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The Collections of F. J. Bieber and the Kafa Culture: Connecting Anthropological and Archival Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2022

Sayuri Yoshida
Sayuri Yoshida*
Affiliation:
Department of Global Liberal Studies, Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan
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Extract

Archives have significant value as primary sources for a broad range of academic disciplines. In areas where published texts are lacking, such as Ethiopia, archives elucidate the history and culture of the society and clarify the current situation of that society. However, the meaning and influence such archives provide for the people in the society must be discussed.

This paper aims to discuss new perspectives by combining archival research and anthropology. It focuses on the Kafa culture, the collections of Friedrich Julius Bieber (subsequently referred to as F. J. Bieber), recognised as the foremost authority on ethnological research dealing with Kafa in southwestern Ethiopia, and the significance of establishing archives from collections.

The paper first discusses Kafa and its history. After examining previous Kafa research, it concludes that the Kafa people refer to foreign researchers’ work when explaining their own history and culture.

Type
Research Article
Information
African Research and Documentation , Volume 135: Special Issue: Archives and Collections for/in Ethiopian Studies , 2019 , pp. 25 - 39
Copyright
Copyright © African Research & Documentation 2019

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