| Title | A Contextual and Functional Analysis of Na’o Folk Songs |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Desta Desalegn Dinege (author) |
| Yenealem Aredo (author) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0405.06 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0405/chapters/10.11647/obp.0405.06 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Desta Desalegn; Yenealem Aredo; |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2025-01-31 |
| Long abstract | The main objective of this study is to analyze the contextual function of one of the endangered elements of Nao culture- folk songs. To achieve this goal, observation and interview data collection methods were employed. Consultants were identified using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The Contextual and functional approaches were consulted to conduct the research. Based on the mentioned research methodology, researchers described the findings as follows: Nao people use their folk songs exactly in the context of their cultural activities. In the culture, the people perform folk songs during different occasions, for example, folk song during marriage which is called ‘Yaahe iiwosee’ (‘where is his home…’), during plowing their farm ‘wookisee wookasaa’ (‘we sung this song during…’). They use their folk songs while cultivating their staple food- inset. They have a special folk song when they are celebrating the first day of using their harvested teff which is called ‘kookee’. Nao people never use teff before they come together and celebrate by singing folk songs. Every folk song is accompanied by traditional musical instruments. Nao youth express their readiness for marriage by growing inset and singing folk songs using traditional musical instruments such as kamba, kirar, imbilta and golfa. Among these Golf is the most favorite musical instrument which is played by 12 individuals at a time. One can hear different sounds from each individual who plays with it. Therefore, folk songs are everything to Nao people. Every cultural activity is accompanied by folk songs which help the people to accomplish their activities. The people use them to express their happiness and sorrow, their wish and interest. Therefore, the researchers recommend that these endangered folk songs need to be collected and well-documented as they are the reflectors of the people’s life. |
| Page range | pp. 185–202 |
| Print length | 18 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
Desta Desalegn Dinege is an Assistant Professor of Oral Literature in the Department of Social Science and Language Education of Addis Ababa University. He holds a PhD in English Literature from Addis Ababa University (2015). He is the author of four books: a collection of poems in Oromo entitled Eenyuma Amantaa? (2008, 2012, 2013), a reference of research book for college students in Oromo, Bu’uura Qorannoo (2017, 2020), a collection of short stories in Oromo titled Waadaa (2018), and a collection of short stories in Oromo titled Dimimmisa (2020). He is writing book reviews and articles on different genres of oral literature. Desta is actively participating in collaborative research projects, as both principal investigator and project member.
Yenealem Aredo is an Assistant Professor of Material Culture in the Department of Amharic Language, Literature and Folklore of Addis Ababa University. She teaches courses on literature and folklore and advises MA and PhD students. Yenealem has also been teaching Amharic to students from the USA, Norway, South Korea, Netherlands, and China. She holds an MA in Ethiopian Literature and Folklore and a PhD in Documentary Linguistics and Culture. Her research interests include aspects of folklore such as material culture, customary lore, oral literature, and nonverbal features. Yenealem is participating in adaptive (problem solving) and thematic research projects on the cultures of Ethiopia. Currently, she is working on a book entitled የናኦ ብሔረሰብ ፎክሎር (‘Folklore of the Na’o Community’).