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The wagas are very famous in the Konso area, When a Konso warrior die, the statue of the warrior is recognizable by a phallic ornament at his forehead or by its large size. At the sides of the warrior-statue you will find the statues of his wives ornated with necklaces and breasts.
It is a pity, that the erection of wagas is dying out as result of the wide spread theft. Also the work of missionaries has discouraged the ancestor worship.
At the markets and along the roadside you can buy miniature wagas as souvenir.
Updated Sep 11, 2004
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The most famous in the Konso area are the wagas. In the recent past a lot of wagas are stolen. Now an inventory of the statues is made and they are declared Heritage Site.
When a Konso warrior die, they are honoured with the erection of carved wooden sculptures, the waga. At the sides of the warrior-statue you will find not only the statues of his wives, but also the killed enemies and animals are placed in the row as smaller statues.
Updated Sep 11, 2004
Address: Konso
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Konso in the far south of Ethiopia is the gateway to the Omo Valley and its tribes. But Konso has also its own fascinating culture.
Around Konso you can visit various Konso villages. The Konso people are farmers. So you will see a lot of terraces at the mountain slopes around the villages of round huts.
Our guide told us, that the Chief of the Konso died three months ago. A week ago the Chief is buried at the moment his son became the new Chief. He said, that the Konso people don't talk about the death. They only beat the drum with cloth, so the spirits in the forest can speak with each other.
Updated Sep 11, 2004
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On your way to the Lower Omo Valley, you have to cross the mountains of the Konso area. The pagan society of the Konso has a highly specialised and succesful agricultural economy. So you will see nicily constructed stone terraces in the dry land. Around the villages are also stone walls, serving against straying cattle, flash flooding and intruders.
At the local markets you can find the local products like millet, tobacco, sweet potatoes, cassave and raw cotton, but also pots for brewing beer, locally woven cotton blankets and Konso glass beads.
Updated Sep 11, 2004
Address: Konso
Edget Hotel: Compound in the towncentre
sachara Says: In Konso we stayed in the Edget Hotel in the towncentre. The rooms are situated around a large compound, where you can also put your tent or prepare your meals. The hotel has also a kitchen and at the end of one of the verandas is a bar selling beer, juice and softdrinks. In...
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Favorite thing: We saw a lot of people wearing the same t-shirts in the same colours with stripes everywhere in the area, like the two girls at the picture. Our guide told us there came many containers with these T-shirts from China as gift, all in the same model, colour and design.
Along the road we saw also a lot of women wearing their traditional woven brown-coloured skirt, which they wear with the upside turned back for about 25 cm.
Updated Sep 11, 2004
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Favorite thing: When we visited the wagas a lot of people came to the site watching us, but most of them liked to sell something, like flutes, incense, miniature wagas. While we were looking at the wagas and making our pictures, they had to wait outside the compound behind a bar till we were ready.
Our guide told us, that under the chief anarchy rules the area. The children educate each other, nobody else is looking after them, so it's a chaos in the villages among the kids. We didn't experience anything of this during our visit to the wagas.
Updated Sep 11, 2004
The Konso area has an ancient complex and fascinating culture. When a Konso warrior dies, they are honoured with the erection of a serie wooden sculptures, the so-called waga. Except the hero himself...
Of all the peoples in that ethnic tapestry which makes up the Southern Nationas of Ethiopia, perhaps most remarkable are the Cushitic people of Konso; an industrious farming culture who populate a...
Build your own Konso page
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