Theories of indigenous learning theory of

EOTC.

Submitted to Dr. Getachew Kass

Birhanu Abegaz

April 2011

Chapter one

Interoduction

Ethiopia is an ancient country which has an independent and ageold

national educational system which can merit a serious study on its

own.

Our country accepted the laws of the old testament before the

birth of Christ and the Gospel after the birth of Christ. In that same

span of time, it was known for its literary works and the civilization of

the people , their gallantry , beliefs and culture was able to be known

through the obelisks , carved stones and potteries, and later through

the writings and drawing on the parchments which came down from

generation to generation this demonstrates that the Ethiopian

Orthodox Tewahido Church has for a very long time been serving the

country and people as a Centre of education and this has been one of

the characteristic contributions to the civilization of the country . There

are many evidences which indicate that education and the art of

writing started in Ethiopia since a very long time .

Chapter two

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has been the leader

education in Ethiopia since its establishment as a National Church in

330 A.D. in particular , since frementius , was appointed as bishop of

Ethiopia, and who was later known as kesate berhan selama, had

Caused the ancient Ge’eez script to be reformed. Through the initiative

taken by him many books had been alos translated from Greek and

Hebrew into Ge’ez.

It is clear that the people responsible for giving a new form and

shape to the Ge’ez script were the Church scholars who had lived in

the early days of the Azumite Empire. The steady spread of the

improved and reformed script was the product of their untiring efforts

directed towards the enlightenment of the people. For this reason it

can be safely said that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has made

tremendous contributions towards enabling the country to be the

master of its own destiny in the possession of a written language. The

people should be proud of this great blessing brought about so

peacefully through the instrumentality of the Church.

The Foundation of education, literature and language happens to

be a script. A language can only be called historical when it is based on

a written script for the meaningful development of literature. It is only

then that one would be in a strong position to transmit knowledge from

generation to generation. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is

indisputably the source of Ethiopian history, and , as such, it has given

form and shape to the Ge’ez script for the development of literature ad

the recording of historical events. This shows to what extent the

government, the country and the people in general owe to the Ethiopia

Orthodox Church for the for contributions it has made in this respect.

All these things were taking place at a time when most of world was

groping in intellectual darkness. When there were no papers at all in

the world, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church was perfecting the

technology of preparing parchment from the skins of sheep and goats

for the expansion of education and the development of literature ,

indigenous ink and pen for the realization of this objective.

Religious , historical and literary books are written by hand by

trained scribes. What is thus written on parchment then takes the form

of books prepared from manuscripts in a way that is not interior to

modern forms of printing. The contributions of these works to Ethiopian

civilization in advancing education and art in general in immense.

Ancient books have their covers prepared from wood and the

inside pages from parchment. They are, therefore, so durably made

that they have been known to have been preserved for thousands of

years. Because many of these holy books are plentifully available in

monasteries on can judge for oneself both their durability and the

development of writing by examining them in these natural museums.

Ethiopia is today the proud inheritor of a rich tradition of maintaining

various historical relics of antiquity for the simple reason that the

Ethiopia Orthodox Tewahido Church has made considerable efforts to

convert it into the repository of ancient literature and art for which

achievement it deserves due credit.

In fact, the Ethiopian people, as creative actors in this vast field

of art, are being provided with a unique opportunity to be

pardonably proud of their country, religion, culture and history

because of these. Achievements. Ethiopia Church scholars have

been undergoing insufferable pains in the preparations of crude

parchments, ink and pen at the expense of even losing their

precious eye sights for achieving their sacred tasks. Yet , the

number of books prepared in this way are to be found today in

large numbers in various churches and monasteries.

The expansion of literature is one of the most effective ways where by

the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church has been fighting

illiteracy for centuries on end. It has been doing this by making

churches and monasteries the centres of learning where spiritual

enlightenment was going hand-in hand with temporal education

in the form of acquiring the knowledge of reading and writing.

This is not only an idle account of what was happening in the

past, it is a practical reality that is taking place even today. Over

the past 3,000 years- that is long before the establishment of the

ministry of education was, without interruption, in the able hands

of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Church scholars and priests

were not also confined merely to the administration of education

in the church. They were also serving their country

competently in various capacities ranging from political leaders

to the lowliest public functionaries.

