Some Ethiopian Historical Poems

It has been common to compose short poems in relation to various memorable events or situations in the lives of Ethiopian rulers. A very few rulers also composed such poems themselves, TéwodrosII being one of them. The poems in this article cover the reigns from TéwodrosII to Hayle-SillaséI (with one brief omission: the rule of Tekle-Gïyorgïs, 1868–1872). Poems of ridicule and blame are as common as poems of praise. ATTENTION: Due to copy-right no online publication is provided

In memoriam Səbḥat Gäbrä-Ǝgziʾabəḥer (1936–2012)

  Obituary  

Addenda to the Bibliography of Reidulf K. Molvaer: Fieldwork, Serendipity, and Ethiopian Women in Aethiopica 10 (2007)

Miscellaneous ArticleATTENTION: Due to copy-right no online publication is provided

The Function of Charter-Myths and Trickster-Tales in Ethiopia

Where there is no consensus between rulers and ruled about the extent of and limits to the use of power, rulers usually invent charters that give them divine rights to wield power at their own discretion. Most people are law-abiding citizens even under such conditions, but their sympathies lie with the few who dare to take the law into their own hands and free themselves from the constraints imposed by society as if social rules were inviolable. Such people are a law unto themselves, just like rulers who consider themselves to be above the law, but on a much smaller scale. Without checks on behaviour ‘from above’, lawlessness would flourish; but trickster-tales may hint that obedience to the law is not absolute, and that rebellion is a possibility if power is misused. Trickster-tales remind rulers to be moderate in their use of power. ATTENTION: Due to copy-right no online publication is provided

Fieldwork, Serendipity, and Ethiopian Women

Anthropologists are increasingly using sociological methods in fieldwork; but when doing research in cultures other than their own, this will often impoverish their investigation, as they do not know the most revealing questions to ask. By keeping an open mind, surprising information may unexpectedly turn up. This is, e.g., the case when investigating the situation of women, where it may be necessary to conduct studies in indirect ways, in combination with more factual statistical data collection. ATTENTION: Due to copy-right no online publication is provided