Introduction

Konso are an eastern Cushitic ethno-linguistic group. Their sharply enclosed traditional territories are in
arid highlands of South Western Ethiopia. They are bordered by the Oromo people, to who they are
culturally and linguistically related. Konso Cultural Landscape is a 55 square km arid property of stone
walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. It constitutes a spectacular
example of a living cultural tradition stretching back more than 400 years adapted to its dry hostile
environment. The landscape demonstrates the shared values, social cohesion and engineering knowledge
of its communities. The site also features anthropomorphic wooden statues grouped to represent
respected members of their communities and particularly heroic events which are an exceptional living
testimony to funerary traditions that are on the verge of disappearing. Stone steles in the towns express
a complex system of marking the passing of generations of leaders.

The Landscape Concept

All landscapes have a user-defined structure (pattern) that is hypothesized to influence its
function(process). This interaction between spatial pattern and process defines the landscape
concept.

Landscape structure-The structure of a landscape is defined by the particular spatial pattern

being represented, and it consists of two components: composition and configuration. The
composition of a landscape is defined by the spatial elements that are distinguished in the map
and believed to be relevant to the landscape function under consideration. Composition
represents the nonspatial aspect of a landscape, since only number and abundance of landscape
elements is considered, not their spatial configuration. The configuration of a landscape is
defined by the spatial character, arrangement and context of the elements. Configuration
represents the spatial aspect of a landscape.

Landscape function-The function of a landscape is defined by the phenomena under

consideration and can be a multitude of different things. In general, the services that landscapes
provide to humans are functions and include things like providing for biological diversity,
recycling nutrients, sequestering carbon, producing clean water, etc..

Geographical landscape, is settled by history in specific forms recognized by the community

giving a particular identity to a region of physical space. According to the Code of Cultural
Heritage and Landscape, geographical landscape is defined as “a homogeneous part of
territory whose features derive from nature, from human history or from their mutual
interrelations”. In this sense, the landscape is an integral part of the Cultural Heritage and of
the historical heritage of the community.
World heritage and its requirement

The cultural and natural heritage is Among the priceless and irreplaceable assets, not
only of each nation, but of Humanity as a whole. The loss, through deterioration or
disappearance, of any of these most prized assets constitutes an impoverishment of the heritage
of all the peoples of the world. the proper identification, protection, conservation and presentation
of the world's heritage, the Member States of UNESCO adopted the World Heritage Convention
in 1972. The Convention foresees the establishment of a "World Heritage Committee" and a
"World Heritage Fund". Both the Committee and the Fund have been in operation since 1976.

Criteria for the inclusion of cultural properties in the World Heritage List

The criteria for the inclusion of cultural properties in the World Heritage List should always be seen in
relation to one another

Monuments architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of
an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of features, which are of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science

groups of buildings groups of separate or connected buildings which, because of their architecture, their
homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of
history, art or science

sites works of man or the combined works of nature and of man, and areas including archaeological sites
which are of outstanding universal value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological
points of view.

How konso can be a heritage

Living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding
exemplified by traditional rituals and ceremonies including tuta (harvest thanks giving ritual),
kara (generation initiation ritual) and funerary ritual. The rituals performed by the poqollas
maintain the harmony and balance between nature and man. The respect for their traditionally
conserved forests, the community obligation codes in the various rituals and communal works,
the ideals of the Kara and transfer of power from generation to generation, etc., are all tangibly
associated with the Konso heritage properties that constitute the cultural landscape.

The Konso Cultural Landscape integrates spectacularly executed dry stone terrace works, which
are still actively used by the Konso people, who created them. They bear testimony to the
enormous efforts required to use the otherwise hostile environment in an area that covers over
230 square km, an effort which stands as an example of major human achievement.The
association between these stone terraces and the fortified towns in their midst are features of
an exceptional cultural landscape, which also bears testimony to a living tradition of stele
erection. The Konso erect stone steles to commemorate and mark the transfer of responsibility
from the older generation to the younger. Konso are among the last stele-erecting people and
thus their continuous practice presents an exceptional testimony to an ongoing cultural tradition.

