Ethiopian Art and Craft - purchased yesterday

[Hance]

Here are some pics of items I purchased yesterday at the piazza ( old town section) in Addis Abeba , Ethiopia. My criteria for buying are :
1. The item must be 100% locally made ( not made in China).
2. The workmanship must be hand-craft ( no machining)
3. The wood used must be either Ebony or Olive wood.

The wine bottle and pen in the pics are to help with identifying shape and size.

1. The first item is a painting of a girl from the ancient Islamic City of Harar. The painting is done on sheep skin and mounted on an Ebony frame bounded with leather straps, the area on the painting is the only part that is shaved ofthe animal hair.

2. The second is a book/bible holder carved from ebony wood and engraved with depictions of St. George .

3. Third is a hand carved Ethiopian mask from Olive Wood.

4. Fourth is a hand carving of a girl from the Oromo nation, it is carved from a solid block of Ebony Wood.

5. Five candle holder carved from Olive Wood vanished and painted ( don't like the vanish and paint)

[Falcon]

hope you haggled!!

[Hance]

Some more items :-

1. Hand carved jewel/keep-sake box made from black ebony
2. Ethiopian traditonal harp-like instrument
3.Ethiopian traditonal box-guitar like instrument

My best and most valuable piece ( valuable according to me , my Ethiopian friends think I am crazy to buy such a thing) :-

A 200+ year old pocket bible ( the book of David) written in ancient Gheez ( the language is almost dead , understood only by very few Orthodox Ethiopian christians). The cover is leather and the pages are made of animal skin ( it took me 15 minutes of inspection to believe this)...Amazingly the guy who owned the shop I made the purchase from had the item at the bottom shelf among some broken artifacts and general rubbish...he said he has a bigger one home which I told him I want and will purchase this week.

[Hance]

hope you haggled!!

Not really, I recognise these vendors are fairly poor with families to take care off, I have no wish to exploit their sometimes desperate attempt to "make a sale" .Unlike most tourists I tend to pay the asking price, if I purchase many items I may ask for a small discount at most, my Ethiopian friends who are usually with me (, since I shop outside of the normal tourist areas and need translation) here always try to get the price reduced, I normally stop them when they start. I know fully well that I pay more than the average, but I usally make another friend in the process , it is also a matter of respecting the people and their needs which is more valuable to me. I have had individuals I met only once two years ago calling me out on the streets because of the impression I left on their minds.

[Falcon]

Interesting philosophy. There are cases in north Africa and china where I refused to pay the asking price and the process of haggling won me long term friends out of respect. Some vendors will take you for an easy target if you make them feel you think that is a fair price for their livelihood. I won't be willingly fleeced by dishonest people, poor or rich they may be.

[Hance]

Interesting philosophy. There are cases in north Africa and china where I refused to pay the asking price and the process of haggling won me long term friends out of respect. Some vendors will take you for an easy target if you make them feel you think that is a fair price for their livelihood. I won't be willingly fleeced by dishonest people, poor or rich they may be.

You are right , some people can be dishonest, I generally value items like the above from a personal standpoint since I am collecting on a long-term basis, I convert mentally the price and 9 out of 10 times at the vendor price the item is still a great deal. My approach is not a global one and depending on the situation I change .

[Falcon]

cool, and when collecting, one tends to want to get the item, no matter how much it costs.......

[letric]

They say one man's junk is another man's collection,
but are all male of the species just great hoarders?
Whatever your opinion. In art, African carving and
painting has already made its impact on Western
imagination, and is poised to express more deeply
the new creativities.

[letric]

Not really, I recognise these vendors are fairly poor with families to take care off, I have no wish to exploit their sometimes desperate attempt to "make a sale" .Unlike most tourists I tend to pay the asking price, if I purchase many items I may ask for a small discount at most, my Ethiopian friends who are usually with me (, since I shop outside of the normal tourist areas and need translation) here always try to get the price reduced, I normally stop them when they start. I know fully well that I pay more than the average, but I usally make another friend in the process , it is also a matter of respecting the people and their needs which is more valuable to me. I have had individuals I met only once two years ago calling me out on the streets because of the impression I left on their minds.

Appreciate your depth of sincerity, and respect towards the people.

[Hance]

Appreciate your depth of sincerity, and respect towards the people.

Thanks ^^, I sometimes have the same approach when shopping in Port-of-Spain or Chaguanas market, I may pay for some local produce a little more than average due to lack of bargaining, but I relate mentally the hardships farmers face in our country, also I reflect back on my own ancestors ( great-grand parents/ grand parents ) who where sugar-cane farmers and small crop producers ( for whom I have the greatest of respect) , trying to make a living selling what they can from the garden to provide for their families. Now that the shoe is on the other foot I definitely will not forget my past and I where I come from ,and the sacrifices of those before me who were also farmers and gardeners. On this basis I develop a personal philosophy that I try and implement as much as possible in my day to day life. I do not explain this to those who are with me when making a purchase, so they sometimes think I just like to "waste money" , off course as Falcon stated it is important also to ensure that you are not taken advantage off .

[letric]

Thanks ^^, I sometimes have the same approach when shopping in Port-of-Spain or Chaguanas market, I may pay for some local produce a little more than average due to lack of bargaining, but I relate mentally the hardships farmers face in our country, also I reflect back on my own ancestors ( great-grand parents/ grand parents ) who where sugar-cane farmers and small crop producers ( for whom I have the greatest of respect) , trying to make a living selling what they can from the garden to provide for their families. Now that the shoe is on the other foot I definitely will not forget my past and I where I come from ,and the sacrifices of those before me who were also farmers and gardeners. On this basis I develop a personal philosophy that I try and implement as much as possible in my day to day life. I do not explain this to those who are with me when making a purchase, so they sometimes think I just like to "waste money" , off course as Falcon stated it is important also to ensure that you are not taken advantage off .

Hance, I understand and appreciate what you are saying. I have similar problems whenever we return to TT, my childhood, the formative years, was socially not an advantageous one, born and living 'behind the bridge' as it is known. Nevertheless plodded on and achieved academic and financial successes. We have tried to assist innumerable young people from similar backgrounds, some have proven to be academic succeses, others fell by the wayside. What am trying to say is, even though there have been failures, I still refuse to reject where I came from and continue helping those whom we think need such assistance.