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Ethiopian

Dance and Culture


By Tyler Myers, Hallee Booth, Bhumika Adhikari, Indrias Beyene, Toni Williams

Eskista

Who Dances and Why


Collective Dance
Open to the Public
Transmits Ideas, Religious Beliefs, Historical Events, Ancient Stories, Emotions,
Thoughts
Shepherd and his Herd, Religious Commitment and Praying/Meditation

Toni Williams

Dance Movement

Movement

Eskista means dancing shoulders

The theme of Eskesta can be described as follows expressing certain emotions and
impressions from the life through a typical body movement dating back to an Ethiopian tribe,
performing these mainly with their heads and shoulders. Some of the ideas and themes in this
dance are actually inspired from the relations between the genders, work life and religion.

It also is said that this dance was invented because of the snakes. Ethiopian people were
often observing the dance/movements of the snake, shaking in the same way their neck.

The Dance Space

Dance Space

Mostly seen at weddings, religious and traditional ceremonies, and holiday


celebrations.

Clothing

They wear traditional clothing made of woven cotton called gabi or netela,
they are mostly white with some colors and patterns. The clothes are free
and loose fitting.

Hallee Booth

The Dance Space

Significance

Music

Different kinds of eskistas tell different stories or teach many different life lessons.
The eskista is danced to different types of music depending on what type of story the dancer
is trying to portray.
Some of the dances do use singing and chanting as another means of portraying the story.

Instruments

Hallee Booth

The traditional instruments that are often used are krar, flute, drums and mesenko.

Oppression of Slavery

Traditional practices oppressed

New methods of dance and movement

Tyler Myers

Modern Oppression

1980 Refugee Act


Struggles of newly immigrated Ethiopian families
Wage gap
Segregation alive and well

Tyler Myers

Historical and Modern Oppression


Ethiopians/ Abyssinians or Habashas consider themselves Semitic and suppress their Africanness or
Blackness by claiming racial and cultural superiority to Blacks in general and the indigenous Africans they
colonized in particular (Jalata, 2001).
Successive Ethiopian state elites have used the discourses of civilization, race, culture, and religion to
justify and rationalize the colonization and dehumanization of the indigenous Africans, and have
selectively utilized the politics of Africanness or Blackness without actually practicing this aspect of
Ethiopianism.
The duality of Ethiopianism and the politics of building contemporary Ethiopia as an empire on the
foundation of racial/ethnonational hierarchy have prevented successive Ethiopian state elites from
building a viable country. Consequently, Ethiopia has remained one of the most impoverished countries in
the world and has become infamous for its recurrent famines and a series of internal and external wars
Toni WIlliams .

Contribution of Ethiopian Culture to American Culture


Eskista helps in enriching culture and traditions and
strengthening American community. Eskista and many other
folkloric and contemporary dance of Ethiopia reflect
traditional and modern day live music showcases, sports fair
and many more exciting representations of Ethiopian
excellence which adds more value and importance in
American culture.
Bhumika Adhikari

How have stereotypes, bigotry, even legislation that has suppressed this group
-- and therefore their cultural expressions have been denied or changed?
Ethiopian name Eskista means actually Dancing shoulders; it is often practiced in the Northern parts of
Ethiopia. It has been discriminated and stereotyped within other african countries in many ways. One way
is that if you look at african dances Eskista is not even recognized as african dance. Eskista is so unique it
has a different twist and because of that a lot of other cultures within africa dont recognise it as one.

Some discrimination and corruption that has gone on among the Ethiopian culture is the current war
between Somali Terrorists and the people. Active terrorist groups often target those who fit the Ethiopian
culture. This forces Ethiopians to alter their appearance based on the norms of the Somalian culture.

Traditions Changing and Dance Evolving

Normal everyday actions

Walking with people of the same gender and being able to lean on each other or hold hands
without people thinking that they are in a relationship. In the US, people doing this are seen as
being gay or lesbian so those types of actions are not encouraged for fear of giving off the
wrong image.

Not looking someone straight in the eye or having direct eye contact with people that are older,
teachers, and/or official elected people as a sign of respect. In US societies, not having direct
eye contact with someone is associated with that person having a low self-esteem.

They teach children that listen to others during discussions without interrupting and keeping
quiet is a sign of humbleness, politeness, and wisdom. Interrupting someone while they are

speaking, in any type of setting, is seen as a sign of disrespect. People in the US often
Hallee Booth associate this behavior, in children, as them having a mental disorder.

Traditions Changing and Dance Evolving

The Harlem Shake

Hallee Booth

The dance originated during the


1980s in Harlem, New York.

Lost in Translation

Struggles involving assimilation and acculturation


Support group: Ekub
Lack of exposure to American cultural practices
Promotion of Ethiopian interests in the United States

Tyler Myers

How does the dominant/privileged class acculturated the dance of this group?

These dances are dating 3000 years back in the African history. Now days Eskista dance
have been changing a lot to modern dances. The Eskista dance comes in various forms. The
dominant cultures often utilize pieces of the Eskista dance in their own dance. The
awareness of the cultures moves and styles often brings joys within the Ethiopian
community.

Indrias beyene

Devalued Cultural expression


Successive Ethiopian state elites have built their power on the foundation of a racial/ethnic hierarchy that
has been rationalized and justified by racism. They have maintained their legitimacy and survival through
external connections and domestic political violence.
Because they failed to remove the political obstacles that have facilitated external dependency and state
violence, they were unable to build multinational democracy, peace, stability, and development in Ethiopia.
Intensified war, terrorism, underdevelopment, and poverty
The Ethiopian state has taken away the sovereignty of the people, denying them their fundamental human
rights and needs.

Toni Williams

Not So Different After All

Melting pot of cultures and ethnic groups


Similar political system with representatives elected by the people for the
people

Tyler Myers

From this Culture I have Learned that


Eskesta itself is providing positive emotions to the public and in the same time creating
deeply spiritual atmosphere in which the observer cannot find his/herself easily.
Namely this cultural confusion serves as one that hinders us exploring the dance fully.
Ethiopian dance is not something we, as Americans can understand. Behind the apparent
body shaking there are situated deeply cultural and hereditary connotations.

Bhumika Adhikari

What We Learned
Sometimes when I think about racism its natural for me to think only about the
way white people have been racist in history. I realized while studying Ethiopia is
that people who consider themselves elite have built their power on the
justification of racism and a racial hierarchy. - Toni Williams
I learned that there are many gestures that mean different things in different cultures.
You cannot take things at face value and have to understand that things are different
for everybody. - Hallee Booth

Continued
I have learned to appreciate the history behind Eskista and the different variations of it. Dance is often
taking one idea, using it construct your idea and making a new dance. That is how dance evolves from
generation to generation. I have learned to appreciate that this group uses their own traditional Ethiopian
instruments. I tend to think that we really can't understand Ethiopian dance because behind the dance
movement there is a deep traditional culture behind it. -Indrias Beyene

Ans = Living in the United State, I have learned that each and every culture of particular society or community are equally important as comparing
to our own culture. Varieties of culture adds more and much more value to the culture and traditions of United State and its development. I
personally learned that culture of every community or every individual is their introduction and carries their value of life which no one can find
nowhere but in their own culture. If we want to live a meaning and valuable life here on Earth, we have to prevent and preserve our own culture
wherever we reside or whatever we do in our life.( BHUMIKA)

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