In the 20 th century after the Ministry of Education was

established in the country and the advent of modern education

into Ethiopia, it was the Ethiopia Orthodox Church scholars that

played a prominent role in strengthening the foundation of the

Ministry and in promoting the general cause of education

throughout the country.

In all schools basic education, that is reading and writing,

was being provided by priests and deacons . One cannot also

qualify the invaluable services provided by church scholar in the

provision of religious, moral and patriotic education.

Even today before the recent establishment of

kindergartens for the very young , church schools for reading

and writing have been serving as feeders to the modern schools.

There are today over 35,000 parish churches in Ethiopia.

Most of these are running church schools. This it to say that

what the church has been doing is now being provided in breadth

and depth. Teachers in charge of church schools are also

rendering their services with renewed vigour and energy.

Relentless efforts are being now made to provide modern

education in tandem with traditional ones.

In this manner we see the number of students multiplying

and we are constantly witnessing the steady growth and

development of church education In the same perspective, the

rate of illiteracy is decreasing.

In these circumstances, the society in general and the

younger generation in particular are conscious of the fact that

they owe a great deal to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church that

happens to be the originator of the Ge’ez script, the foundation

of education in the country. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is at

present providing education in the following fields.

1. The Alphabet

2. Numerals

3. Reading and Writing

4. The Creation and Laws of God

5. The Five Mysteries

6. Liturgical Music

7. The Ge’ez Language and Kine ( Poetry )

8. interpretation of the Scriptures

9. Abushahir ( arithmentic )

10. Religious Art

1 ( a ) The Alphabet

There are 26 letters in the Ge’ze alphabet. All our ancient books and

works of literature have been preserved in the Ge’ez language.

Originally, the Ge’ez alphabet did not have vowel sounds but only

consonant ones. For instance, one would only write the consonants

in convey the sound of a word, with the reader guessing how o

sound it. Until the introduction of Christianity into Ethiopia, this

system of writing had been in general use, according to historical

documents . The initiative for modernizing the Ge’ez alphabet by

creating vowel sounds was taken by Abba Frementius of Kasate

berhan Selama and other Ethiopian Scholars. By dong so they won

a niche in the hall of fame in Ethiopia. The ancient Ethiopian script

was written from A to P without the addition of any signs to indicate

the vowel sounds. The revised alphabet is the one being still used in

this country and starts with H and ends with P.

The consonant sounds like Hebrew alphabet have small sings

appended to their feet or sides indicating how they should read to

provide a certain vowel sound. The Ethiopian vowel sounds are

known as kaib , salis, rabi, hamis, sadis and sabil The Ge’ez

alphabet is known as such because it was originally made up of only

consonants,

Until the 12 th century, all writing were being undertaken in

these Ge’ez consonants. However, with the expansion of Amharic,

manuscripts also began to the written in this language, since then

they were being known as Amharic alphabets because Ge’ez books,

which were rare, were beyond the comprehension of the general

reading public. The Amharic consonant has seven vowel forms.

The Ge’ez and the Amharic letters are not pure in character.

There are four sounds of alien origin in the Geéz language. In the

Amharic language, there are 18 of these.

( b ) Abughida

The abughida is a simple scheme under which children are

taught reading and writing more quickly. Under this scheme of

alphabetization, the various letter to be learned are mixed up in

such a way as to teach the various combinations with vowels with

ease. The consonants of the alphabet are read sideways and

downwards in combination with the vowels in such a way that

children grasp the idea of reading more easily.

2. Numerals

Ethiopian numerals were devised very long ago. These

numerals have been existing contemporaneous with the

alphabet for thousands of years. Many nations in the world are

currently using the Arabic numbers. However, the Ethiopian

people have not only their own alphabet but also their own

numeral to this very day. Children learn these numbers along

with the alphabet .

3. Reading and Writing

(a) Reading

The following are the books that the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido

Church is using for teaching reading .

