1.

Di
ff
erencebet
weenHi
stor
yandSt
ory
•Thedi
sti
nct
ionbet
weenhi
stor
yandst
oryl
i
esi
nthei
rfundament
alnat
ureandpur
pose.

Hi st
oryi
sasy stematicrecor dofpastevents,
typical
lybasedonf actualevi
denceandai medat
provi
dinganaccurateaccountofwhathappenedi nthepast.Itisgroundedinresearch,
analy
sis,
andinter
pretat
ionofhistoricalsour
cestoconst ructarel
iablenarr
ativeofthepast.Ontheother
hand,astoryisanarrati
vet hatmayormaynotbebasedonact ualev ent
sbutisoftencraf
ted
forenter
tai
nment ,
mor allessons,orart
isti
cexpression.Stori
escanbef i
cti
onalorbasedonreal
eventsbutarenotalwaysboundbyt heconst r
aintsoffactualaccur
acy .

Inessence,hi
stor
yseekst ouncov erandunderst
andthet
ruthaboutthepastthr
oughri
gor
ous
i
nvesti
gationandcrit
icalanaly
sis,
whi l
estor
iesaremorefl
exi
bleinthei
rpresent
ati
onofev
ent
s
andoftenservedif
ferentpurposesbey ondmeredocumentat
ion.

I
mpactofSt
oryonHi
stor
icalDocument
ati
onofEt
hiopi
anPeopl
es:
Ethi
opiahasar i
chcul t
uralheri
tagewit
halonghistor
yt hatdatesbackthousandsofyears.The
Ethi
opianpeoplehav eastrongt r
adi
ti
onofstor
ytel
li
ngt hathasbeenpasseddownt hrough
generati
onsoral
ly.Thesest or
iesencompassmy t
hs,legends,fol
klor
e,andhist
ori
calaccounts
thathaveshapedt hecoll
ectiv
ememor yandidenti
tyoft heEthi
opi
anpeople.

Theimpactofstoriesonhi stor
icaldocumentati
onamongEt hiopi
anpeopl
esissignif
icant
.Whil
e
tr
aditi
onalhi
stor
ical r
ecordssuchaschr onicl
es,i
nscripti
ons,andmanuscri
ptsprovi
dev al
uabl
e
i
nsightsint
oEthi
opi a’
spast ,
oraltradi
ti
onsandst or
ytelli
nghaveplay
edacrucialrol
ein
preser
vingcul
tur
al herit
ageandt ransmitt
inghi
stori
cal knowl
edgeacrossgenerat
ions.

•Pr
eser
vat
ionofCul
tur
alMemor
y:St
ori
esser
veasr
eposi
tor
iesofcul
tur
almemor
y,
preser
vingtradi
tions,
belief
s,val
ues,andpracti
cesthatmi
ghtnotbecaptur
edinformal
hi
stori
calrecords.Throughstoryt
ell
i
ng,Ethiopi
anshavemaint
ainedaconnect
iontothei
rpast
andensuredt heconti
nuityofthei
rcult
uralheri
tage.

•I
nter
pret
ati
onofHi
stor
icalEv
ent
s:St
ori
esof
tenof
feral
ter
nat
iveper
spect
iveson
hi
stori
calevent
sthatmaydifferfr
om off
icial
account sorwri
tt
enrecords.Byincor
porat
ing
el
ement sofmythandlegendintothei
rnarrat
ives,Ethi
opianst
oryt
ell
ersprovi
denuanced
i
nterpr
etati
onsofhist
ori
calf
iguresandev ent
st hatenri
chourunderst
andingofthepast.

•For
mat
ionofCol
lect
iveI
dent
it
y:St
ori
espl
ayacr
uci
alr
olei
nshapi
ngcol
l
ect
ive
i
dent
it
yamongEt
hiopi
anpeopl
esbyr
einf
orci
ngshar
edv
alues,
exper
iences,
andaspi
rat
ions.
Throughstor
ytel
li
ng,communit
iesbondovercommonnar
rat
ivest
hatr
efl
ectt
hei
rst
ruggl
es,
tr
iumphs,andresi
li
encethr
oughouthi
stor
y.

Whi l
est or
iesmaynotal waysali
gnperfect
lywithconvent
ionalhist
ori
caldocumentat
ionin
termsoff actualaccur
acy,t
heycontri
butetoahol i
sti
cunderstandi
ngofEthiopi
a’
spastby
capturingtheemot i
onaldepth,
cult
uralnuances,andsymbolicmeaningsembeddedwi thi
n
hist
oricalevents.

Inconclusion,t
heinterplaybet
weenhi st
oryandstorywi
thi
nEt hi
opi
ancul t
urehi
ghli
ghtst
he
multi
facetednat ur
eofdocument ingthepast.Whil
ehist
oryprovi
desast r
uctur
edframeworkfor
anal
yzingev entsbasedonempi r
icalevi
dence,
stori
esoff
eramor eemot i
veandimaginat
ive
port
rayalofEthiopia’
srichheri
tagethatcomplementstr
adit
ionalhi
stor
icalnar
rat
ives.

