AGING AMONG THE AARI IN RURAL SOUTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA: LIVELIHOOD AND DAILY INTERACTIONS OF THE "GALTA

Abstract

This paper examines the conditions of elderly individuals living in rural southwestern Ethiopia by investigating their daily activities and their work lives, including how and with whom they work. This research was conducted primarily in one location in southwestern Ethiopia where many Aari individuals reside. All 16 elderly individuals, known as galta, who resided in this region received perfect scores on a measure of their ability to perform basic activities of daily livings (ADLs). They attempted to reduce their daily workloads by living near those who were related to them by blood or by marriage. Aari individuals who decrease their social interaction due to age or sickness are said to be tired (lanqta). Even elderly people without relatives required additional support. Indeed, galta often face severe hardships, but they can earn a living by relying on longstanding social relationships initially established before they became galta.