Bogine Shala and the "Things That People Make" in Me'en  Bogine is a member of the Tishana branch of the Me'en peoples. The Tishana, who number about 46,000, live in the highland areas (between 1,600-2,000 meters elevation) of southwest Ethiopia near the Omo River where they practice shifting cultivation. The other branch of the Me'en, the Bodi, number only 3,500 and live in the lowlands(about 700 meters elevation). Both groups have a fairly dispersed and mobile lifestyle, living in family compounds rather than in villages. Every two to three years they rotate their fields and places of residence. Both groups are descended from common pastoralist ancestors. Typical of most nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples, when compared to sedentary peoples, the Me'en maintain a relatively modest material culture. Among the Me'en, making things, the creative process, is not a "special" activity.
Bogine lives in a rural area near the town of Chebera. Like virtually all Me'en men, he is both a farmer and hunter. The Tishana keep some livestock (cattle, goats, sheep, chickens), but most of their time is spent in growing crops like sorghum, corn, beans, and some wheat, barley, and teff.[1] There are markets, but most "trade" takes the form of barter. Bogine's wife, Nngkuye, like all Me'en women, does not produce any material objects, except pottery. She makes earthenware cooking plates and three kinds of pots. No one knows why Me'en women do not produce more material items, but it may have to do with the division of labor in Me'en society. Women are responsible for most of the daily work that includes food and beer production, planting and weeding the fields, tending the gardens, and marketing of surplus foods they have produced. Men simply have more time to engage in the production of tools and utensils that often take several days to complete. Me'en society is egalitarian and there is little difference in power and wealth among adults. In addition, there are no special castes of artisans or artifact specialists. All Me'en are self-sufficient in the production of almost all the material objects used in the course of daily life. Me'en material culture is a "democratic art," known by all and observed by children from an early age. Learning how to make domestic utensils, tools, weapons, objects of personal adornment and status, and ceremonial paraphernalia, is something that everyone learns. The only specialists are blacksmiths, those who work iron. However, they do not form a special separate group, they are like everyone else but possess the special knowledge and skill to fabricate knife and spear blades, hoes, picks, and hammer out bracelets from old cartridge shells or scrap metal.
In most cases, the value given to the things that people make in Me'en society has little to do with aesthetics. However, there is one arena in which aesthetic expression is important-personal adornment. Coiffure, scarification patterns, skin color, stature, and jewelry, like bracelets, anklets, earrings, and necklaces, are carefully arranged to enhance one's appearance and communicate a range of social messages. On the other hand, for other categories of artifacts, like tools, weapons, and household items, the object's function is most important. An object is valued for its durability, ease of use, size, strength, and shape, not for its color or the visual impact of its form. Value is also given to the "history of the object." Objects can acquire a special meaning or value in the course of time. The Me'en give importance to how the object was acquired, who previously owned it, where it came from, and what was done with it. Some aspects of the object's life may be reflected in its form, for instance, in the distinctive appearance of the object's surface, its patina.[3] However, most of the object's life history is not visible. This is a dimension of the object that we, as outsiders, ordinarily do not see but it has significance for the Me'en. |
Woodcarving is performed by men in Me'en society. However, according to Bogine, today, relatively few men do this in the highlands and there are more carvers living in the lowlands. He feels that the Bodi (lowland Me'en) make better wood products, primarily because they have access to types of trees that are better suited for carving various objects. Bogine occasionally makes a limited variety of wooden objects, like the roughly hewn gongul he carved for the MSU Museum. But Bogine, like virtually all Me'en men, does not consider himself a craftsman or artist. He sees himself as a farmer. His neighbors and friends do not find his wood carvings exceptional, nor does he. He is not especially known for his work, and he does not work on commission. When he makes an object, people sometimes ask him whether he wants to give it to them. He has sold a few things, but does not derive any regular income from his work. Most of the objects he makes are for his own use, or for a friend, a neighbor or a relative, who gives him something else in return or a few