2. St
udy
ingI
nfi
nit
ePastEv
ent
sbyHi
stor
ians
•Hi
stor
iansdonotst
udyi
nfi
nit
epastev
ent
s,asi
tisi
mpossi
blet
ost
udyev
ent
sthathav
eno
r
ecor dedevi
denceortracesleftbehi
nd.Thestudyofhistoryisbasedontheanaly
sisand
i
nterpret
ati
onofav ai
l
ablesources,whichprovi
deinsi
ghtsintopastevent
s.Hist
oriansrel
yona
v
arietyofsourcessuchaswr it
tendocument s,
art
if
acts,oralhist
ori
es,
andarchaeologi
cal
f
indingstoreconst
ructthepast.

Fact
orsDr
ivi
ngHi
stor
ianst
oWr
it
eHi
stor
ical
Findi
ngs

•Cur
iosi
ty:Hi
stor
iansar
edr
ivenbyanat
ural
cur
iosi
tyt
ounder
standt
hepastandhowi
t
hasshapedthepresent.Theyseekanswer
stoquest
ionsabouthumanbehav
ior
,soci
eti
es,
cul
tur
es,andeventsthathaveoccurr
edovert
ime.

•Desi
ref
orKnowl
edge:
Hist
ori
ansar
emot
ivat
edbyadesi
ref
orknowl
edgeanda
passi
onforuncov
eringhiddenst
ori
esf r
om thepast
.Theyai
mtocont
ri
but
etoourcol
lect
ive
under
standi
ngofhistor
yanditssi
gnif
icance.

•Pr
eser
vat
ionofMemor
y:Hi
stor
iansr
ecogni
zet
hei
mpor
tanceofpr
eser
vinghi
stor
ical
memoryf
orf ut
uregenerat
ions.Bydocumenti
ngandanaly
zinghi
stor
icalf
indi
ngs,
theyensur
e
t
hati
mportantlessonsf
rom thepastarenotf
orgot
ten.

•Cr
it
icalThi
nki
ng:
Hist
ori
ansar
etr
ainedt
othi
nkcr
it
ical
lyandanal
yzesour
ceswi
tha
di
scerni
ngeye.Theystr
ivetopresentanaccurat
eandunbiasedaccountofhi
stor
icalev
ent
s
basedonevi
denceratherthanpersonalbel
i
efsoropi
nions.
 Usi
ngSour
cesFr
eef
rom Bi
as
Hi
stor
iansempl
oyv
ari
ousmet
hodst
oensur
ethatt
hesour
cest
heyusear
efr
eef
rom bi
as,
whet
heri
tbei
nfav
ororagai
nstt
hecont
entbei
ngst
udi
ed:

•Cr
oss-
Ref
erenci
ng:Hi
stor
ianscr
oss-
ref
erencemul
ti
plesour
cest
over
if
yinf
ormat
ion
andi
dent
if
ydi
scr
epanci
esori
nconsi
stenci
est
hatmayi
ndi
cat
ebi
as.

•Cont
ext
ualAnal
ysi
s:Bypl
aci
ngsour
ceswi
thi
nthei
rhi
stor
icalcont
ext
,hi
stor
ianscan
bet
terunder
standanypot
ent
ial
biasespr
esenti
nthesour
cemat
eri
al.

•Mul
ti
plePer
spect
ives:
Hist
ori
ansconsi
dermul
ti
pleper
spect
iveswhenexami
ning
sour
cestoav
oidr
ely
ingsol
elyononepoi
ntofv
iew,
whi
chcoul
dint
roducebi
asi
ntot
hei
r
anal
ysi
s.

•PeerRev
iew:
Engagi
ngwi
thot
herhi
stor
ianst
hroughpeerr
evi
ewpr
ocesseshel
psensur
e
t
hatr
esear
chf
indi
ngsar
escr
uti
nizedf
orbi
asandi
naccur
aci
esbef
orepubl
i
cat
ion.

I
nconcl
usi
on,
hist
ori
ansappr
oacht
hest
udyofhi
stor
ywi
thacr
it
icalmi
ndset
,ut
il
izi
ngv
ari
ous

met
hodst
oanal
yzesour
cesandpr
esentanaccur
ateaccountofpastev
ent
swhi
l
est
ri
vi
ngt
o
mi
nimi
zebi
asi
nthei
rfi
ndings.

Pat
ter
nsofCont
inui
tyandChangei
nHi
stor
y
Hi
stor
yisacompl
ext
apest
rywov
enwi
tht
hreadsofcont
inui
tyandchange.Under
standi
ng
thebasi cpatt
ernsofconti
nuityandchangeinhist
oryisessenti
altocompr ehendtheev ol
uti
on
ofsoci et
iesoverti
me.Continuit
yrefer
stoelementsthatpersi
storremainconsi st
ent
throughoutdiff
erenthi
stor
icalperi
ods,whi
lechangesignif
iesalt
erat
ions,developments,or
transformati
onsthatoccurovertime.