1. Alphabet of the apostles ( in praise of the John )

2. Epistle of the Apostles ( in praise of the Lord )

3. The Gospel of john

4. The book of Solomon

5. The book of Sirak

6. The psalms of David

The Alphabet of the Apostles and the Epistle of the Apostles are

learned by children after completing the Abughida. These are used

as media of instruction following the completing of the alphabet in

its various forms. The Alphabet of the Apostles and the Epistle of

the Apostles are both self-sufficient books for teaching literacy.

School-children are instructed in differentiating between the various

forms and shapes of the letters of the alphabet . This is followed

with the normal reading of books. According to the instructions of

Yohannis afework, one should teach children first the books of

Solomon and Sirak and the Paslms of David.

(b) Learning Writing

The art of calligraphy is a great profession among Ethiopians. As

soon as children learn the alphabet, they also receive instructions in

calligraphy.

Handwriting is one instructions given by teachers in church

schools. These teachers take particular care in providing these

instructions in such a way that the artistic forms of the letters of the

alphabet are preserved.

The system of writing is as listed hereunder :-

1. Arist : This is open space on top of the page

2. HIdag: these are the margins of books

3. Ghilet : This is the empty space at the end of the book

4. Hilef : This is the middle of the page

5. Hawult : This is the space between columns

6. Amd: This is the column

7. Sirak : This is the binding ling

8. Mismak : This is the edge of the book

9. Mahisen : This is the space between letters.

10. Hisin: This is the space within a letter

11. Mesmer : This is the ling of wiring

12. Colour : This is the shape

13. Lik Reading : This is the word in the writing

There are also several others.

At the same time also writing must obey certain etymological

dictates. There are for instance, three h’s , two s’s , two explosive

t’s and others. These have all their proper uses according to the

original sound of the Ge’ez language now lost in Amharic. If these

are not carefully used they can change the content and thus

teachers give proper attention in their instructions.

4. Church Music ( Zema )

Definition : Music ( Zema ) can be defined as pleasant sound that is

mellifluous. In other words, music is the art of combining vocal and

instrumental sounds to produce beauty of form, harmony and

expression of feeling. There is a tonal expression between two high-

pitched and low-pitched sounds . If the tone is clear, this could be

written down and indicated with a sing or a musical notation .

Generally speaking, therefore, a church musical in cantation is a

song of praise and voice of joy. Music was created

contemporaneously with the angles. That is why Yared-the father of

Ethiopia church music-gives priority to music above everything else

in his book entitled Ariam.

Music is not only of pre – eminent importance bur it is also great

in the depth of feeling it expresses. This has been adequately

explained by St.Yared by saying that all the angles of heaven sang

the songs of praise to his resurrection

Church music became a subject being taught in religious schools

beginning from the sixth century of the Christian era. This first

happened in 550 A.D . during the reign of Emperor Gabr-Meskel and

the composer of the music was St Yared himself.

Music is a divine gift that both humans and animals achieve for

expressing their feelings. Human beings in particular have been

constantly improving their musical expression both for joy ad sorrow

with the assistance of various instruments. Music is inextricably

bound up with nature. For this reason, it is only true to say that

there are no people on earth who possess no music of their own.

Besides going to the service of the church in song of praise, music

expresses a gamut of human feelings for joy and sorrow on various

occasions. There are spiritual and temporal forms of music in the

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. They are not only different in

name but also in the services they render. Spiritual music is the one

being staged by the clergy both inside and outside churches on

various religious occasions and church anniversaries. These musical

performances are in praise of God in imitation of the angels who

render their own devotional services to the almighty. St Atnatewos

the evangelist had put this more succinctly by saying that there are

those who sing in praise of the Lord in this book ( number 5 )

This shows to what extent music is of great significance not only

among people on earth but also among angles in high heaven.

There is also what is known as secular or popular music. This sort

of music is being performed on special occasions in different places.

For example, there are wedding music, harvest music, threshing

music and others. The instruments being used for playing both

spiritual and temporal music are the following .

