The Nomadic Journey To the Konso Tribe Of Ethiopia, Cultural Tour To Konso People of Ethiopia
Meet the Konso tribe, a Lowland East Cushitic-speaking ethnic group primarily inhabiting south-central Ethiopia. The Konso mainly reside in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region, south of Lake Chamo in the Sagan River bend. Many are concentrated in the Konso special woreda. Their territory is adjacent to the Omotic, Sidama, and Oromo communities.
A trip to this sun-soaked hills region of Ethiopia will change your viewpoint on life. Here you’ll discover the breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Site belonging to the Konso, a demonstration of how their engineering prowess and traditions continue to thrive.
History of the Konso tribe:
Konso traditions suggest a complex pattern of migration into their present territory over the last thousand years. The Konso have no memory of where their ancestors originated. They assume they have always lived in the tiny hilly territory in the far southwest of Ethiopia. Their African ancestors, however, probably arrived there around 5,000 years ago, bringing with them the prevalent stone age culture and agricultural techniques that are still evident today.
The Konso are part of the larger Oromo people, who are believed to have migrated from the east. The Konso were originally a nomadic people, but over time they began to settle in the area and develop a more permanent farming system.
The Konso people have a rich history and culture that is still evident today. They have a vibrant oral tradition that includes stories, songs, and dances. They also have a unique form of architecture, which includes the use of stone walls and towers to protect their villages. The Konso people have a strong sense of identity and are proud of their heritage.
The Konso people maintain a unique tradition of erecting generation marking stones, called daga-hela, which are quarried and transported through a ritual process. In addition, they are known for their waga sculptures and statues that memorialize deceased members of the community.
Extensive rock-walled narrow paths are part of the significant cultural landscape of the Konso tribal villages. Their hilltop villages are created with unique defensive laneways of stoned walls. It constitutes a spectacular example of a living cultural tradition stretching back 21 generations (more than 400 years) adapted to its dry hostile environment.
The landscape demonstrates the shared values, social cohesion, and engineering knowledge of its communities. The site also features anthropomorphic wooden statues - grouped to represent respected members of their communities and particularly heroic events - which are an exceptional living testimony to funerary traditions that are on the verge of disappearing. Stone steles in the towns express a complex system of marking the passing of generations of leaders.
The Social and Political Organization of the Konso People:
Their society is egalitarian with generational seniority being the most important concept. After a fixed period of years, everyone is promoted simultaneously into the next grade. These principles, however, largely only apply to men.
The only major difference in status is that between farmers and artisans. Generational seniority, rather than inherited status or kinship, is the most important principle of the Konso social organization. Each region has its System of age grouping, according to which a man enters the system a fixed number of grades behind that of his father, rather than being automatically initiated into the most junior grade.
After a fixed period of years, everyone is promoted simultaneously into the next grade. This type of age-grouping system is known as gada and is distinctive of people speaking East Cushitic languages. The systems stratify society into three categories: boys, not allowed to marry or to take part in councils; warriors, who may marry and take a junior part in councils; and elders, whose functions are judicial and religious.
Each region has a priest, who lives in isolation, and whose function it is to bless the towns of his region and to perform the ceremonies that are associated with the gada system. In the past, when warfare broke out between towns, he would send his deputies, drawn from the most important lineage heads of the region, to run between the opposing warriors and cast down their staves, and, ideally, this was supposed to prevent further fighting.
The Konso live across approximately 35 walled towns on hills. These are divided into wards, which may contain 20 to 80 homesteads built from straw and wood. Villages include public meeting places, where men sit during the day and where ceremonies take place.
The walled towns have an average population of 1,500 and a maximum of about 3,000, covering from 6 to 14 hectares, often on the summits of hills or at other easily defensible sites. They are usually surrounded by a dense belt of vegetation as a further deterrent to attack. The average population of a homestead is five, comprising a married man, his wife, and their children.
There are also numerous public meeting places (at least one for each ward), where men sit during the day and where ceremonies take place. Each public place has a men's house, where the married men usually sleep at night, together with the bachelors, but these houses are unoccupied during the day.
