Ethiopian Folktales

Stories were collected in and around Welkite in the Gurage region in January 2001 with the help of Nigatu Wolde of the Gurage Zone Culture, Information and Tourism Department. Translations into Amharic were made by Mesfin Habte-mariam of the British Council.

The stories in the Gurage series bring up the same themes as in other regions: the exploits of tricksters, sibling rivalry and the solving of riddles, as well as a 'Thousand and One Nights' type of story about a magical ring which brings a man riches and good fortune until he loses it. Of particular interest is the "wisdom" story, The Poor Man and his Luck.

Contents:

	Story	Narrator
1	The Clever Trickster	Capt Dejene Washaka
2	The Wicked Stepmother	Tessema Gebre
3	The Poor Man and the Gold Ring	Captain Dejene Washaka
4	Deglerasu and Kefulerasu	Shirguma Soraga
5	The Poor Man and his Luck	Shirguma Soraga
6	The Riddles	Captain Dejene Washaka
7	The Girl’s Wisdom	Shirguma Soraga
8	The Lazy Husband and the Clever Wife	Shirguma Soraga

Audio Recordings: