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Clanship Identity Formation Among the Konso of Southern Ethiopia

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Clanship Identity Formation Among the Konso of Southern Ethiopia CLANSHIP IDENTITY FORMATION AMONG THE KONSO OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA MA THESIS BY TADIWOS TUKANO GELEBO OCTOBER, 2016 ARBA MINCH, ETHIOPIA CLANSHIP IDENTITY FORMATION AMONG THE KONSO OF SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA BY TADIWOS TUKANO GELEBO A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY, COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES, SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE IN SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY OCTOBER, 2016 ARBA MINCH II EXAMINERS’ APPROVAL PAGE Approved by: We the examiners’ board approve that this thesis has passed through the defense and review process Chairperson Signature Date External Examiner Signature Date Internal Examiner Signature Date Principal advisor Signature Date Signature and Stamp of the Department Remark: One soft copy of final thesis, with 3 hard copies of final thesis III EXAMINER’S THESIS APPROVAL SHEET (FOR MINOR CORRECTION) SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY EXAMINERS’ THESIS APPROVAL SHEET(FOR MINOR CORRECTIONS) We, the undersigned, members of the Board of Examiners of the final open defense by have read and evaluated his/her thesis entitled“ ”, and examined the candidate’s oral presentation. This is, therefore, to certify that the thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree with minor corrections. _________________ ___________ Name of the Chairperson Signature Date ___________________ ___________ Name of Principal Advisor Signature Date __________________ ___________ Name of Co-Advisor Signature Date _________________ ___________ Name of internal Examiner Signature Date _________________ ___________ Name of External Examiner Signature Date _______________. ___________ Name of Coordinator Signature Date Final approval and acceptance of the thesis is contingent upon the submission of the final four copies of the thesis to the Departmentof the candidate’s on the satisfaction of the advisor. Stamp of Department Date:____________ Remark: Use this form to submit the thesis with minor correction suggested by the examining board. IV EXAMINER’S THESIS APPROVAL SHEET (FOR MAJOR CORRECTION) ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES EXAMINERS’ THESIS APPROVAL SHEET (FOR MAJOR CORRECTIONS) We, the undersigned, members of the Board of Examiners of the final open defense by have read and evaluated his/her thesis entitled“ ”, and examined the candidate’s oral presentation. This is, therefore, to certify that the thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree with major corrections. _________________ _______________ ____________ Chairperson’sName Signature Date _______________________________ ___________ Internal Examiner’s Name Signature Date ________________ ______________ __________ External Examiner’s Name Signature Date Final approval and acceptance of the thesis is contingent upon the submission of the final four copies of the thesis to the candidate’s department/School. Thesis approved by ________________ _____________ ___________ Department head nameSignature and stamp Date Remark Use this form to submit the thesis with major correction suggested by the examining board V Declaration I would like declare that this MA thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other university, and all sources of material used for this thesis have been duly acknowledged. Name: Tadiwos Tukano Signature: ___________ Date: _______________ VI Acknowledgement This thesis would have not found its finalization without valuable contributions from advisor, family and friends. My thesis advisor, Professor Ivo Strecker, deserves thanks for his valuable advisory opinion and mentoring not for the thesis but innumerable beyond. My wife’s help is also valuable for her encouragements and assistance to the studies. All my friends, who threw their support on the demand, equally share thanks without differenciation. VII Table of contents CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION PAGE 1.1. Background of the Study………………………………..………..…………………1 1.2. Statement of the problem…………………….…..…………………………………3 1.3. Objectives of the study………………………………..…………………….………4 1.4. Significance of the Study………………………………..……………….…………5 1.5. Scope of the Study………………………………..…………………………………5 1.6. Challenges of the study………………………………..……………………………6 1.7. Solutions sought………………………………………………………………..6 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1. Definition of Identity…………………..……………………………….…………..……7 2.2. Definition of Kinship …………………..……………………………………………….10 2.3. Kinship Construction …………………..………………………………………… ……12 2.4. Social Identity Formation…………………..…………………………..……………… 16 2.5. Theories of identity formation…………………..