Ethiopia

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You You Facing the Gulf of Aden and Arabia across the Straits Baked by the torrid African suns merciless heat lies French Somaliland the gateway to Ethiopia Italy climbed over the fence into the Empire's front yard But the peaceable traveler takes the one railway entering the country at the French town of Djibouti The name Ethiopia is of great antiquity and comes from two Greek words meaning burnt faces Probably due to the once common belief that the skin of the African natives had been burnt black by the Sun Once a great people the Ethiopians have grown indolent, but have remained a fierce and warlike race Gradually the Ethiopians were converted to the Christian faith and for centuries have practiced the rights of the Coptic Church With an admixture of strange superstitions and barbarities The French railway into Ethiopia runs across the fertile plains of the Harar province before entering the mountainous regions Which form the greater part of the Empire this land at which we are gazing was one of the objectives of the Italian invasion Here good crops will grow under cultivation and wildlife abounds Indeed the exportation of skins to America is an important enterprise Domestic cattle thrive here and form the wealth of the native but wealth as we know it does not exist for the average Ethiopian His villages are mere groups of rude thatched huts his wants simple and his idea of luxury is a chunk of raw meat socially he is a serf economically a pauper mentally a child and Spiritually a lion of fearless courage until recently slavery abounded and in some degree still exists But even the free man working at his little trades owes allegiance and fealty to his overlord who may call him to war in his Own service or in the service of the Emperor While this woman makes her remarkable clay bowl without a potter's wheel let's gossip about her housekeeping The interiors of most Ethiopian huts are filthy the walls are plastered with clay cow dung and chopped straw and Swarm with vermin there are no chimneys and smoke soon colors the interiors of dark brown Drainage and sanitary arrangements do not exist in the one room the entire family sleeps on the clay floor Which is hard in the dry season and mud during the rain? Little bread is eaten the natives preferring a thin cake of Dura meal needed with water and exposed to the Sun until the dough begins To rise when it is baked these cakes are the main food of the Ethiopian armies in the field Much more difficult to feed with a horses mules and camels which made up the transport system of the Ethiopian army In order to feed the great number necessary for the defending forces of the Emperor vast quantities of hay and forage were cut and Transported to places of storage at convenient centers throughout the country Practically all warriors from the Gala province of Ethiopia are skillful horsemen and though undisciplined They constitute a formidable force of fierce cavalry in their guerrilla warfare Aris arwa bar the capital of this African Empire is modern by comparison with most of the villages throughout the country Here is the central government for the eight provinces which make up the whole they are Tigray I'm ha go young show our Tathia Gala land Harar and Somaliland and comprise 350 ,000 square miles Roads are practically unknown except for cart trails and caravan routes Though 30 miles of modern road building has been completed on the projected line from Aris arwa bar to Harar There are still 225 miles to go a comparative trifle to skilled road builders But a life job for Ethiopians who are indolent by nature Centuries of intertribal wars have discouraged peaceful occupations and tradesmen are few though The streets are thronged with people apparently intent on some important business Here and there out in the open street or under some overhanging shelter one may discover tailors at work over their sewing machines Making the long white robes which are the proverbial dress of the urban natives this robe like the official language of Ethiopia Comes from Arabia though many indigenous tongues are spoken the ruling class of Semitic origin Speak a dialect of the oldest known branch of the Semitic linguistic family called geez Although the population of Adis arwa bar is small epic problems are many and complex The Ethiopian traffic officer may not seem quite so capable as his brothers stationed on American street intersections But it's amusing to speculate on how well officer O 'Brien from Chicago would do under these circumstances Motor cars in Adis belong only to royalty or to the diplomatic corps They're brought in by train and if they ever leave the capital they will have to go out the same way Motor trucks are beginning to be known but most of the burden bearing over short distances is done by the natives themselves Which doesn't add to the pleasures of a police officer's life? The Government of Ethiopia based upon the feudal system of the Middle Ages each province has its own overlord known as a Ross or prince Over them all rules the Negus Negusti the king of kings who claims descent from the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon On festive or important occasions the soldiery of Ethiopia is fed on raw meat Those bearers are carrying it on their shoulders It's a feast given by the Emperor to instill courage in his soldiers with invading troops within their borders There was need for loyalty and bravery and Ethiopia's wily King left no stone unturned to stimulate them For highly Salasi the Emperor is not popular with all his subjects the rightful King was his late cousin who died after nine years in chains and As all the world knows his son -in -law deserted his cause and joined forces with the Italians to fight against his royal relative Religious differences account in some degree for this disloyalty for though the majority of Ethiopians are Christians There is also a large Muslim population which resents the King's faith Nevertheless the King can put an army of half a million in the field made up of warriors whose fighting ability no one has ever questioned Indeed in the time of war every able -bodied man is supposed to take up arms It is true that their weapons are mostly spears and swords and antiquated rifles But new weapons were purchased it is said ironically enough with ten million dollars indemnity paid to Ethiopia by Italy in 1896 Furthermore Salasi has a small well -trained standing army properly uniformed except for shoes Which they never wear and equipped with modern firearms Highly Salasi's fine features give evidence of his keen intelligence in King Menelik's time He was ambassador to Italy now he and his advisors count Italy their archenemy with reason Italy seeking colonial expansion for her teeming population Cast covetous eyes on the rich lands of Ethiopia and Sees thousands of square miles in spite of the opposition of the League of Nations and world opinion But years will pass before such men as these are thoroughly subdued Fierce and passionate love of independence is theirs even if they do wear lampshade hats like these This love of independence is born of centuries of successful wars Indeed Ethiopia has never been a conquered nation and Today is the only independent African state The natives love to reenact on horseback the deeds of valor which marked their history This includes the conquering of that portion of Arabia known as Yemen which Ethiopia ruled for 50 years Under the Emperor's eyes and before his throne which he occupies with great dignity Vast hordes of warriors passed in review as they left for the distant battlefield So difficult was the way over which they must travel that it took many days before these men could even cite their enemies They had to cross abysmal chasms scale mountain peaks crowned with perpetual snows under the African Sun and Trek dreary thirsty miles across burning desert lands and In the end meet the awful modern implements of war tanks machine guns planes and bombs High -explosive shells and shrapnel meet them with bare breasts bare feet antiquated weapons scant organization and almost no medical attention and Yet in 1896 such men as these brought Italy to crushing defeat and humiliation at Ottawa and made her sue for peace After almost 40 years Italy wiped out her shame by capturing that town But who knows what may yet await her in that strange land wherein she has set her feet Ali Salasi is still upon his throne facing Mussolini across the seas one must eventually fail, but which