The relation of the stone terraces and the fortified towns of Konso Cultural Landscape, and its
highly organized social system, illustrates an outstanding example of a traditional human
settlement and land-use, based on common values that have resulted in the creation of the
Konso cultural and socio-economic fabric.The dry stone terraces show a sophisticated adaptive
strategy to the environment and the labor needed to construct these terraces necessitated a
strong cohesion and unified bond among the clans. This interaction with the environment is
based on indigenous engineering knowledge and requires traditional work divisions, which are
still utilized to consistently perform maintenance and conservation works.

Location map

The Konso mainly reside in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region, It covers an
area of about 2,354.3 km2.It is surrounded by Derashe, Amaro and Burji Special Woredas and the Oromia
Regional State and Debub Omo Zones, in the north, northeast, east, south and west respectively.

Population

Central Statistics Agency (CSA, 2007), the Konso population projected for 2011 was 262,993

Climate

The Konso has varied climate, high temperature, dry, hot and rainfall and different landscapes like
hilly, valley and flat land. Most of the areas of Konso are characterized by dry and hot Climate with
temperature that ranges from 27-50 degree Celsius. The hilly landscape treated with extensive dry
stone masonry terraces that serve the society for more than 400 years attested. According to the
environmental condition classification, Konso is in a hot climatic zone with altitude below 1,500 meters
above sea level.

Soil type

The soils of the area are of volcanic origin. Generally these can be described as very fragile and the soil
types tend to vary with fertility. In the lower parts near the rivers the soils can be very fertile and consist
of fine alluvial deposits. Extremely mountainous and stony terrain and heavy impact of rainfall make soil
and water conservation of prime importance. In the heart of Konso hardly any soil erosion is visible, which
is a substantial achievement considering the harsh environment and its intensive use

Rainfall time

Land preparations start with the first rains in January/February. Generally, the fields are only worked on
once before sowing. Sowing starts as soon as the big rains begin in February/March.

Topography

Konso is characterized by rugged and stony highlands cut by deep valleys. The main agricultural area
ranges from 1400m to 2000m above sea level. This semi-arid, dry and inhospitable place requires
immense human effort to survive.

Historical background

Origin of Konso people

The Konso people settled at their village about four centuries ago. Based on oral tradition, the
Konso people came from two directions, from the east and west. While the eastern group
migrated from Leben (Borena) the western group came from the high lands of Derashe,
Mashile, Gewada, and Tsemay areas. Most of the Konso people believe that the first settlers
came from the eastern part.

The Konso Settlement Formation

At the beginning of the 16th century, the dispersed Konso people construct their own fortified
villages and formed settlements. The Konso formation which is still functional even these
days is that they are agriculture based society and have several cultures.

The Konso settlements are two types; the compacted traditional villages and the scattered
settlements. The formations of the settlements are influenced by the geographical
landscape. While the settlements formed in the mountainous (hill) sides are the traditional
congested villages the scattered types of settlements are formed on the plain areas

The first settlers of Konso clans

The first settlers in Konso society live in Dhokato town. Dhokato is a collective name for the three
sister walled towns named lower Dhokato, Burquda and Hulme.

The Konso fortified villages

They are located at About 50 kilometer south of Lake Chamo, in a bend of the Sagan River in the
rift valley of southern Ethiopia, following a complex pattern of migration over the last thousand
years, the first population formation in Konso as traditional way began. The Konso live in about
39 villages spread in a 650 square kilometer territory subdivided into three distinct regions;
Garati in the east, Takati in the west and Turo in the north.

Konso Agricultural System

The inhospitable Konso terrain was transformed by people into a remarkable landscape of terraces and
channels, conserving every drop of rain and protecting the soil against erosion. The Konso practise an
integrated crop-livestock system. The limiting factors of production are the poor soils, land scarcity and
most importantly the lack and unreliability of rainfall. Besides terracing, the most striking features of the
agricultural system are irrigation, mulching, multiple cropping and the integration and utilisation of tree
species.

