GÜNEYBATI ETİYOPYA'NIN KALBİNDE YAŞAM: HAMAR HALKININ PASTORAL YAŞAMINA YÖNELİK ÖN DEĞERLENDİRMELER

Year 2024, , 14 - 28, 04.08.2024

Evrim Tekeli

https://doi.org/10.58851/africania.1477827

Abstract

Etiyopya, binlerce yıllık zengin bir kültürel tarihe sahip olan ve çeşitli etnik grupların bir arada yaşadığı bir ülkedir. Bu çalışma, bu çeşitliliğin bir örneği olan ve özellikle eşsiz kültürel uygulamaları ve ekolojik zenginliği ile uluslararası alanda tanınan Aşağı Omo Vadisi'ndeki kırsal Hamar topluluğuna odaklanmaktadır. Hamar topluluğu, Güney Omo Bölgesi'nde yer alan çeşitli etnik gruplar arasında yer almakta olup, sığırların hem kültürel hem de ekonomik açıdan merkezi bir rol oynadığı tarımsal pastoralizmle yakından bağlantılı pastoral bir yaşam tarzını benzersiz bir şekilde somutlaştırmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Etiyopya'nın güneybatısındaki Aşağı Omo Vadisi'ndeki Hamar topluluğunun pastoral yaşam tarzı ve geleneksel uygulamalarının derinlemesine bir incelemesini sunmaktadır. Yapılan araştırmada Hamar topluluğunun yaşam tarzını belirleyen kültürel, ekonomik ve çevresel dinamikleri ve bu topluluğun benzersiz sosyo-ekonomik yapısı ve ekolojik uyumu incelenmiştir. Bu çalışma, bölgesel ve küresel düzeyde pastoralizmin sürdürülebilirliği ve kültürel çeşitliliğin korunması konularına katkıda bulunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Saha ve katılımcı gözlem tekniklerinin bir kombinasyonu ile yürütülen araştırma, Hamar topluluğunun geleneksel yaşam biçimlerini sürdürürken karşılaştıkları günlük faaliyetleri, kültürel uygulamaları ve zorlukları incelenmiştir. Gözlemci ve katılımcı gözlem tekniklerinin kullanılması, toplumun günlük pratiklerini derinlemesine incelemeyi ve ileride fiziki antropoloji alanında gerçekleştirmeyi düşündüğüm beslenme alışkanlıklarının biyolojik yönden ele alınacağı araştırmanın ön çalışmasını da oluşturmaktadır. Bu araştırma sayesinde makale, Etiyopya'daki yerli kültürlerin korunmasına ilişkin daha geniş bir söyleme katkıda bulunmakta ve gelişen dış etkilerin ortasında Hamar toplumunun zengin mirasını koruma ihtiyacını vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

Ethiopia, Hamar, traditional practices, cultural preservation, agro-pastoralism

Thanks

In particular, I would like to thank Maya for his invaluable help in assisting me with my observations. I would like to express my gratitude to the Hamar community for their hospitality during my research. Additionally, I appreciate the support provided by the South Omo Research Center. As a survivor of the earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, I would like to express my gratitude to Koç University ANAMED for providing me with the opportunity to write this article and pursue my academic studies.

LIFE IN THE HEART OF SOUTHWEST ETHIOPIA: PRELIMINARY REFLECTIONS ON THE PASTORAL LIFE OF THE HAMAR PEOPLE

Abstract

Ethiopia is a country with a rich cultural history spanning thousands of years, where diverse ethnic groups coexist. This study focuses on one example of this diversity, the rural Hamar people in the Lower Omo Valley, which is internationally recognised for its unique cultural practices and ecological richness. The Hamar community is among the diverse ethnic groups in the Southern Omo Region and embodies a pastoral lifestyle closely linked to agro-pastoralism, in which cattle play a central role both culturally and economically. This lifestyle is particularly notable in the region due to its specific cultural practices and economic reliance on cattle. This study presents an in-depth examination of the pastoral lifestyle and traditional practices of the Hamar people in the Lower Omo Valley in southwestern Ethiopia. The aim is to understand the cultural, economic and environmental dynamics underlying the lifestyle of the Hamar and to explore the unique socio-economic structure and ecological adaptation of these villages. The study is also intended to contribute to the sustainability of pastoralism and to the preservation of cultural diversity at both a regional and global level. The use of observer and participant observation techniques also constitutes a preliminary study of the biological aspects of dietary habits, which I intend to examine in dept through the daily practices of the society and to carry out in the field of physical anthropology in the future. Through this research, the paper contributes to the wider discourse on the preservation of Ethiopian culture, highlighting the need to protect the rich heritage of the Hamar community amidst evolving external influences.

Keywords

agro-pastoralism, Ethiopia, Hamar, cultural preservation, traditional practices

Ethical Statement

This article is the original work of the author and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. I confirm that all data and information are correct and that I have acted in accordance with ethical rules in the writing of this article.

Thanks

In particular, I would like to thank Maya for his invaluable help in assisting me with my observations. I would like to express my gratitude to the Hamar community for their hospitality during my research. Additionally, I appreciate the support provided by the South Omo Research Center. As a survivor of the earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, I would like to express my gratitude to Koç University ANAMED for providing me with the opportunity to write this article and pursue my academic studies.

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