BY: KALYN KAUFMAN Ethiopia’s Culture

Clothing Woman usually wear white dresses. Men wear pants and knee length shirts, and sometimes sweaters. Bracelets and necklaces are silver or gold and are worn around the wrists or ankles.

Food Ethiopian food is generally spicy. Berbere is the name of a special paste that Ethiopians use to preserve and flavor their foods. The national dish of Ethiopia is wot which is a spicy stew. For most Ethiopians eating pork is forbidden. Before eating, Ethiopians wash their hands with water poured from a basin, and they say a prayer/grace. Appetizers are usually served first.

Language Ethiopia has about 77 indigenous languages, meaning those languages started in a specific place, and were not brought from somewhere else. Most of the are Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, and some that are Nilo- Saharan. About 22 languages are endangered of becoming victims of language death, because only about 10,000 people or one generation is speaking it.

Communication Style They usually talk in soft tones, because load tones sound to aggressive. Ethiopians pride themselves on their fluent verbal communication styles, and they expect others to speak clearly and use metaphors, allusions, and witty innuendoes. They usually use embellished phrases to emphasize a point. A rule of theirs is they tend to be non-confrontational and propose what they think is the likely reply rather than say something that might humiliate one another. Respect and dignity are important to Ethiopians and they will go out of their way to keep from doing something that could bring disgrace to another person.

Society and Culture People Ethiopia is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnical country. Almost half of the population belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but there is also a large amount of Muslims. Muslims are very vital in the business society. They typically reside in the southern, eastern, and western lowlands, and a good amount live in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Society and Culture cont. Family The extended family continue to be the center of the social system. It includes relatives on both parts of the family as well as close associates. When couples marry, they connect both parts of the family, so that they have a group of relatives to turn to in their time of needs. Individuals gain acknowledgment through their extended family. A family’s reputation is influenced by the action’s of its members.

Facts and Statistics Location is East Africa, West of Somalia. The capital is Addis Ababa. There is about 82,544,840 people. The government is a federal republic.