Identifier

F.2005-01-0216

Date Of Production

circa 1939

Abstract

A historical and ethnographic commentary on Ethiopia’s people and government, ending in a recounting of war with Italy. Made during the reign of Haile Selassie, footage includes common people at work in the field and city as well as a military procession and reenactment. Narration has a superior and biased tone, making for an interesting sociological study all its own.

Log

00:00 - Titles and introductory text. Pages of an atlas turn, indicating Ethiopia. Var CU and MS of groups surrounding dancing performers on the street. TS of barren landscape. VS of cattle. ES PAN of a village of huts. Local people at work; MS and CU of man working a loom, woman makes a clay bowl on the ground, man kneading dough and VS of men baling and transporting hay.
04:07 - VS on the crowded streets of Addis Ababa; switchboard workers, throngs of people on the roadside, a tailor at work outside, selling cloth, traffic control and policemen.
06:15 - LS of numerous people hurrying while carrying goods on a feast day. An army of men rushing in a mass with swords. A procession forms; costumed men on horses assemble, uniformed men with firearms march, Emporer Haile Selassie joins. MS PAN and CU of costumed high ranking men. Var LS and MS of horseback reenactments of past battles in a field. CU of Selassie as he looks on.

Run Time

0:10:42

Format

16mm

Extent

385 feet

Color

B&W

Sound

Optical

Reel/Tape Number

1/1

Has Been Digitized?

Yes

Language Of Materials

English

Element

Genre

Ethnographic
Travelogue

Form

Short

Subject

Ethiopia
City and town life
War
Religions
Manners and customs
Africa

Related Collections

Subseries II: Collected Professional Films

Related Places

Africa ➜ Ethiopia

Distributor

Burton Holmes Films

Main Credits

Burton Holmes Films (is producer)

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