Cooperation and Conflict Management Mechanisms among the People of Kalu, North Eastern Ethiopia
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Date
1995-06
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AAU
Abstract
The study area, Kalu, is found in North central highland massif of Ethiopia and on the upper
part of the rift valley depression. The Kalu are Amharic speaking people whom they share
common boundary with Oromo, Argoba and Afar ethnic groups.
The study area selected based on its location is on the main road from Addis Abeba northern
Ethiopia Dessie, Mekele and the Afar depression in which the movement of people is too
high. The Woreda shares common boundaries with the Argoba, Oromo and Afar Ethnic
groups where ethnic interaction has its own effect in the traditional conflict management.
Furthermore, most of the population in the Woreda is Muslim where the Islamic religion is
believed to have its own contribution to the development of the indigenous institutions of
conflict resolutions. In this regard, the Woreda is one of the centers of Islam in the country.
I conducted the field work in the Woreda with an objective of examining traditional
cooperation and customary conflict management mechanisms within the community. The
people have age old tradition of cooperation and customary conflict management
mechanisms.
In the descriptive study of cooperation and customary conflict management of the Woreda
and social, economic and political structure of the people is assessed. The traditional
cooperation aspects reflect the mutual support and self help mechanisms while the
customary conflict management institutions are the legal system mechanisms out of the
court.
Furthermore, the study focuses on the major mechanisms of traditional cooperation such as
Debo, Azmach, Ertiban, Elf and other major institutions of cooperation. In addition, family,
Shimglina and traditional mediators are adequately assessed as institutions of conflict
management out of the court system.
Finally, the customary conflict management mechanism among the people of Kalu is based
on the public opinion, cultural consensus and religious beliefs.
In other words, the conflict management mechanisms are basically interrelated with the
social, economic and political conditions of the rural agricultural community. The customary
conflict management mechanisms of the people of Kalu consider other conflict resolution
mechanisms of the horn and Ethiopia studied by other Anthropologists.