Browsing by Author "Taoesse, Walelign"

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    Continuity and Change in Ye- Gordena Sera System Continuity and Change in Ye- Gordena Sera System Of Kistane-Gurage Traditional Local Governance Kistane-Gurage Traditional Local Governance
    (AAU, 2005-06) Taoesse, Walelign; Gedamu, Befekadu(Phd
    This thesis is about traditional local governance found among m t peopl of the south, west and east part of Ethiopia and it tries to bridge til ga p in lit ratur on the su bject. In the study, I explore Ye-Gardena Sem syst m of Ki tan -Gurage traditional local governance and its development over time. Sem y t m, which i fo und among most peoples of south Ethiopia, has been us d as a major body of government for centuries. The system encompasses all the norm, value and conducts of the people. The Gurage in general and the Ki tane in particul ar adop ted the institution since antiquities. In Ye -Gardena Sera, elder's councils stand at the apex of the ystem at va riou levels of territorial and lineage segmentation. But, th incorporati n in the Ethiopian state deprived the institution its independent control ov r internal and external relations. However, the declining role of the Sem as th highe t political institution among the Kistane did not lad to the compet breakdown of the whole system . The Sem has continued to exist all over tluough the three Ethiopian modern regimes, despite challenges incurred by the state. In the thesis, I examine the interrelationship between the political syst m and the soci o-economic life of the people. The study shows tha t the Sem play's significant role in the peopl e's social, cultural and economic life, with in the w id e r Kistane socia l structure. I also looked at the traditional system and its substantial contribution in local development arena. The incorporation and the subsequence modernization process of the state through new judiciary and bureaucratic institutions; large-scale migration of the people out of Kistane-I and; and the process of urbanization, are major factors for the transforma tion tha t exhibited in the traditiona l institution. However, the system continues to be the people's fcwored system in the area of conflict resolution and peopl e's day-to-day life.