“MONAI” THE CULTURAL HERO OF THE ME’ENITE ETHNIC GROUP IN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The Me'enit tribe lives in the southwestern region of Ethiopia. Members of the tribe live primarily in the districts of Me'eni Goldia and Me'eni Shasha, with a few living in Gura Ferda and some neighboring districts. This study focuses on Monai, a teenager who is the cultural and traditional hero of the nation. The main reason for conducting this study is the lack of sufficient research on the myth of the ethnic group. To make the research successful, data was collected from primary and secondary sources. The collected data was analyzed using narrative theory. The research uncovered the different stages that the Me'enit cultural and traditional hero - Monai - went through. These paths are the call to triumph, the rejection of the call, and the victory. This study discussed the existing myth law of the ethnic group, the actions Monai's father takes to protect the myth law against his daughter, Monai's efforts to overcome death, and the results of the analysis. Monai's defeat of the ethnic group myth and the struggle to defend and protect the ethnic group culture are presented in the results of the research. This research focused on the struggle for the cultural hero of the Me'enite ethnic group and shows the actions that the ethnic group should take as a solution to epilepsy, although the ethnic group believes that epilepsy is the wrath of God.