those who visit Gonder. Well, especially if they are also those who read Tolkien’s books. Many names and many facts from the history of Gonder seems familiar to lovers of Tolkien. For example, the name of the town itself.

Also the fact that Gonder was famous for the best quality horses and horse-market, even the stables at the royal enclosure are very impressive.

Horses and horse trade played a very important part in the history of Gondar.

Horses, according to the color as well as other features, marked the level of nobility of the owner.

The fact is even more interesting, when you consider that throughout the history of Ethiopia, horses were seldom used.

Mules ridden by the aristocracy provided the most efficient mean of transportation in the mountains.

Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska has traveled extensively throughout Ethiopia and is a regular contributor to this site.

She has specialized in modern history of Ethiopia and currently lectures at Warsaw University, Department of African Languages and Cultures.

Dr. Hanna Rubinkowska (Ph.D.)

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