………………………………………20 2.5.1. Primordialism…………………..………………………………………………20 2.5.2. Constructionism…………………..……………………………….……………21 2.6. Clanship identity among Konso People………………..……..…………………………23 CHAPTER THREE: INTRODUCTION TO KONSO CULTURE 3.1. The Konso and their culture………………………………..…………………..……25 CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY…….………………………………....…30 CHAPTER FIVE: CLANS IN KONSO CULTURE 5.1. Konso clans and their values……………………………..……...……………………33 5.2. The Nine clans of Konso and their basic features………………………………….…41 5.3. Clan totems and their symbolic meanings. …………………………...………………44 5.4. The individual in Konso clan organization………………..…………..………………45 5.5. Clanship and other institutions………………………………..……………………….48 5.5.1. Poqalla and their roles………………………………...…………………….…48 5.5.2. Family………..……………………..……………………………………….…54 5.5.3. Village organization……………………………..……………………….……58 VIII 5.5.4. Age grade……………………………………………………………………...61 5.6. Authorities and clan organization in Konso…………………………………………..64 5.7. Spiritual beliefs and Konso clans………………………………..…………………….67 CHAPTER SIX: CLANS AND THE SHAPING OF SOCIAL IDENTITY 6.1. Identity within the clan organization………………………..……...……...…………71 6.2. Performing oaths by reference to one’s clan….……………...………………………72 6.3. Observing particular taboos associated with one’s clan. …...…………………..…...79 6.4. Identifying with the totem of one’s clan. ………………………....…………………81 CHAPTER SEVEN: CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN CLANSHIP IDENTITY 7.1. Change and continuity to the values and principles of the clan organization………. 87 7.2. Practices of clanship identity…………………………………………………………90 7.3. Main factors for the changes to the clan identity…………………………………….92 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 8.1. Conclusion……………………………………………………..…………………….94 8.2. Recommendations………...……………………………………..…………………..96 9. Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………..97 Appendix IX List of tables Table 1. Months in Konso Table 2. Konso clans and their totems Table 3. Clans and their female polite names Table 4. Clans and their respective roar ups List of pictures Picture1. Phallic structured houses at Kalla’s home. List of Diagram Diagram 1. Kinship chart X Abstract Among the Konso people, clan organization is a claim to identity based up on patrilineal line mainly founded on maintaining through observing its basic principle of regulating procreation and family creation. However, clan organization is strongly maintained in other domains of the culture that contributed much for maintaining it untill recent. Thus, clanship is key kinship organization for the Konso people but the emphasis given to it is less and as a matter of this fact it is less dealt with. Main objective of this thesis is to find out identity formation processes and practices, both individually and in group, association of self and the group with clan organization. Institutions of clan leadership, family and village organization are characterized with clan organization and identities if individuals are visible in these institutions. The finding of the clanship identity in these institutions has great contribution to maintain the clan identity and its purpose. The search to the knowledge in the clanship identity formation has methodologically followed selection of two rural villages and with in these villages key informants are targeted along with participant observation and review of relevant literature. The values and principles of the clan organization are maintained to the recent and the impact of the beliefs on the values has resulted in observation of the values by the people. As a matter of this fact, incestuous marriages are not common among the Konso people. Principally the regulatory role of clan identity in determining the sexual relationships and family formations are taken as rules to be followed and maintained. However, the modernization, degradation of natural environment, migrations and introduction of Christianity to the area since 1950’s have resulted in the lessening and omit of clanship identity formation practices of the people. The less attention of the scholars and of the development actors need to be at hand so as to keep and utilize the values and principles of social organization in replicating to other domains of the culture and beyond. XI CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background of the Study The work of this thesis mainly addresses the kinship identity of individuals and a group within the specific cultural organization. The clan organization falls within the kinship organization of a given society (Kottak, 2005:165). The consideration of the identity formation with specific domain of a culture has then focused with two main elements; the identity of self within the clan and, the second one is belongingness to the group. Fearon (1999) argues that the identity is presented in two linked senses
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