LocalExampl
esofCont
inui
tyandChange
I
nexami
ningt
hepat
ter
nsofcont
inui
tyandchange,
let
’sconsi
dersomel
ocalexampl
es:

•Cul
tur
alPr
act
ices:
Inmanysoci
eti
es,
cul
tur
alpr
act
icessuchast
radi
ti
onalcer
emoni
es,
r
it
ual
s,orf
est
ival
shav
eshownr
emar
kabl
econt
inui
tyov
ercent
uri
es.
•Economi
cSy
stems:
Thet
ransi
ti
onf
rom agr
ari
aneconomi
est
oindust
ri
ali
zed
economi
esshowcasesasigni
fi
cantpatter
nofchange.Localexamplesi
ncl
udetheshi
ftf
rom
manualf
armi
ngmet hodst
omechani zedagri
cul
tur
einregionsli
ketheAmeri
canMidwest.

•Pol
it
icalSt
ruct
ures:
Theper
sist
enceofcer
tai
npol
it
icalst
ruct
uresl
ikemonar
chi
esor
democrat
icsyst
emscanbeobser
vedasel
ementsofconti
nuit
y.Forexampl
e,t
heBr
it
ish
monarchyhasendur
edf
orcent
uri
esdespi
teev
olv
ingpoli
ti
call
andscapes.

Benef
itandI
mpactonSoci
o-cul
tur
alAspect
s
Theint
erpl
aybetweencont
inuit
yandchangei
nhi
stor
yhaspr
ofoundef
fect
sonsoci
o-cul
tur
al
andeconomicaspect
sofsociety:

•Soci
o-cul
tur
alI
mpact
:Cont
inui
tyhel
pspr
eser
vecul
tur
alher
it
ageandi
dent
it
y,
fost
eringasenseofbel
ongi
ngandtradi
ti
onwit
hincommuniti
es.However
,excessi
ve
adherencet
ot r
adi
ti
oncanalsohi
ndersoci
alpr
ogressandi
nclusi
vi
ty.

•Economi
cImpact
:Changesi
neconomi
csy
stemsdr
ivei
nnov
ati
on,
technol
ogi
cal
advancement
s,andeconomicgrowth.Whi
leconti
nui
typr
ovi
desstabi
li
ty,embr
aci
ngchange
canleadtoi
ncreasedpr
osperi
tythr
oughadaptat
iont
onewmar kett
rends.

Inconcl
usion,underst
andi
ngthepatternsofconti
nuit
yandchangei nhi
stor
yiscrucialf
or
comprehendingsociet
alevol
uti
on.Balanci
ngtradi
tionwi
thinnovat
ioniskeytoharnessi
ngthe
benefi
tswhilemiti
gati
ngthechall
engesposedbyt hesedynamics.

3. Pat
ter
nsofCont
inui
tyandChangei
nHi
stor
y
Hi
stor
yisady
nami
cfi
eldt
hati
nvol
vest
hest
udyofpastev
ent
s,soci
eti
es,
andci
vi
li
zat
ions.
Whenex amini
nghistor
y ,scholar
softenobservepat ter
nsofcont
inuit
yandchanget hatshape
thedev elopmentofsocieti
esov erti
me.Thesepat t
ernsprovi
dei
nsightsi
ntohowsoci et
ies
evolve,adapt,
andtransformi nresponsetovariousinternal
andexter
nalfact
ors.I
nt hi
s
discussion,wewill
exploresomebasi cpat
ternsofcont i
nuit
yandchangeinhistor
y,support
ed
bylocal examplesfr
om di f
fer
entregionsaroundt hewor l
d.
 Cont
inui
tyi
nHi
stor
y
Onef undament al patt
ernofcont i
nuityi nhi
storyist
hepersi
stenceofcult
ur alt
raditionsand
practi
cesacrossgener ati
ons.Theseendur ingelementsser
veasal i
nkbet weent hepastand
thepresent,
prov idingasenseofi dent ityandbelongi
ngtoindiv
idual
swi t
hinasoci ety.For
exampl e,
inJapan, thepract
iceoft eacer emonieshasbeenpasseddownt hroughcent uries,
mai nt
aini
ngitssi gnifi
canceasacul t
ur alri
tual
thatsymboli
zesharmony,respect,andt ranquil
it
y.
Despitemoder nizationandgl obal
ization,manyJapanesepeopl econti
nuet oparticipateint ea
ceremoniesasawayt oconnectwi ththeirheri
tageandupholdtradi
ti
onalvalues.