1. Terracing

Konso farmers are threatened by continuous erosion from their fields and have perfected the art of
terracing, which is unrivalled anywhere in Africa. The terraces cover hillsides over hundreds of kilometres
and over a height of 700m. Terraces are built with stonewalls.The height depends on the terrain, but
especially on steep slopes they are only a few meters wide and can reach a height of up to 6m, although
a height of 0.5 to 1.5m is preferred (Engels, 1990). The dry-stone bench terraces are constructed by cutting
soil away to make a perpendicular face and a wall of stones is built against it. Earth is then moved from
above the terrace and used to level the part below. On the high flat Konso plateau at an altitude of
2000masl, 10-20cm high earthen ridges subdivide terraces into 9m basins. The main function of all these
structuresis to maximise water retention and infiltration. At the same time it is very effective in preventing
soil erosion.

2. Irrigation

Where and whenever possible terraces are irrigated. Runoff is redirected through carefully constructed
walls and channels. Stone canals and mud banks take water from rivers onto near by fields. But there are
only few perennial rivers in the area and very little land, which is irrigable, making irrigation mainly a form
of opportunistic rainwater harvesting

3. Livestock

The integration of animal husbandry and intensive agriculture is typical for Konso and is the distinguishing
feature to other agricultural systems in Ethiopia. The Konso keep cattle, goats, sheep and sometimes
chickens and donkeys. Cattle are either kept on pastures in the lowlands or on uncultivated areas near
the periphery of the villages. But the largest number of the livestock iskept in stables in the
homesteads.Livestock is handfed and the manure is collected and periodically applied to the fields. The
animals are fed stalks of sorghum and maize or the leaves of trees planted in part for this purpose, i.e.
Terminalia and Balanites species. Livestock has multiple roles, it supplies milk to the families; especially
children depend on it for their protein intake. It is also raised and kept as an important asset, as it may be
sold to generate cash. Livestock can be seen as an important insurance against crop failure and selling
livestock to buy grain is an essential strategy for coping with drought. But the mainreason to keep livestock
is access to fertiliser. Farmers need the manure for rapid re-circulation of plant nutrients on the fields.

4. Manuring and composting

Manuring is a striking feature of the Konso agricultural system. Unlike in many other parts of Ethiopia,
dung is never used as fuel. It is an essential part of the system to maintain such an intensive continuous
cropping cycle. Manure of animal, and less frequently of human origin, is collected. It is either directly
applied to the fields or left to rot in heaps or pits, together with other organic wastes before applied to
the fields.

5. Arable

Three cultivation zones can be distinguished, which are extending gradually from intensive to extensive
agriculture. This can be seen in the decreasing efforts put into terracing, irrigation and manuring. All land
surrounding the villages is permanently cultivated. This inner zone is richly manured and the terraces are
well maintained. The intermediate zone receives less amounts of manure. The outlying terraces and lower
parts of the terraces are left without manure and fallow land can be seen. Due to the different conditions
in these zones it is important that each farmers possesses a piece of land in each of the areas. On average
a farmer has at least 10 different patches, each never bigger than quarter of a hectare. The agricultural
cycle is very much dependenton rainfall. The harvested crop is stored in granaries, in the case of maize
and sorghum, the heads are hung in the houses. The main cultivation tool is a double-bladed hoe and to
a certain extent digging sticks. Due to the steep slopes and small terraces ploughing is impractical and
the plough was not used at all until recently. Of great importance in Konso is the multiple cropping system
with crop, livestock and tree integration. Not only a large number of different species, but also varieties
are used. Several species are planted on the same plot at the same time. Multiple cropping systems bring
many advantages: more crops can be grown on a small plot with a higher planting density and
productivity. The ground is protected through vegetative cover over a longer period. The harvest is
spread over a longer period and the risk of total crop loss is minimised. The integration of nitrogen
fixating legumes maintains soil fertility and optimises production. A balanced dietis produced and weeds
suppressed.The farmers in Konso are not only innovative in terms of farming techniques, but also in the
use of local plant resources and adopting new crops. A great variety of cereals, pulses, root crops and
cash crops are known and cultivated. More than 50 different species have been reported from one
village, 24 species from a single field. These figures are exceptional, compared to other mountain areas
of Ethiopia. Additionally, reported the use of 80 wild plant and tree species for various purposes.

