Ethiopia is a gorgeous East African nation with layers of history and beautiful artwork. If you’ve been considering traveling on our Ethiopia Expedition or Ethiopian Cultural Adventure, and are wondering what amazing artisans you may come in contact with, read on!
HANDLOOM TEXTILES
Known as the ‘Cradle of Cotton’, you won’t be able to travel throughout Ethiopia without seeing the beautiful handloom textiles. You will see women all throughout the nation growing, harvesting, and intricately spinning the cotton to create clothing, shawls, and other wearable pieces of art. Once you sit down with a woman who is skilled in creating these masterpieces, she can explain where each color comes from, the history of the pattern, and how she maneuvers the ‘inzert,’ or free-standing spindle. You’ll learn more than just textiles, you’ll learn history.
BASKETS
As both objects of use and sacred art pieces, the baskets you’ll find throughout Ethiopia will be gorgeously bright and intricately woven. If the family is following tradition, the first basket that a daughter creates is burned with the ashes rubbed into her palms to give her good basket-weaving skills throughout her life. These baskets are used for multiple reasons, from dinner tables to dowries, measuring cups and lunch baskets. If you have the opportunity to sit down with an Ethiopian woman and talk about basket weaving, she can show you the delicate and precise nature of the art. The baskets are usually very malleable, so stack and stuff them in order to take as many home as possible!
BEADING
To travelers like us, handmade beads you’ll see throughout your trip to Ethiopia make gorgeous necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Little do most people know, the beads represent much more than fine jewelry. For the wearer of the art form, they can show what stage of life they are passing through, socioeconomic status, marital status, ethnicity, and are frequently used in traditional rituals. These beads can be made from bone, stone, or even ostrich eggs in the south. When you see them for sale, choose the beads and patterns that resonate with you, and the artisans can explain their meaning.
POTTERY
Without kilns, pottery wheels, or glaze, Ethiopian potters utilize natural materials and sunshine to create their art. Artisans with a kiln will coat the pottery in oil and fire it to create a deep ebony color, and those without will maintain the coffee clay tone. From burnishing the pottery with a piece of bamboo to painting the exterior with homemade dye, you’ll see that the pieces are made from scratch and with love. Unlike the baskets, these pieces are easily breakable. So pack them carefully when you leave!
COFFEE
If you’re a fan of Western coffee culture, you may know that Ethiopia is thought of as the birthplace of coffee. Still a central part of Ethiopian life, over 12 million citizens are involved in the cultivation and production of the caffeinated beverage. Legend has it that a herder named Kaldi saw his goats behaving strangely after consuming red berries. He tries them, feels the burst in energy, and brings it to his monastery. The berries were seen as the Devil’s work and thrown in the fire. Everyone smells the iconic roasted beans that we know today, preserve them in water, and boom! Coffee! Today, the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony is extremely important in many villages. When you visit, you can observe the plantation workers or just enjoy a cup at a local cafe. Don’t forget to bring a bag of beans home!
Ethiopia is a beautiful country with a rich history and extremely skilled artisans, so it would almost be a crime to visit without experiencing some of the artwork of the nation. If you want to know more about visiting Ethiopia, read our article on the Top 9 Things to do in Ethiopia. Thanks for reading!
Xoxo,
Grace Poulos
Follow her adventures on Instagram!