Anotheraspectofconti
nuityinhist
oryisthepr eservati
onofhistoricalsitesandmonument s
thatholdsymboli
correli
giousi mport
ancef orcommuni ti
es.Thesephy sicalremnant sf
rom t
he
pastser v
eastangibl
eremi ndersofearl
ierciv
il
izati
onsandev ents,all
owi ngpr esent-
day
societi
estoref
lectontheirrootsandherit
age.TheGr eatWallofChi nai sapr imeex ampleofa
hist
oricalsi
tet
hathasendur edforcenturi
es,representingnotonlyar emar kablefeatofanci
ent
engineeri
ngbutalsoasy mbol ofChi
na’srichhistoryandcul t
urallegacy .

Changei
nHi
stor
y
Conversely,changei saninherentfeatur
eofhist orythatdri
vessoci etalprogr
ess, i
nnovation,
andtransformation.Onecommonpat t
ernofchangei stechnologi
cal advancement ,whichhas
si
gnifi
cantlyimpact edv ar
iousaspectsofhumanl i
fethr
oughouthi story.TheIndustri
al
Revoluti
onin18t h-
cent uryBri
tai
nmar kedapi votal momentwhennewt echnologi
essuchas
steam enginesrevol ut
ioni
zedmanuf acturi
ngpr ocesses, l
eadingtour banizat
ion,economi c
growth,andsoci alchanges.Thisper i
odofrapidi ndustr
iali
zati
onreshapedBr it
ishsocietyand
l
aidthef oundati
onf ormoder nindustri
aleconomi eswor ldwide.

Social mov ementsareanot hercat aly

stf orchangei nhist
ory
, astheychall
engeexi sti
ngnorms,
i
nsti
t uti
ons, andpowerst r
uct urestoadv ocateforsocialj
ust
iceandequal i
ty.TheCi vil
Right
s
Mov ementi ntheUnit
edSt atesdur ingt he1950sand1960swasat r
ansformativeper i
od
characterizedbynonv i
olentpr otestsagai nstracial
segregat
ionanddi scr
imination.Ledby
promi nentf i
guresl
ikeMar ti
nLut herKi ngJr .
,thismovementbr oughtaboutlegislati
vechanges
suchast heCi vi
lRi
ghtsActof1964, whi choutlawedsegregationinpubli
cplacesandbanned
empl oymentdi scri
minati
onbasedonr ace.
4. I
mpor
tanceofSt
udy
ingHi
stor
yforPeopl
eandGov
ernment
Studyi
nghist
oryiscr
ucial
forbothpeopleandgover
nment
sasitprovi
desvaluabl
einsi
ghtsi
nto
thepast,whi
chintur
ncanhav esigni
fi
canti
mpactsont
hepresentandfut
ure.Herearesome
keyreasonswhythestudyofhist
oryisi
mportant
:

•Under
standi
ngoft
hePast
:Byst
udy
inghi
stor
y,i
ndi
vi
dual
scangai
nadeeper
under
standi
ngofhowsocieti
es,cul
tur
es,andciv
il
izat
ionshaveevol
vedoverti
me.Thi
s
knowl
edgehelpspeopl
ecompr ehendtheroot
sofcurrenti
ssuesandtr
ends,enabl
i
ngthem t
o
makemor ei
nformeddeci
sions.

•Lear
ningf
rom Mi
stakes:
Hist
oryi
sfi
l
ledwi
thexampl
esofbot
hsuccessesandf
ail
ures.
Bystudyi
nghi stori
calevent
s,peopl
ecanlear
nfrom pastmist
akesandavoi
drepeati
ngthem i
n
thefut
ure.Gov ernmentscanalsobenef
itf
rom t
hisbyimplementi
ngpol
ici
esthatt
akeinto
accounthist
oricall
essons.

•Cul
tur
alI
dent
it
y:Hi
stor
ypl
aysav
ital
rol
einshapi
ngcul
tur
ali
dent
it
y.Byst
udy
ingt
hei
r
hi
stor
y,peopl
ecandevel
opasenseofbel
ongi
ngandpri
dei
nthei
rheri
tage.Gov
ernmentsof
ten
usehi
stori
cal
narr
ati
vestof
ost
ernati
onal
unit
yandpr
omotepatr
iot
ism amongcit
izens.

•Pol
icyMaki
ng:
Gov
ernment
sfr
equent
lyr
efert
ohi
stor
ical
event
swhenf
ormul
ati
ng
pol
i
ciesandmaki
ngdeci
sions.Under
standi
ngt
hehi
stor
icalcont
extofcertai
nissuescanhel
p
pol
i
cymakersdev
isemor
eef f
ecti
vestrat
egi
est
hatt
akeintoaccountpastexperi
encesand
out
comes.

•Pr
eser
vat
ionofMemor
y:St
udy
inghi
stor
yensur
est
hati
mpor
tantev
ent
s,achi
evement
s,
andstr
uggl
esarenotfor
gott
en.Ithel
pspreservecol
lect
ivememoryandal
l
owsf
utur
e
gener
ati
onstol
earnfr
om theexperi
encesoftheirpr
edecessor
s.

I
mpactofUnst
udi
edHi
stor
icalEv
ent
sonPeopl
eandGov
ernment
I
fhi
stor
ical
event
sandfact
sofasoci
etyremai
nunst
udi
ed,
ther
ecanbesev
eral
negat
ive
i
mpactsonbothpeopl
eandgov
ernments:

•LossofLessons:
Wit
houtst
udy
inghi
stor
y,i
ndi
vi
dual
smaymi
ssoutonv
aluabl
elessons
thatcoul
dhelpthem navi
gatepr
esentchal
lengesmor eef
fect
ivel
y.Gov
ernment
smayr
epeat
pastmistakesduetoignor
anceofhist
ori
calprecedent
s.

•I
dent
it
yCr
isi
s:Al
ackofunder
standi
ngofone’
shi
stor
ycanl
eadt
oani
dent
it
ycr
isi
s
amongindi
vi
dualsandcommunit
ies.Withoutasenseofcul
tur
alher
it
age,
peopl
emayst
ruggl
e
todef
inewhotheyareandwher
et heycomef r
om.
•Pol
icyEr
ror
s:Gov
ernment
sthatdonotst
udyhi
stor
yri
skmaki
ngpol
i
cyer
ror
sbasedon
i
ncomplet
einf
ormationoralackofhi
stor
ical
cont
ext
.Thi
scanr
esul
tini
nef
fect
ivegov
ernance,
soci
alunr
est
,oreconomicinst
abil
i
ty.

•Repet
it
ionofPat
ter
ns:
Hist
oryof
tenr
epeat
sit
sel
f,aspat
ter
nst
endt
oemer
geov
er
t
ime.Ift
hesepatt
ernsgounrecogni
zedduetounstudi
edhi
stor
y,soci
eti
esmayf
indt
hemsel
ves
t
rappedincycl
esofconf
li
ctorunderdev
elopment
.

I
nconclusion,t
hestudyofhi
stor yisessentialf
orbothindi
vidual
sandgov er
nmentsasi t
pr
ovi
desv aluabl
einsi
ghtsi
ntothepast ,helpsav oi
drepeat
ingmistakes,
shapescultur
alident
it
y,
i
nfor
mspol i
cy-
makingdeci
sions, andpreservescoll
ecti
vememor y. TheSt udyofHist
ory:I
ts
Si
gni
ficanceforPeopleandGov ernment

ConsequencesofNegl
ect
ingHi
stor
y
I
fhistor
ical
eventsandfact
sremainunstudi
edorar
edistor
tedorsuppr
essedint
ent
ional
l
yor
uni
ntenti
onall
y,sev
eral
negati
veconsequencesmayensueforbot
hindi
vidual
sand
gover
nment s:

•LackofCont
ext
:Wi
thoutasol
i
dgr
oundi
ngi
nhi
stor
y,i
ndi
vi
dual
smayst
ruggl
eto
under
standcontemporaryi
ssuesful
lyduet oalackofcontextualknowl
edge(Bauer&Wi nebur
g,
2001)
.Simil
arl
y,gover
nmentsmaymakei ll
-i
nformeddecisi
onsbasedoni nsuf
fi
cienthi
stori
cal
under
standi
ng(Gaddis&Sperli
ng,2015).Forexample,i
gnoringpastmil
it
aryconfl
ict
scouldlead
pol
icy
makersintounderest
imati
ngpotentialadver
sari
esormi sjudgi
ngt
heirmoti
vati
ons.

•Mi
sinf
ormat
ion:
Thedel
i
ber
atemani
pul
ati
onorsuppr
essi
onofhi
stor
ical
fact
scanl
ead
towi despr eadmi sinformat i
ont hatshapespubl i
copi ni
onnegat ively(Levy&Sz naider,
2013) .
Thiscanr esul tinsoci alunrestorev env iol
entconf li
ctifleftunchecked( Kel l
eyetal .,
2017) .For
i
nstance, deny inggenoci desorot herat r
ociti
escommi ttedagai nstspecificgroupscanf uel
hatredandi nt oleranceamongpopul ationswhor efuset oacknowl edgetheset ruths.Conv ersel
y,
fabricat
inghi storicalnarrati
v escanbeusedaspr opagandat ool sbygov ernment sseekingt o
j
ustifytheiract ionsormai ntainpowert hroughdecept i
on( Lev y&Sznai der,2013) .Insuchcases
wher etruthi sobscur edordi st ortedi ntenti
onallyoruni ntenti
onal l
yduet onegl ectinghistory
studies;itcoul dleadt oser i
oussoci et alrepercussionsi ncl
udingl ossoft rustininstit
uti
ons
responsibl eformai ntaininghi storical recordsli
kear chiveset c.,whichcoul dfurtherexacer bate
thi
si ssuebymaki ngithar derf orf uturegener ati
onst oaccessaccur ateinformat i
onaboutt hei
r
pastaccur ately.