1. Drums

2. Sistra

3. Staff ( prayer stick )

4. Masenko ( form of violin )

5. Bugle ( melekot )

6. Pipe ( embilta )

7. Krar ( form of guitar )

8. Harp ( bagana )

9. Flute

10. Lute ( inzira )

11. cymbal ( arganon )

All the musical instruments enumerated above have been created

and /or modified by scholars of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. This

is therefore a matter of pride both to the Church and the society at

large.

Musical Notations

There Are Pentatomic notations at the disposal of Ethiopia church

music.

Fundamentally speaking, a symbol is utilized for typifying,

representing and recalling something, in accordance with the

dictionary definition.

That is to say that they are being used not only in Ethiopian

Orthodox Tewahido Church Schools but also in many parts of the

world . One is talking here of symbols in terms of music,

interpretation, reading and others . in accordance with the system

existent under the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, there are

symbols of music, symbols of interpretation and symbols of reading.

For this reason, there are self-sufficient musical notations for

religious chants of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido church in

praise of God no matter whether this be for expressing joy or

sorrow. This national heritage can be considered to be the

quintessence of art developed locally.

Forms of Church Music

There are three types of Ethiopian church music. These are known

as Ge’ez , lzil and lraray. Ge’ez music is named after the farther. lzil

after the Son and lraray after the Holy spirit.

Ge’ez conveys the meaning of strength. It is being named after

the father to show his spiritual strength.

Lzil means invulnerable. It is named after the Son because of his

spiritual under supreme trials and tribulations.

Iraray conveys the meaning of kindness. It is the Holy sprit that

mollifies the heart of man .

Varieties of Church Music

These are five in number

1. Digua Tsoma Digua

2. miiraf

3. zimare ( chanting )

4. mewasit

5. musical liturgy

Aquaquam

Something different form pure liturgical music is aquaquam

conduted with the assistance of staffs ( prayer sticks ), sistra and

drums. This form of religious musical performance is known as

music of Mahlet, which is of ancient origin handed down to us as a

heritage of St Yared, who is the originator of the form. There are

historical and graphical illustrations of the fact that he was

practicing it for praising God.

(b) Qine ( poetry )

Qine is a potent figure of speech for expressing feelings. There are

different kinds of kine for example:- Qine Debtera, Qine Mahlet and

Musho. Through there forms of Qine one can express religious

sentiments of joy or grief.

Ancient people, particularly jews, were praising their Lord

through the mysterious words provided by the poetry of Qine . In

particular, this was being practiced by the prophet David who was

imploring others to do also likewise. Later, the outstanding

Ethiopian scholar, St Yared; had said much the same thing with

respect to addressing a song of praise in Qine to the Lord.

The originator of Qine is, undoubtedly, St. Yared. However,

beginning in the 14 th century . Scholars like Hawira, Menkera,

Iskindir, Piskandra, abidira, Deke-Estifa Tewaney and Yohannis

Gebilawi had been the masters of the various poetic forms of Qine

like ‘Wax and Gold ’ All of these were an expression of divine

mystery in a hidden language.

The poetry , mystery and linguistic excellence of kine are so

popular in the country that many Ethiopians learn them and become

proficient in the art. History tells us that Ethiopian rulers, including

the late Emperor Haile-Selasssie. Were some of the students of

kine.

Art in Ethiopia

What we say Ethiopian are include creative works like painting and

sculpture. Ethiopian artistic achievements. In the field of painting

and sculpture, which have been systematically developing over the

years , are ampletribute to the cultural development of the

Ethiopian people and the ancient history of the country and below

some of the achievements in this field are listed .

Chapter three

Conclusion and recommendation

Reference

Sources

1. Amharic Dictionary, by Aleka Kidane-wold klfle.

2. Ancient education in Ethiopia , by Like –Siltant Abba Habte-

mariam.

3. Yared and his Music, by Archpriest Timue-Lissan Kassa.

4. History of post-Axum Ethiopia, by Tekele-Tsadik makuria.

5. Ethiopian Civilization, by belay Ghidey.

6. Contributions made by the literature of the Ethiopian Orthodox

Church for the progress of the Ethiopian people, by Archprist

Berhanu Gabre-Amanuel.