Cultural, economic, and symbolic value of the enset crop in Sebat-Bet Guraghe, Southwest Ethiopia: a qualitative study

Enset (Ensete ventricosum), a staple food for over 20 million Ethiopians, is primarily cultivated in southern Ethiopia. While previous research has touched upon enset's cultivation and consumption, this study addresses a gap in the literature by focusing on its socio-cultural and symbolic significance among the Gurage people. The Gurage, inhabiting the Gurage Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia, have a unique relationship with enset, unlike other enset-cultivating communities. The study aims to explore the socially constructed indigenous knowledge surrounding enset production and consumption, highlighting its economic, cultural, and symbolic value within the Gurage community. This knowledge has been largely overlooked by previous research, which primarily focused on the plant's historical background, cultivation methods, and drought resistance. The study's objectives are threefold: (1) to examine the economic value of enset, including its role in wealth stratification and income generation; (2) to explore the social value of enset, its contribution to social bonding and socialization; and (3) to investigate the symbolic representation of enset, particularly its association with life and femininity within the Chaha Gurage community.

Existing literature on enset primarily focuses on its botanical characteristics, distribution, cultivation methods, and drought resistance. Studies have explored enset's various uses—as a food source, building material, and medicinal plant—but mostly without a detailed examination of its socio-cultural significance, especially within specific ethnic groups like the Gurage. Previous research on the Gurage community has largely concentrated on their political organization and social structure, neglecting the profound economic, cultural, and symbolic roles of enset in their lives. This study seeks to address this gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of enset's multifaceted importance within the Chaha Gurage community.

This study employed a qualitative phenomenological research design to explore the lived experiences of the Chaha Gurage people concerning enset. Data were collected between February 16 and April 1, 2021, through various methods: non-participant observation, key informant interviews (18 participants), and two focus group discussions (16 participants). Non-participant observation allowed researchers to observe daily activities, interactions, and the geographical environment. Key informant interviews focused on individuals with extensive knowledge of enset cultivation and consumption. Two-way focus group discussions facilitated a deeper understanding of shared cultural knowledge and practices. Participants were purposefully selected based on their expertise and role within the community, including elders, farmers, merchants, and officials. Ethical considerations were addressed through informed consent, ensuring participant anonymity and confidentiality. The study received ethical approval from the Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers, and Anthropologists Institutional Review Board (ESSSWA-IRB) and Wolkite University. Data analysis involved thematic analysis, identifying key themes and sub-themes related to the study objectives. The researchers spent considerable time in the field, immersing themselves in the daily life of the community to gain a rich understanding of the phenomena studied.

The study revealed that enset plays an indispensable role in the economic, social, and cultural lives of the Chaha Gurage people. **Economic Value:** Enset significantly influences wealth stratification. The number of enset plants owned, particularly specific varieties with medicinal properties, serves as an indicator of economic status. Wealthy farmers own more enset and specific high-value varieties. The sale of processed enset products, such as *Wussa* (fermented pseudostem), *Bulla* (processed starch), and mats made from enset fibers, generates income for many families, particularly women. This income contributes to household expenses, social obligations (*Equb* and *Iddir* savings systems), and covering various household needs. While the majority of men's work involves enset cultivation and harvesting, most of the product sales are done by women who have independent control over the earnings. Seasonal variations in prices impact income significantly. **Social Bonding:** Enset cultivation and harvesting are cooperative activities. *Jege*, a traditional system of reciprocal labor exchange, fosters social bonds and community participation. Hired labor is also employed, providing income opportunities for less affluent community members. The competition among girls during the *Amichoo* (corm smashing) process during the harvest is both a social event and a way for them to demonstrate skills needed to secure a husband. Migration for seasonal labor does not diminish ties to the community, as people regularly return home for celebrations and to maintain their enset farms. **Symbolic Representation:** Enset is deeply embedded in the Gurage culture, symbolizing life and possessing feminine characteristics. The planting and harvesting practices reflect the stages of a woman's life, with the destruction of the enset's 'eye' mirroring the loss of virginity. The maintenance of the enset farm is seen as an essential element of their identity. A special tree, believed to protect the enset from evil spirits, is an integral part of their community’s worldview. The enset plant itself is treated as the 'tree of life' by the community and is fundamental to various social, economic, and cultural aspects of their lives. The community celebrates the origins of enset on the third day of each month.

This study's findings demonstrate the centrality of enset to the Chaha Gurage community's social, economic, and cultural fabric. The interconnectedness between the plant and various aspects of their lives highlights the importance of understanding the indigenous knowledge systems that govern its production and consumption. The study's findings challenge previous research that focused primarily on the plant's agricultural aspects, highlighting the limitations of studying enset solely through a purely agricultural lens. The interwoven aspects of social organization, economic activity, and deeply rooted cultural values create a more complete picture of enset's significance within the community. This study contributes to the understanding of how agricultural practices are linked to social structures, cultural beliefs, and economic realities. Future research should explore the potential of sustainable enset-based agricultural practices to support the socioeconomic well-being of communities like the Chaha Gurage.

This study underscores the critical role of enset in the lives of the Chaha Gurage people in Southwest Ethiopia. The plant's economic importance in wealth stratification, its role in social bonding through cooperative labor practices, and its profound symbolic significance demonstrate its central role in shaping their culture and identity. Future research should focus on deeper investigation of the plant's medicinal uses, frost tolerance, pest, and pathogen susceptibility. Studying resilience and adaptability of the enset-based agricultural systems in the face of climate change would also be valuable.

The study's reliance on a qualitative approach, while providing rich contextual information, may limit the generalizability of the findings to other enset-cultivating communities. Some participants' shyness might have affected the depth of information obtained, although researchers made efforts to address this by ensuring participant comfort and confidentiality. Further research using larger sample sizes and mixed-method approaches would strengthen the understanding of enset’s significance.