•I
dent
it
yCr
isi
s:I
gnor
inghi
stor
yri
skscr
eat
ingani
dent
it
ycr
isi
swi
thi
nsoci
eti
esaspeopl
e
l
oset
ouchwi
tht
hei
rcul
tur
alher
it
age(
Bauer&Wi
nebur
g,2001)
.Thi
sdi
sconnect
ioncan
manifestitselfinv
ari
ousway ssuchasapat hytowar dsciv
icengagementorev env i
olent
extr
emi sm drivenbyfeel
i
ngsofalienationfrom mai nstr
eam society(Kelleyetal.,
2017) .For
exampl e;youngpeoplegrowingupwi thoutknowingmuchaboutt hei
rancest ors’str
uggl es
mightf eeldi
sconnectedfrom t
hei
rr ootsleadi
ngt hem towardsradicalizati
oninsteadof
embr acingpeacefulmeansforaddressi nggri
evancesr ooteddeepwi thi
nsoci etalstr
uct ur
es
thatneedr eformsrat
herthandestruction.”

•LackofAccount
abi
li
ty:
Alackofcommi
tmentt
owar
dspr
eser
vinghi
stor
ical
recor
ds
underminesaccount abi
li
tywithi
ngovernmentssincether
ei snotangi
bleevi
denceavai
labl
ef or
futur
egener ati
onstoscrutini
zeacti
onstakenduringprevi
ousadmi ni
str
ati
ons(NARA.,n.
d.)
.
Thislackadaisi
calapproachtowardsdocument i
ngpasteventscouldpotent
ial
l
yenablecorr
upt
practi
cesthatgoundet ectedduetoinsuf
fici
entoversi
ghtmechanisms.”

•I
nabi
li
tyToLear
nFr
om PastMi
stakes:I
fwef
ail
tost
udyhi
stor
yef
fect
ivel
y;wer
isk
repeat
ingpastmistakesinsteadofbuil
dinguponsuccessesachievedearl
i
er(
Gaddis&Sperl
ing.
,
2015).Forinst
ance;ignori
ngwar ni
ngsignsprecedi
ngmaj orconfl
i
ctsli
keWor l
dWarIcould
l
eadpol i
cymakersi
nt omakingsimilarer
rorstodaydespi
tehavingaccesstovastamount
sof
i
nformationaboutt
hoseev ents.”

•LossOfCul
tur
alHer
it
age:
Negl
ect
inghi
stor
yst
udi
escoul
dresul
tint
hel
ossof
i
rrepl
aceabl
ecultur
alarti
fact
sduetodecayoverti
meorintent
ionaldest
ruct
ion(
Bauer&
Wineburg.
,2001).Suchlossesnotonl
ydepr
ivefut
uregenerat
ionsbutalsodimi
nishour
coll
ect
ivehumanknowl edgebase.
”

•Mi
sunder
standi
ngGl
obalCont
ext
:I
ntoday
’si
nter
connect
edwor
ldwher
egl
obal
i
ssuesi ncr
easinglyimpactlocal
communi t
ies;
f ail
i
ngt ostudyhist
orycouldleadtoa
misunderstandingofglobalcontextandtheconsequencest her
eof( Morri
s&Turner
-
Zi
ckli
n.,
2016). Fori
nstance;i
gnoringhist
ori
calrelati
onshipsbetweennationscouldpotenti
all
y
l
eadtoconf li
ctsar i
singfrom mi
scommuni cat
ionorl ackofunderstandi
ngbet weenparti
es
i
nvolved.”
5.I
ndi
genousandI
ntr
oducedRel
igi
onsi
nEt
hiopi
aandt
heHor
n
Ethi
opi
aandtheHor
nofAf r
icahaveari
cht apest
ryofindi
genousandi
ntroducedreli
gionst
hat
haveshapedt
hecul
tur
al,
social
,andr
eli
giouslandscapeoftheregi
onovermill
ennia.

Thei ndigenousreli
gionsi
ntheregi
onarediverse,i
ncludi
nganimism,ancest
orworship,
and
tradi
tionalbeli
efsthatvar
yamongdiffer
entethnicgroups.Theseindi
genousrel
i
gionsoft
enlack
wr i
tt
enscr ipt
uresbutaredeepl
yrootedi
noral tr
adit
ions,r
it
uals,
andcustomspasseddown
throughgener ati
ons.

Thei ndigenousrel
igionsi
nthisareaareof
tencharact
eri
zedbytheiroralt
radi
ti
ons,ri
tuals,and
beli
efsy st
emst hathavebeenpasseddownt hr
oughgenerati
onswi t
houtawr i
ttenscri
pture.On
theotherhand,intr
oducedreli
gionssuchasChri
sti
anit
yandIslam broughtwit
ht hem wri
tten
scri
pturesthatplayedasigni
fi
cantrol
einthei
rexpansi
oncampaignsi ntheregi
on.

