Table 8 Traditional folklores associated to enset agriculture in Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia
Sayings in Wolaita language | English translations | Attributes appreciated and/or implied meanings |
|---|---|---|
Uuttane mata dabuwa ixxi eretena metuan gakiyaga | You don't disagree relatives and enset, who accompany you in bad times | Appreciation of the social value enset has in the community |
Oliyosi bayina uutta, uttiyosi bayina shafa | No waste from enset, no rest for a river | Appreciation of multipurpose value of all enset plant parts |
Aawai uutta tokidi gatiyosa na'yi banga zeridi gattena | A land patch a father covers by planting enset cannot be covered by his son by broadcasting barley | Indicating old and new generation differences in cultivation and management of enset (the old are knowledgeable) |
O na'i hage giyoi mayuwana, O ketay hage giyoi uttana | Well dressed kids give prestige to their parents, well managed enset homegardens (Alla) give prestige to household and hamlet | Indication of enset as symbol of status and prestige crop in the community |
Ika uutte ika guutte?! | The enset, the tidbit?! (questioning small meal size of enset food served for the hungry who is expecting big meal) | An idiom that implies the notion that enset is a cheap poor-man's food and enough of it should be served generously |