Concept

most of the walled villages (Palletas) are located at the hill side or mountainous areas because
of three major reasons. The first reason is that hills have good strategic place to prevent external
forces. In the second place, it can prevent flooding. It can also help them protect themselves
from sicknesses like yellow-fever.

Formation of konso compound(kitta)

The Konso residential compounds are located at the hill sides and mountainous areas. All of them
are parceled in two parts. The upper part of the compound is called Oyeta and the lower
part of the compound is Arahata.

Oyeta is functionally uses for built the sleeping huts and in some parts storage functional huts
are built. This type of thatched roof housing units are purposively construct in upper part of the
compound because of to protect from attacking the thatched roof of housing units by the horn
of the cattle. All of the Oyetas areas are lesser than Arahatas.

Arahata is serves as functional spaces for the residents, built the thatched roofing storage
functional housing units, service functional houses and shade houses are built in this
compound.

The main entrance and exit door (Harra) is located in the Arahata compound space. All most all
of the residential compounds have fences in four sides, the dray stone fences have an average of
60cm.height and constructed without mortar. On the top of the dry stone fence the wooden
fence construct.

Konso housing character, function and meaning

Konso vernacular houses are divided into three major parts

1.Those which serve as a storage housing character like Kossa, Alita kossa, Reqa, and Agita

2.Housing characteristics that serve as living cottages like Manna and Elfennotta (Elphign)
3.Social service housing character called Paffta that is located only in open communal spaces
known as Morra.

The upper part is residential compound and locally known as Oyeta. The lower part is used for
keeping cattle and for doing household chores.

Moras
Moras are multi-functional institutions with or without pafta They are places where the
society discuss and solve its problems, they are also places where justice is administered.
Moreover, they are places for chatting, playing and dancing. Children stay and play at moras
during the day when their families go to farm.
Travellers who are tired and need a safe place freely rest or pass nights in moras. As moras
are at junction of main avenues of the towns, old people and weavers sit or weave in or around
moras. Meantime these old people and weavers control movement of persons in the town when
adults go to farms.
Moras consist of various cultural, ritual, public and ceremonial features like pafta (big huts
used as pala (large stone slabs for sitting), dhaga dhirumas (manhood or masculinity steles)
olayta trees (tall juniper posts erected to commemorate generation power transfer), waaka
(wooden statues), arumda (oval shaped stones used to sharpen ritual hunting spears), dhaga
khakha (swearing or oath taking stones), khorata stone (a stone, found in some moras, where
wrongdoers and guilty persons are fined), tomatasha (pebble and pit playing wooden board),
shapa (stretcher to carry sick people to health centres or corpse to burial places), and kawula
(wooden sticks used as musical instruments during ritual dancing). Furthermore, moras have
additional functions. Youngsters are expected not to know, hear or see what their parents do
during night, so after eating their dinner all young males go to moras (paftas, house) sleeping
house. If some difficulty like sudden fire arises in the town, or if a sudden enemy attack takes
place, adults sleeping in the moras immediately act together to rescue the town.
Generally, in moras Political negotiations are held, the harvest of a victory may be
celebrated, rites of passage, sacrifices of the land are carried out, accused persons swear oaths
that they have done no harm to the community, and if they have, cleansing ceremonies to
maintain the social peace are carried effect of this multi-functionality is that people have a strong
feeling when they are in the public place that they are part of a synchronous network of
relationships and thus participating in a greater whole. Moras are of classified as common
cultural moras for two or more walled towns, town/paleta moras and kanta moras. Common
moras of two or three towns are outside of the three towns, whereas kanta moras, moras that
belong to each kanta, are within the walled towns.
The Moras retain an important and central role in the life of the Konso