I
ndi
genousRel
igi
onsi
nEt
hiopi
aandt
heHor
n
Befor
et hearr
ivalofChri
sti
anityandIslam, t
heindigenouspeopl esofEthiopiaandt heHornof
Afr
icapracti
cedv ar
ioustr
aditi
onalrel
igionsthatwer edeeplyrootedintheircul
tures.These
i
ndigenousreli
gionswereof t
enanimist i
corpolythei
sti
cinnat ure,wi
thbel i
efscenteredaround
nat
urespiri
ts,ancestorworshi
p,andritualstoappeasedei t
iesforprotect
ionandpr osperit
y.

Onepr ominentexampl
eofanindi
genousrel
igioninEthiopiaist
hetradi
ti
onalf
ait
hoft heOr
omo
peopleknownasWaaqef f
annaa.Waaqeff
annaai samonot hei
sti
cfai
ththatwor
shipsa
supremedei t
ycal
ledWaaqa.Therel
igi
onemphasi zeshar monywithnat
ure,r
espectfor
ancestor
s,andcommunal l
iv
ingbasedonethicalpri
nciples.

Anothersigni
fi
cantindigenousreligi
oni
nEthiopi
aist
hefai
thoftheAmhar apeopleknownas
ATR( Af
ricanTraditi
onalReli
gion).ATRencompassesadiv
ersesetofbel
iefsandpr act
icesthat
var
yamongdi f
ferentethnicgroupsbutsharecommonthemessuchasr everencefornature,
spi
ri
ts,andancest or
s.
 I
ntr
oducedRel
igi
onsi
nEt
hiopi
aandt
heHor
n

•Chr
ist
iani
ty:
Thei
ntr
oduct
ionofChr
ist
iani
tyt
oEt
hiopi
adat
esbackt
othe4t
h
centuryADwhenKi ngEzanaofAx um conv er
tedt oChristianityundertheinfluenceof
Frument i
us, aChri
sti
anmissionar
y .Chri
stianityspreadr apidlythroughoutther egion,
establi
shingitsel
fasadomi nantreli
gionwi thitscenteratAksum,maki ngitoneoft he
oldestChristi
annationsi
nthewor ld.TheEt hiopianOrthodoxTewahedoChur chhasits
ownuni quet radi
ti
onsandpracti
ces, i
ncludingt heuseofGe’ ezasal i
tur
gicallanguage.
TheBi bl
e, bothOldandNewTest ament s,serv esasthecent ralscri
ptureforEt hi
opian
Christ
ians.

TheEthiopianOrthodoxTewahedoChur chemergedasadi sti

nctbranchofChri
sti
ani
tywit
hit
s
owntradit
ions,l
i
turgy,andpracti
ces.TheChur
chplayedacr ucialr
oleinshapi
ngEthi
opi
an
cul
tur
e,art,music,andli
ter
aturethr
oughitsmonaster
ies,
chur ches,andschool
s.

•Judai
sm:
Alt
houghami
nor
it
yrel
i
gioni
nEt
hiopi
a,Judai
sm hasal
onghi
stor
yincer
tai
n
Ethiopi
ancommunit
iessuchastheBetaIsr
ael
(Et
hiopi
anJews).TheBet
aI srael
communi
ty
fol
lowsthei
rownrel
igi
ouspract
icesbasedonJewi
shtradi
ti
onsandscri
pturesli
ket
heTor
ah.

•I
slam :I
slam spr
eadt
otheHor
nofAf
ri
cashor
tl
yaf
teri
tsi
ncept
ioni
nthe7t
hcent
uryAD.
TheQuranisconsi
deredthehol
ybookofIslam andser
v esasagui
deforMusl
i
msinthei
rfai
th
andpr
acti
ces.InEt
hiopia,
Isl
am i
spredominant
lypract
icedbySomali
,Af
ar,
andHar
ari
communiti
es.

Iti
ntroducedtoEthiopi
athr
oughearl
yMuslimt r
aderswhosettl
edalongthecoastoftheRed
Sea.ThePr ophetMuhammad’sfol
lowerssoughtref
ugeinAbyssini
a(modern-dayEt
hiopi
a)
fr
om per secut
ioni
nMecca.Thismigrat
ionl
edtopeacefulcoexi
stencebetweenMusli
msand
Chri
stiansinEthi
opi
a.

Overtime,I
slam spreadacr
osst heHornofAfri
cathr
oughtr
adenetwor
ks,i
nter
mar r
iage,
and
missionar
yact i
vi
ti
es.Theestabli
shmentofI
slamicsult
anat
essuchasIf
at,
Adal,andHarar
fur
thersoli
dif
iedIsl
am’spresenceinther
egion.
 Rol
eofWr
it
tenScr
ipt
uresi
nExpansi
onCampai
gns
Thepresenceofwri
ttenscri
pturespl
ayedacrucialr
oleint
heex pansioncampaignsof
Chri
sti
anit
yandIsl
am compar edtoindi
genousreli
gionswi
thoutwr i
tt
ent ex
ts.Wri
tt
enscriptur
es
prov
idedsever
aladvantagesthathel
pedthesereli
gionspr
evai
lov eri
ndigenousbel
iefsy
st ems:

•Aut
hor
it
y:Wr
it
tenscr
ipt
urespr
ovi
dedasenseofaut
hor
it
yandl
egi
ti
macyt
oChr
ist
ianand
I
slamicteachi
ngs.Foll
owerscoul
dref
ert
otheset
ext
sassour
cesofdi
vi
ner
evel
ati
onand
guidanceformoralconduct
.

