Ten neatly dressed women sitting in the shade of a spreading
ficus tree appear to be conducting an
important meeting. My Ethiopian contact explains that I am witnessing a Social
Court, a structure that exists in rural Ethiopia where a police or governmental
presence is rarely seen. Community leaders convene a Social Court to settle
domestic disputes or community complaints. A person found guilty by his
community may be fined, forced to perform work, or shunned, a harsh penalty in
a close-knit interdependent community. Social Courts are an effective control
over the behavior of rural citizens. They hold the community together and give
offenders a real understanding of the group’s expectations.
Examples of social bonding abound in Ethiopia. A
strong example is the Ethiopian tradition of family, friends, and invited
guests sharing the same food from a common serving—and eating by hand. The meal
of meat or vegetables is placed on a thin sheet of fermented bread, known as
injera. Those sharing the meal tear off pieces of injera to scoop up bites of
food. Social customs in Ethiopia build bonds between friends as well as between
those meeting for the first time. Ethiopians always stand, shake hands, and
acknowledge everyone in the room. However, if a person is sick or his hands are
not clean, he offers the wrist as a handshake. In the Ethiopian countryside, one
sees the close bond that Ethiopians have with their animals. When young boys
herd the family’s animals, they mind their owners like well-trained dogs.
Beasts of burden carry bundles of goods along roads ahead of their owners who
follow on foot. Animals and people sleep together inside small huts for
protection from predators. Quite a few Ethiopian families maintain a bond with
their honey bees, mounting their hives under the low-hanging thatch roofs of
the family’s hut. Children play among the flying honey bees. People, livestock,
and honey bees live in close proximity. Wubishet Adugna and I share bereles of
tej.
--Richard
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