The Konso Of Ethiopia
A Study Of The Values Of An East Cushitic People
When The Konso of Ethiopia was first published in 1972, the American Anthropologist described it as 'a work which is destined to become a classic'. The Konso are one of the most important peoples of East Africa, and the author was able to revisit them in 1997. As a result he discovered large amounts of entirely new material, and has been able to produce a completely revised edition that takes account of all the research on the Konso of the last thirty-five years. The result is the definitive account of a truly fascinating people, whose traditional culture is fast disappearing.
This is a completely revised version of the first edition of 1972 containing a great deal more material collected in 1997. The Konso are one of the most important peoples of East Africa and have an extremely complex social and ritual organization It is shown that much of this complexity is neither functionally necessary for the survival of their society, nor determined by their mode of production.
In 2011 UNESCO declared the Konso Cultural Landscape to be a World Heritage Site. The Ethiopian Government quoted Hallpike's work as part of its application. To read this please click the button below.