1. Meeting Place: -In Konso it is a common tradition to gather and discuss social, economic
and administrative issues including the system of resolving conflicts and punishing those
found to be guilty by the elders.
2. Sleeping place:-One of the social functions of Mora is to serve as a sleeping place for the
village men’s and guests.
3. Kindergarten:-The big Mora and the ward /Kanta/ Moras in every village areused as the
gathering and playing for small children
4. Recreational services:-Both the Pafta / the big house/ and dancing floor Moras found in
the various Konso villages are used for several types of recreational activities . Some of
these are:-
o Gebeta / Tasha /- a kind of game consisting of a board with a double raw of twelve
holes played pebbles of beads by group of people sitting on the Mora.
o Kurayla- a traditional stick throwing and picking game. The competition done
between the younger and elder brothers or one ward against the other in which
the winner counts the points.
o Tula-It is a game; the players are grouped into two. Stone, wood or other thing is
kept in two different places on the open Mora at night. The members of one of
the groups begin to touch the stone or wood without being touched by the
members of the other group in order to score a point. The other group also tries
the same way in its turn and finally the group which scores more will be the winner
of the game.
 o Stale- In the main Mora, the Konso erect tall columnar basalt, basalt, up to 3
meters tall, for a highly successful generation up on the transition of generation.
This erected stone /stele/ is called Daga–Hela. Less successful generation have
their stone erected else where in the town or outside the wall depending on the
accomplishment.
o Olahitas / generation poles / -These are ceremoniously cut from the sacred
forests by the clan leaders to mark the transition between the older and younger
generation. They are panted ceremoniously every 18 years in the Mora.

Kara ceremony- Kara is a very important ritual ceremony related to the transfer of power
and responsibility from the older age group to the younger age group. This is performed through
a long ritual process which lasts up to two months. This ritual starts in certain defined Mora. As
the ceremony reaches a certain stage, other the Moras are used to perform the various stages of
rituals. The ritual is again terminated again at a given Mora designed for that specific ritual
performance- the culmination of the Kara. This however is practices in only one area around
Doketu town and its sister towns Burkuda and Hulme

AGITA and MANNA

Agita and Manna vernacular houses have similar architectural façade. Both houses are
constructed with thatched roof and wall surfaces, having one small sized exit and entrance
door (Harra). Agita and Manna are different in function and interior spaces. Manna has
spatial architectural functional places located on the ground floor level.

AGITA

Has two floor levels with different spatial functions. Their spaces are located at ground floor
level and on the upper floor level with different uses. The upper floor level is supported by four
columns called Tudayata and it creates a secret spatial storage functional room. Agita is
constructed only in the residential compound (Tikka) of clan leaders ( Poqulla or Baletumma),
Agitas have several functions. They serve as arenas for traditional religious rituals, as sleeping
space for the clan leaders and their wives, as waiting space for the corpse of the king and
his mother. Kudda is used for storage function. Agita is constructed using wood especially
for columns, flooring beams, the elevated floor finish, roofing beams, and inclined supporting
roof bracing materials. Grass is used for making the two types of roof surface, namely the
upper surface of the roof (Kekisha) and the lower part of the roof surface (Kabema).
MANNA

Manna is constructed like Agitas with thatched roof and wall surface an average of 60cm wall
thickness and only has one floor level built on the upper ground floor level of Tikka which is
called Oyeta. Manna has three functions. It could be used to house a woman who just give
birth to a child, to prepare local beer (Cheka) and as a sleeping place for the head of the
household and his wife. Manna houses are constructed in order to withstand the hot climate
of the area.

KOSSA and ELFENNOTTA (ELPHIGN).

