Folk Music and Cultural Practices in the People of Sidama, Malga Clan
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Date
2021-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Music is a means for humans to reflect the course of their lives or the problems they face.
Sadness, pleasure, love, hate, heroism, and good news may all be communicated through the
using a variety of pitches. The Malga clan is rich in one-of-a-kind musical performances and
cultural activities, particularly folk music. These intangible heritages are under jeopardy of
losing historical validity and cultural value. To maintain Malga's folk music and cultural
practices, it is necessary to do study, gather, analyze, and document such musical traditions.
In the absence of significant written documentation and research in the field, the musical
perceptions of both society and outsiders may skewed. The study's goal is to investigate folk
music and cultural practices in people Sidama, specifically in the Malga clan. Thus, the
ethnographic research technique was utilized to collect and formulate the required data for this
investigation. The study, utilized purposive sampling approach; as a result, 35 participants
were involved in the study. The technique of the field study preferred participant observation
and semi-structured interviews. All gathered data analyzed qualitatively as well as all acquired
data examined subjectively, and some recorded music transcribed to demonstrate the song's
pattern by the researcher. All musical analysis also has made by the researcher only. The
finding of this study shows that, the Malga clan have rich indigenous cultural and folk music
performances. Their music has its own rhythm, melody, and performance style. The finding of
this study contributes in documentation preservation of the culture and music of the clan.
Moreover, it will fill the knowledge gap regarding Malga’s folk music and cultural practices.
However, the study further indicates that the Malga clan application of folk music in the
cultural practices endangered, with the loss and extinction of their cultural and historical
significance, a decline in participation particularly in folk music performance. Furthermore,
the researcher made some recommendations based on the study findings.
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Keywords
Folk Music, Sidama People, Cultural Practices