Ethiopian Folktales

Stories from Wolayita were collected during sessions in Awassa in February 1997 with the support of the Regional Educational Bureau in Awassa under the auspices of Ato Aklilu. They were translated from Amharic into English by Michael Ambatchew of the British Council.

All the stories were narrated by Yisihak Aldade, an exceptionally gifted storyteller. He recited the poems embedded in the stories, and made use of sound effects. His telling of animal fables brought out their intrinsic humour (eg The Sky is Falling), and the more philosophical stories (eg Everything Passes) are particularly well-rounded.

Contents:

	Story	Narrator
1	How the Tortoise got her Shell	Yisihak Aldade
2	The Mouse Deer who was Cold at Noon	Yisihak Aldade
3	Don’t be Greedy	Yisihak Aldade
4	God's Judgment	Yisahak Aldade
5	God's Justice	Yisahak Aldade
6	The Flood and the Lake	Yisahak Aldade
7	The Sky is Falling	Yisahak Aldade
8	The King and the Musicians	Yisahak Aldade
9	Everything Passes	Yisahak Aldade
10	The Locust	Yisahak Aldade
11	The Travellers who Ate the Donkey	Yisahak Aldade

Audio Recordings: