Tadesse Jaleta Jirata Children and Oral Tradition Among the Guji-Oromo in Southern Ethiopia Thesis for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor Trondheim, June 2013 Norwegian University of Science and Technology Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management Norwegian Centre for Child Research NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology Thesis for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management Norwegian Centre for Child Research © Tadesse Jaleta Jirata ISBN 978-82-471-4452-7 (printed ver.) ISBN 978-82-471-4453-4 (electronic ver.) ISSN 1503-8181 Doctoral theses at NTNU, 2013:171 Printed by NTNU-trykk Preface Initially, the title of the thesis was ‘Children and storytelling: A local conceptualization of childhood through children’s oral narratives in south Ethiopia’. However, after the first round of fieldwork, this title was changed to ‘Children1 and oral tradition among the Guji-Oromo in southern Ethiopia’. The reason for the change was twofold. Firstly, during the first round of fieldwork, I discovered that not only storytelling but also riddling was popular among the Guji children, and both are closely connected to children`s everyday life. As a result, I decided to include riddling as part of the study. Further, I realized that the term ‘storytelling’, as it was presented in the title, does not clearly show that the thesis is about oral storytelling and that it deals with the process of telling and listening to folktales. With the aim of achieving clarity in this regard and handling oral storytelling and riddling under one concept, I preferred the term oral tradition. Following Ben Amos (1982), Finnegan (1970), Finnegan (1992), Ilutsik (2002) and Harvilahti (2003), I sometimes use `oral tradition` interchangeably with folklore and oral literature. In the title of the thesis I use the term ‘Guji-Oromo’, but in all chapters and articles (except article four), I use the term ‘Guji people’. The term ‘Guji-Oromo’ is used specifically to follow the tradition in literature, the tradition that authors apply to denote that the Guji are members of the Oromo society, although these days this tradition is becoming obsolete because it is an obvious fact that the Guji people are Oromo and speak the Oromo language. Thus, in the body of the thesis, I have described how the Guji are part of the Oromo society, and use the term ‘Guji people’ just for the sake of orthographic simplicity. I would like to underline here that the term ‘Guji people’ denotes the same concept as ‘Guji-Oromo’. The thesis explores oral tradition as part of children`s (girls’ and boys’) everyday life, which encompasses children`s work, play, school and social interactions and is based on six articles. Four of these articles were peer reviewed and published (three articles in international peer reviewed journals and one article as a book chapter) and two articles were peer reviewed and accepted for publication international journals. The following are the titles of the articles along with the sources they are published in or to be published in. Article One ‘Changes of 1 The term `children` in this thesis refers to both boys and girls . i position cause changes of relation: Insights for reflexive ethnographic research with children2’ was published in the online journal known as Childhoods Today, the biannual peer reviewed journal published by the Centre of Child Research at the University of Sheffield. Article Two ‘The place of children among the Guji people in Southern Ethiopia: school, work, play’ was presented at the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) Congress, Lusaka, 18-22 July 2010 and is accepted for publication in Children`s Geography, a peer reviewed journal (published by Taylor & Francis). Article Three ‘The roles of Oromo- speaking children in storytelling tradition in Ethiopia’, has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication in a journal known Research in African Literature, a quarterly peer reviewed journal edited at the Centre of African Studies at Indiana University (published by Indiana University Press). Article Four ‘Children as interpreters of culture: Producing meanings from folktales in southern Ethiopia’ was published in the Journal of Folklore Research, a quarterly, peer reviewed journal edited at the Institute of Folklore at Indiana University (published by Indiana University Press). Article Five ‘Learning through play: An ethnographic study of children’s riddling in Ethiopia’ was published in Africa, a quarterly peer reviewed journal of the International African Institute (published by Cambridge University Press). Article Six ‘Storytelling, local knowledge, and formal education: Bridging the gap between everyday life and school’ was peer reviewed and published as a chapter in a book titled Childhood and Local Knowledge in Ethiopia: Rights, Livelihoods and Generations, edited by Tatek Abebe and Anne Trine Kjørholt. I am the sole author in the three of the articles (Article One, Article Three and Article Four) and authored the other three articles jointly with colleagues: Article Two was co-authored with Professor Anne Trine Kjørholt, Article Three with Associate Professor Jan Ketil Simonsen and Article Six with Dessalegen Benti, a lecturer at Dilla University and a researcher in the NUFU project, the project to which my thesis was affiliated. I am the first author in the three of the co-authored articles. I would like to express my sincere thanks to a number of people and institutions for their help and support during the fieldwork and writing of the thesis. First of all, it is my pleasure to owe genuine appreciation to the efforts of my supervisors, Professor Anne Trine Kjørholt and 2 This article was the winner of the best article award of the Center of the Child Research at University of Sheffield in 2012. ii Associate Professor Jan Ketil Simonsen. Anne Trine`s unreserved support across all paths of my study and insightful critique of my articles and chapters pushed me to read more and benefit from the body of knowledge in the social studies of childhood, which in turn contributed to development of this thesis. Anne Trine, I have deep thanks to you for guiding me into the ethics, methods and theories of interdisciplinary child research. Jan Ketil`s insightful and comprehensive comments opened my eyes to the role of anthropology in interdisciplinary social studies of childhood. In the process of authoring the joint article, he put me in touch not only with different research approaches but also with analytical and writing systems in social science. I would, also, like to extend my gratitude to the Guji children and parents, elderly persons, school teachers and development workers whose genuine participation in the fieldwork activities made my time in the field enjoyable and successful. I had a genuine family affection from Udde Netere and his family, Shumbullo Arbore and his family, Mormma Galalcha and his family and Nugusse Tullu and his family. Abbebe Dama, Alemayehu Galato and Tesfaye Jarso helped me a lot and without their assistance in the field it would have been very difficult for me to learn the details of the rural Guji people`s ways of life. I have also deep gratitude for Geremew and Worku (both are social workers in the Lutheran World Federation at Abaya District) for their support in providing me with a vehicle for travelling to the remote villages of the Guji people during my wider field observation. Without their assistance, my visits to those far villages of the Guji people would not have been possible. All of them deserve my sincere gratitude. My deepest gratitude also goes to my wife, Tsega and my mother, Ebbisee , who had been the forces behind my efforts and success in completing this thesis. Had it not been for the encouragement and care I received from my wife, I could not have gone through the challenges of my PhD studies. Besides caring for our little baby-girl, Debora, she filled me with motivation to finish my study on time. The other members of my family also deserve my recognition. Particularly, I would like to extend my appreciation to my parents and in-laws as they were the engine behind my achievements. My friends (both abroad and at home) deserve my gratitude for their consistent encouragement throughout my studies. I owe especial gratitude for Ashe & Emuti, Ase & Chaltu, and all my friends in Trondheim. All colleagues at the Norwegian Centre for Child Research are also indirect contributors to the development iii of this thesis. They gave me unforgettable love and friendship during my four years’ stay at the Centre and I am very grateful to all of them. Above all, Professor Vebjørg Tingstad, Barbara Jean Rogers, Line Hellem, Associate Professor Tatek Abebe and Professor Randi Dyblie Nilsen deserve my sincere gratitude for their unreserved help in managing my academic and administrative challenges. I have deep gratitude for Anette Moen at International office. Her genuine assistance with things related to my scholarship was important for my successful progress during my study. I would also like to thank the Norwegian Centre for Child Research, Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management at NTNU, the SIU, the Lånekassen and Dilla University for providing me with material and financial support for my stays in Norway, and during the fieldwork in Ethiopia. Tadesse Jaleta Jirata Norwegian Centre for Child Research, NTNU February 2013 iv Summary of the Thesis This thesis, titled Children and Oral Tradition among the Guji-Oromo in Southern Ethiopia, explores the oral play culture and everyday life of children in a rural context in Ethiopia. With its focus on Guji people in southern Ethiopia, it presents how children (girls and boys in the age range of 7-14 years) participate in performance; interpretation and transmission of oral tradition and through this process learn about their social world. The thesis is part of the research and capacity building project known as Children, Young People and Local Knowledge in Ethiopia and Zambia. Data were obtained through one year of fieldwork that involved ethnographic methods such as participant observation, ethnographic interviews, in- depth-interviews and focus group discussions. The thesis is based on the perspectives of the interdisciplinary social study of childhood and social construction of oral tradition, and the findings were presented through six articles, four of which have been published and two accepted for publication as articles in journals and a chapter in a book. Through a synthesis of the findings from each article, the thesis presents four central results. Frist it is seen that children play active roles in the practices of oral tradition. They produce, interpret and transmit oral tradition and through such practices they play, compete and share knowledge with each other as well as with adults. Second, it was