The Afar proverb which says ‘Intikuficintooy, aytiku-abbahficinto’ meaning “the ear is as old as the past” puts it succinctly. The marvel of oral tradition is that messages from the past continue to exist as long as they are told.
On March 31st last month, the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students hosted a presentation on the oral tradition of the Tigre language in its weekly program at the Junior Club. The presentation was given by Staz Mohammed Said Osman, a former student of the Revolution School, and, currently Unit Heat at the Eritrean Commission of Culture and Sports. Staz Mohammed has an avid interest in research onoral tradition.
Eritrea has nine ethnic groups who are distinguished by their own languages and ways of life, but united by a common history and destiny. In his presentation, Staz Mohammed underlined that oral traditions are documents of the present because they are told in the present. Simultaneously oral traditions embody messages from the past and are expressions of the past as well. Oral poetry is introduced to a Tigre child (this is also broadly the case in other language groups) in the early ages of infancy when mothers cuddle and recite poems to infants and toddlers.
Oral tradition is part and parcel of the intangible cultural heritage conveyed from generation to generation through words of mouth and is also called a living culture. In this connection, Staz Mohammed highlighted the significance of oral tradition in the livelihood of the people. During the entire presentation, Staz Mohammed, who is proficient in several Eritrean languages, used proverbs of Tigre and Tigrigna languages to express the ideas he intended to communicate to the audience.
The Tigre ethnic group is known for its rich treasury of oral tradition that expresses many aspects of life in the society, including marriage, death, pilgrimage, customary laws, resistance, childhood, pregnancy, birth, circumcision, New Year, seasons, traditional medicine, religious traditions, and rite of passage. Staz Mohammed Said Osman said that in Tigre language, there are poems for everything; even for lice. The oral poetry for lice that caused laughter among the audience run as follows:
Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea