Mai Weini, or "Sweet Water" in English (lit. "water grape"), is a village composed of some 85 households and 333 inhabitants. It is a small cluster of dwellings situated in the rugged and barren mountainous landscape of Eritrea's highlands. In addition to exploring Mai Weini, however, the book also provides a general ethnographic account of the Tigrinya-speaking Semitic people of these highlands. Using Mai Weini as an example, basic questions are answered such as: How do the villagers live? How are their relationships among themselves organized? What are their activities during an annual cycle? How do they cope with the unpredictable whims of nature, and with possible crop failure? In what way has the war affected village life? To what degree does religious adherence influence their daily activities? What are the organizing principles of the land tenure system, and to what degree do they affect the organization of the village?

Product details