The Dorze People
One last stop before Swaynes Hotel, a visit to the Dorze with their unique culture, houses and traditions (pop: 35,000-40,000). The Dorze live up in the Guge Mountains and are famous for their huge huts built with intersecting bamboo. The roof is covered with enset (the false banana tree) and is shaped like an elephant's trunk....View image...
The huts also resembled large bee hives and stood up to 12m/36'. ...View image... Even though they looked as if a strong "huffing and puffing' would blow the houses over, the Dorze know how to build! If rot or termites destroy them, they simply cut around the bottom, lift and move them over to a new location. They can last up to 60 years which is a lot longer than most of our houses.
The Dorze also use terracing to keep the mountainside from soil erosion, farm excellent cotton and have a weaving cooperative to make colorful traditional clothes....View image... We spent quite a while there while our Dorze guide explaining the preparation of kotcho (a traditional bread eaten by most of the Southern peoples) made from the false banana tree, ...View image...and other Dorze activities. (His sister did all the work.)
Their kitchen house was once the main family house until termites lowered it a good 2m/6' by eating from the bottom.
We ended the day at the very nice Swaynes with views over Chamo and Abaya Lakes. Note: There is supposed to be excellent trekking in the Guge Mountains. Check with Swaynes to arrange. The forest stretches for several kilometers and is criss-crossed by paths and trails allowing for biking and walking excursions. Also, you can see surviving examples of endemic plant species (some trees are over 100 years old) in this forest.
Swaynes also had baboons and Colobus monkeys chasing each other on their grounds. Tomorrow, we had two scheduled excursions: Nechisar National Park to look for endemic Swaynes Hartbeest, zebras; and an afternoon boat on Chamo lake to look for crocodiles, hippos and birds.
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