Page 49 - Unseen Hands by Nona Freeman

Moving On
Oromo and Sidamo, the main languages of the province. He faced many cultural differences from those of his own village, 1300 kilometers away.
Nomadic cattle herders, speaking Oromo, live in the southeastern part of the province. They regard their tradi tional chief as god. Whenever death makes a new ruler necessary, for the next eight years they throw all of the newborn babies to the hyenas, believing that otherwise everyone will die.
A smaller Oromo-speaking ethnic group would castrate any man outside their clan who fell into their hands. Since a certain number of victims were supposed to be found before they could marry, the men prowled, on the lookout for prey continually.
A large segment of the population speaks Sidamo and eats a staple called inset, unknown in other places and sometimes called "false banana." They peel and grate the roots and stems of the bushes and press out the moisture. Both the fluid and the solids are placed in a hole in the ground lined with leaves of the plant. The hole is closed, and the food is left to mature for several months. It becomes cheeselike in texture and develops a repulsive odor. The people remove amotmts as needed for the family meals.
Tekle's empty stomachgrowledas he steppedoffthe bus in Awasa. He saw a cross hanging on a wall and thought. This is a mission; maybe they will receive me. He found the missionary family having lunch, and they questioned him between bites as they continued eating. Finally, in desperation he asked, "Please, madam, could you give me something to kill my himger?"
The lady became so angry her hair seemed to stand 47