seen that the everyday life of rural children ( which refers to children among the Guji people) encompasses diverse places of children`s social interaction (play interaction) –cattle herding fields, home and school, the dynamic social positions and practices of children and multigenerational interactions of children(cid:237)children interacting with each other and with adults. Third, the thesis demonstrates oral tradition provides children with contexts through which they can enhance their formal and informal learning. Fourth, it is argued that in order to understand children across these dynamic social contexts, the more effective research approach is that of reflexive ethnography. Based on these findings, the thesis concludes that oral tradition is the means through which children participate in the process of knowledge production and transmission and that children link oral tradition to their everyday life and make sense of their social world through it. v Acronyms AIDS: Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome HIV: Human Immuno Virus FDRE: The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia SIU: Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education NTNU: Norwegian University of Science and Technology NUFU: The Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNICEF: United Nations Children’s Fund USA: United States of America US: United States List of Figures Figure 1: The Location of Guji People Figure 2: An extended family Figure 3: The researcher participating in children`s peer practices. Figure 4: Children in cattle herding fields Figure 5: Children in peer interactions and storytelling in cattle herding fields vi CONTENTS Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………i Summary of the Thesis…………………………………………………….............................v Acronyms …………………………………………………………………………………… vi List of Figures ………………………………………………………………………………..vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………. 1 1.1. Children and Oral Tradition: Exploring Existing Researches ……………………….........4 1.1.1. The Study of Children`s Oral Tradition in the Global North………………………5 1.1.2. Children in the Studies on African Oral tradition: the Overlooked Subject………..7 1.1.3. Children’s Oral Tradition in Ethiopian Childhood Studies……………………….....12 1.2. Research Questions and Objectives……………………………………………………...14 1.3. Structure of the thesis…………………………………………………………………….16 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND KEY CONCEPTS……...18 2.1. The Socially Constructed Child………………………………………………………….19 2.2. Interpretive Reproduction: Children as Creators of their Play Culture ………………….21 2.3. The Social Construction: Studying Oral Tradition as Part of Everyday Life……………25 2.4. Linking the Perspectives…………………………………………………………………29 CHAPTER THREE: THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY……………………………………………………………………………………….31 3.1. The Guji People………………………………………………………………………….32 3.2. Cultural Practices of the Guji People…………………………………………………….35 3.2.1. The Gada System ……………………………………………………………...35 3.2.2. Oral Tradition…………………………………………………………………..38 3.2.3. Family Structure………………………………………………………………...39 3.3. Social Changes and Contemporary Life among Guji People……………………………41 3.3.1. Villigization…………………………………………………………………….41 3.3.2. Cattle herding as children`s responsibility……………………………………..42 3.3.3. Crop Cultivation as adults` responsibility mainly………………………………43 3.3.4. Formal Education………………………………………………………………44 3.3.5. Introduction of Christianity…………………………………………………….45 vii CHAPTER FOUR: METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………...46 4.1. Why Ethnographic Approach?...........................................................................................47 4.2. The Villages……………………………………………………………………………...50 4.3. Research Participants……………………………………………………………………52 4.4. Access to the Villages……………………………………………………………………54 4.4.1. Negotiation with Gatekeepers…………………………………………………..54 4.4.2. Acquaintance with Children in the Villages……………………………………55 4.5. Methods of Data Collection……………………………………………………………...59 4.5.1. Participant Observation and Ethnographic Interviews ………………………….60 4.5.2. In-depth interviews with adults…………………………………………………66 4.5.3. Focus Group Discussion (FGD)…………………………………………………67 4.6. Data Recording…………………………………………………………………………..68 4.6.1. Taking Field notes………………………………………………………………68 4.6.2. Audio Recording………………………………………………………………..68 4.6.3. Photographing…………………………………………………………………..69 4.6.4. The Merits and Demerits of Using Digital Cameras in Fieldwork ……………..69 4.7. Data Analyses, Transcriptions and Translations…………………………………………70 4.7.1. Data Analyses………………………………………………………………..........70 4.7.2. Transcriptions …………………………………………………………………......70 4.7.3. Translations ……………………………………………………………………….71 4.8. Ethical Concerns and Dilemmas…………………………………………………………71 4.8.1. Informed Consent………………………………………………………………72 4.8.2. Confidentiality…………………………………………………………………73 4.8.3. Reciprocity ……………………………………………………………………..74 4.9. Summary…………………………………………………………………………………76 CHAPTER FIVE: SYNTHESIS OF ARTICLES……………………………………. …..77 5.1. Summary of the Articles…………………………………………………………………77 5.2. Crosscutting Themes of the Articles……………………………………………………..81 5.2.1. Children`s Roles in Oral Tradition……………………………………………........81 5.2.1.1. Producing, interpreting and transmitting riddling and storytelling practices…………………………………………………………………………...81 5.2.1.2. Playing, competing and knowledge-sharing………………………………….82 viii