•Tr
ansmi
ssi
on:Wr
it
tenscr
ipt
uresf
aci
l
itat
edt
het
ransmi
ssi
onofr
eli
gioust
eachi
ngs
acrossvastdi
stancesandgenerat
ions.Bibl
esandQuranscoul
dbecopi
ed,
dist
ri
but
ed,
tr
anslat
edintol
ocal l
anguages,
andstudiedbybeli
ever
s.

•St
andar
dizat
ion:Wr
it
tenscr
ipt
ureshel
pedst
andar
dizer
eli
giouspr
act
icesbypr
ovi
dinga
commonsetofbeli
efs,
rit
uals,
pray
ers,
andet hi
cal
gui
del
i
nesf
oradher
ent
stof
oll
ow.Thi
s
uni
for
mit
yfost
eredcohesionamongbeliev
ers.

•Mi
ssi
onar
yWor
k:Mi
ssi
onar
iesf
rom bot
hChr
ist
iani
tyandI
slam usedwr
it
tenscr
ipt
ures
astool
sforevangel
i
zati
onamongnon-
beli
evers.Theabil
i
tytopr
esentsacr
edt
ext
stopot
ent
ial
conver
tshel
pedpersuadet
hem t
oembracethesenewf ai
ths.

•I
ntel
lect
ualI
nfl
uence:Wr
it
tenscr
ipt
uresal
l
owedf
ort
heol
ogi
cal
debat
es,
schol
arl
y
i
nter
pret
ati
ons,commentar
iesonrel
igi
oustex
ts,
anddoct
ri
nal
dev
elopment
swi
thi
nChr
ist
ian
chur
chesandIslami
cschoolsoft
hought.

•Li
ter
acyPr
omot
ion:Thepr
omot
ionofl
i
ter
acyamongconv
ert
senabl
edt
hem t
oread
rel
i
gioustext
sindependentl
y,deepent
hei
runderst
andi
ngoffai
thdoct
ri
nes,par
ti
cipat
emor
e
acti
vel
yinrel
igi
ouspracti
ces,andpassdownteachi
ngstof
utur
egenerat
ions.

•Cul
tur
alI
mpact
:Wr
it
tenscr
ipt
uresi
nfl
uencedar
tfor
msl
i
kei
l
lumi
nat
edmanuscr
ipt
s(i
n
Chr i
stianit
y)orcal l
igraphy(inIsl
am) ,archit
ecture(churches/mosques) ,
musi c(hymns/Quranic
recit
ations),l
iterature(reli
gioustexts/st
ories)
,legalsystems( canonlaw/ Shar
ia),
educati
on
(theology /
rel
igiousst udies),gov
ernance( church/stat
er el
ati
ons),socialnorms(morali
ty/et
hics),
etc.,t
her ebyleavinglastingi mpri
ntsonl ocalcult
ures.
Aut
hor
it
ati
veSour
cesUsed:
TheAmer
icanHi
stor
ical
Rev
iew:

TheJour
nal
ofAr
chaeol
ogi
cal
Sci
ence:

Aut
hor
it
ati
veRef
erencesUsed:

Nat
ional
Archi
ves&Recor
dsAdmi
nist
rat
ion[
NARA]
.(n.
d.)
.AboutNARA

Nat
ional
Archi
vesandRecor
dsAdmi
nist
rat
ion

Hi
stor
y&Mi
ssi
on-U.
SNat
ional
Archi
ves

NARAFoundat
ion.
Bauer
,P.
,&Wi
nebur
g,S.
(2001)
Hist
ori
cal
Thi
nki
ngandOt
herWay
sof
Knowi
ng.

Uni
ver
sit
yofCal
i
for
niaPr
ess.Gaddi
s,J.
L.&Sper
li
ng,
K.D.
(Eds.
).
(2015)
**

Oxf
ordUni
ver
sit
yPr
ess.Mor
ri
s,M.
S.&Tur
ner
-Zi
ckl
i
n,S.
(Eds.
).
(2016)

Gl
obal
Hist
oryandt
heRol
eoft
hePast
.Rout
ledge.Lev
y,D.
,
&Sznai
der
,N.
(Eds.
).
(2013)

Memor
yCont
est
edMemor
yEngaged.
Stanf
ordUni
ver
sit
yPr
ess.Kel
l
ey,
D.,
Har
tl
ep,
J.,
Har
tl
er

THEEND