The Gamo Folktales, a collection of 150 stories gathered from the Gamo communities of the highlands of southwest Ethiopia, provides insight into the vibrancy and deep traditions of the Gamo people. Historically known as agro-pastoralists, their usage of folktales forms an integral part of their rich culture, carrying traditional wisdom and moral precepts, as well as age-old tales of magic and enchantment. This collection, carefully selected from a cache of 850 stories painstakingly gathered across nine administrative districts, preserves this vital aspect of Gamo culture, celebrating the power of folk tales to entertain, advise, educate, and bring people together.

The Gamo, whose system of cultivation and management of both mountain and lowland pastures, coupled with an age-old governance structure, has contributed, among many things, a resilience to climatic and other social shocks, are also known to be magnificent storytellers. The Gamo Folktales is a celebration of this heritage and a brief look into Gamo origins and identity. An integral feature of important community gatherings known as ''dubbusha,'' this tradition is practiced by both young and old and reflects some of the views that connect them across ages and cultures. Evolving through various social and historical periods, these stories carry with them the marks of this evolution.

''This magnificent collection of 150 folktales presents in written form a vital aspect of Gamo culture--its oral heritage. In undertaking the huge task of collecting these stories, the creators of this project have preserved and protected a treasure trove of tales, which will be greatly valued by anthropologists, folklorists, educational specialists and ordinary men, women and children alike.''
Elizabeth Laird, Founder and director of the Ethiopian Story Collecting Project, and author of The Lure of the Honey Bird
and When the World Began, Stories from Ethiopia

''Like the Brothers Grimm with their heroic work to collect folklore in the 19th century, the authors of this book have made the world richer through their efforts. This wide cast of characters--including people and donkeys, beetles and baboons, fleas and elephants--make us laugh and shiver and sometimes admire the wisdom of a community's stories.''
Jane Kurtz, Award winning Children's Book Writer