Field and river

20th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (ICES20)
Mekelle University, Ethiopia

"Regional and Global Ethiopia - Interconnections and Identities"
1-5 October, 2018

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[PANEL] 0210 THE NEW ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES OF ETHIOPIA: CONTINUITY OR REVIVAL?

Organizers:

Michael GERVERS, University of Toronto, Canada
SOLOMON Belay Faris, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Tarn PHILIPP, Architect, London, UK

Paper presenters:

Tarn PHILIPP; Michael GERVERS; SOLOMON Belay-Faris

The panel, “The New Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia: Continuity or Revival?” introduces a subject which has as yet not entered the published literature concerning Ethiopian studies. Recent research sponsored by the Arcadia Fund in the UK has identified three regions where master craftsmen, both lay and ecclesiastic, are currently hand-chiseling churches out of the rock: these are the areas around Dabra Berhan in Shoa, between Gashena and Nefas Meewcha in North Wollo, and between Hawzien and Abiy Addi in Tigray. Many of these churches, of which some twenty have so far been documented, are the inspiration of individual monks, priests or hermits; while others owe their existence to the choice of village councils whose members enter into contracts with experienced craftsmen. The latter are invariably self-taught in their handling of the rock. If given the choice between having a new church built or hewn from the rock, the rock-cut option invariably prevails because they last [centuries] longer, cost less to make and require next to no upkeep. Many of these churches are made in the proximity of older, disused or unfinished examples, or are enlargements of pre-existing ones (in which case the original monument is destroyed); none are monoliths. Given the age-old association of rock-hewn architecture with places of Christian worship in Ethiopia, there is reason to inquire whether the present activity is a revival led principally by a handful of ecclesiastics motivated by religious fervor, or whether it represents the continuity of a long-established tradition usually thought to have come to an end half a millennium or more ago. While the churches of Lalibala stand as witnesses to the high quality of this ancient craft, there are many others situated across the Ethiopian landscape attributed to as far back as King Caleb which do not reflect the same standard of workmanship. It is possible that some of these monuments are not as old as we may have been led to believe, in which case a good argument could be made for continuity rather than a revival of the phenomenon.

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DOCUMENTING TRANSFORMATIVE STRUCTURES [Abstract ID: 0210-03]

Tarn PHILIPP, Independent Researcher
Michael GERVERS, University of Toronto

The excavation of contemporary rock churches offers invaluable insight into the creation of earlier rock-hewn examples. The craftsmanship draws on age-old ingenuity, indicating the possible time frame, method and sequence of excavation associated with such structures. Documentation of recently carved churches is not without its challenges, however. The irregularity of the structures has proved most challenging in accurately drawing them up. Furthermore, sites under excavation are in a state of constant transformation. The process of carving a church from rock is of course utterly different from built construction; it is the removal rather than addition of a material that results in the architecture being revealed. That today’s craftsmen use no architectural drawings and often believe they are fulfilling God’s work typically makes future development both spontaneous and unpredictable. Further investigation and study of older churches previously recorded may highlight a significant number of churches that have been subject to alteration in the past 45 years. This in turn may indicate whether the present phenomenon is a revival or in fact a continued tradition that has remained unnoticed until present.

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ETHIOPIA’S NEW ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES: THEIR IMPLICATION FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION [Abstract ID: 0210-02]

SOLOMON Belay-Faris, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Tarn PHILIPP, Independent Researcher

Culture is always expected to be the content of meaningful education. Research has shown that learning is enhanced when students learn something close to their heart and home. In this sense, culture and education find a nexus in transmitting and transforming each other. Having this in mind, the present paper examines how Ethiopia’s new rock-hewn churches are part of Ethiopian culture and argues that their conception and making can be used to enlighten certain parts of Ethiopian formal science education. Through interviews made with the craftsmen of the rock-hewn churches, it has been possible to identify practical possibilities for culturally relevant pedagogy in science education which are relevant for students and teachers. Students can learn a lot from the envisioning and implementing of the process of hewing rock churches and the accompanied commitment. How to organize these elements and bring them into Ethiopian science education are constant themes and challenges for examination.

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THE NEW ROCK-HEWN CHURCHES OF ETHIOPIA: CONTINUITY OR REVIVAL? [Abstract ID: 0210-01]

Michael GERVERS, University of Toronto
Tarn PHILIPP, Independent Researcher

The panel, “The New Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia: Continuity or Revival?” introduces a subject which has as yet not entered the published literature concerning Ethiopian studies. Recent research sponsored by the Arcadia Fund in the UK has identified three regions where master craftsmen, both lay and ecclesiastic, are currently hand-chiseling churches out of the rock: these are the areas around Dabra Berhan in Shoa, between Gashena and Nefas Meewcha in North Wollo, and between Hawzien and Abiy Addi in Tigray. Many of these churches, of which some twenty have so far been documented, are the inspiration of individual monks, priests or hermits; while others owe their existence to the choice of village councils whose members enter into contracts with experienced craftsmen. The latter are invariably self-taught in their handling of the rock. If given the choice between having a new church built or hewn from the rock, the rock-cut option invariably prevails because they last [centuries] longer, cost less to make and require next to no upkeep. Many of these churches are made in the proximity of older, disused or unfinished examples, or are enlargements of pre-existing ones (in which case the original monument is destroyed). Given the age-old association of rock-hewn architecture with places of Christian worship in Ethiopia, there is reason to inquire whether the present activity is a revival led principally by a handful of ecclesiastics motivated by religious fervor, or whether it represents the continuity of a long-established tradition usually thought to have come to an end half a millennium or more ago. While the churches of Lalibala stand as witnesses to the high quality of this ancient craft, there are many others situated across the Ethiopian landscape attributed to as far back as King Caleb which do not reflect the same standard of workmanship. It is possible that some of these monuments are not as old as we may have been led to believe, in which case a good argument could be made for continuity rather than a revival of the phenomenon.