Kossa housing character which is mainly used for storage-storing mainly maize and other crops
in the upper floor level. Under the raised floor level Kossa has special usage for shading of
domestic animals. Kossa is built in both of the upper and lower part of the Tikka. The
Elfennotta (Elphign) house wall is constructed by using mud & wood with 1.6 m. wall height
to be used for sleeping function of children and their parents. Elfennotta (Elphign) is
constructed on the elevated ground surface of Konso residential compound (Tikka).
REQA

The housing unit, which is located in all of the Konso residential compounds and it is
constructed on the lower level of the konso residential compound (Arhata). Reqa has a
storage space which is managed by the father of the family. It is constructed with major
local building materials such as wood and grass. Wood is used for columns, supporting beams
of roof and the raised floor surface and floor finish. The lower and upper roof surface is built
by grass. The lower part of thatched roof surface (Kabema) and the upper part of the
thatched roof surface is called Kekisha. Rope is made from grass and animal skin, which are
used to tighten the bundle of grass that forms the roof.

PAFFTA

All Pafftas were built on an open public space called Morra. mostly located in good
strategic place to watch their enemy systematically. Each walled village (Palleta) is built having
an open space for annual events like their own New Year celebration and dancing. So Paffta
(communal house), Oayta trees (generation grade tree), Lakeda Gudita (sitting space) are
all built in different type of Morras. Among the konso vernacular houses the Konso people have
Paffta(communal house) which were built with the capacity of the society under the
coordination of the traditional leaders and elders.

Though Paffta construction methodology or process is not different from other Konso
vernacular houses. Its construction takes place according to the program set by the society
beginning from collecting local building materials to involvement of construction experts,
elders, and religious leaders. Paffta is the communal house having several functions,
including as a place where Konso elders sit on some serious cases that happen between the
dwellers and neighboring Palletas. They also use the place to measure the fitness of Konso
youngsters by making them lift different weight of circular basalt stones. Unmarried young
boys use the space to watch over the respective walled villages over the night from fire,
theft, any aggressors and wild animals.

Paffta has two type of thatched roof style. The first is the upper part of the thatched roof cover
which is called while the second type is the lower thatched roof cover which is kebema.
Paffta also has roof edge cover produced from brick called Mashauda.

REQA

Is located in all of the Konso residential compounds and it is constructed on the lower level of
the konso residential compound (Arhata). Reqa has three special architectural spaces: the
ground floor level is used as storage facility for crops, local beer (Cheka) preparation and
sleeping or sitting space for grandfather of the family. The upper floor level has two
architectural spaces Tudata and Arhita. Tudata is used as a storage space of milk, boiled
grain and a different snack a farmer eats immediately after he is back from the field and before
dinner is served. Also serving as a secret storage for the head of the household, Arahita is
functionally used for storage facility for selected food products like smoked and dried red meet
called Hayeda, and boiled and grilled meat, honey and Butter.

UDDA (SONNGA)

Constructed in the lower part of the Tikka, functionally used mainly for food preparation,
traditional hand-made seed grinding and processing housing unit and storage of dry
firewood. The roof surface is thatched and it is supported by a vertical rounded wood
column (Tudata). Its wall is built by local building materials such as vertical wood pine.
The second half of the wall the segment that reaches the ground is mud plastered while the
floor is stone finish. The windows and door are made up of timber.

Influence

The house is highly prone to fire as it is constructed from grass and wood, which are highly
combustible

As the house uses high amount of grass and wood its construction facilities deforestation

Droughts can turn into disasters with massive loss of life and serious reductions in household assets, which
in turn lead to further impoverishment of the community.

Guideline

-Limit the amount of construction materials to use on foundation, wall and roof

- Merge different function or program in single building

- New standard vertical circulation

-Proper cross ventilation mechanism

Reference

TRANSFORMATION OF KONSO VERNACULAR HOUSES, BY GAREDEW MENGESHA WELDEKIDAN,

February, 2015,Addis Ababa