Indigenous Wisdom and Lore of Weather Forecasting in Oromo of Ethiopia: A Native Folklore of Arsi Oromo

Abstract

This paper investigates into indigenous weather and climate forecasting practices among the Arsi Oromoo, a branch of Oromoo people in Oromiya region of Ethiopia in which Arsi zone is located. It focuses on selected villages and community members. It is designed to have a qualitative research approach. The fieldwork was conducted between December 2015 and August 2016. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) were done. Elderly people were contacted as they have old memories and special care was taken to ensure gender balance. The study found that elders of the Arsi zone developed an amazing wisdom of observing natural indicators in forecasting weather condition. This wisdom must be preserved, documented and disseminated among the scientific community.