## Beni Shangul-Gumuz

The Beni Shangul-Gumuz region is in the far west of Ethiopia. It runs along the border between Ethiopia and Sudan. There are many different groups of people in this region, and they speak different languages and have their own special cultures.

In this collection, there are stories from the Shinasha, Gumuz and Berta peoples of Beni Shangul-Gumuz.

| The Stories | Originally told by
--- | --- | ---
Gumuz Stories
1 | The Honey Hunter | Belay Makonnen
2 | The Baboon Child | Belay Makonnen
3 | The Elephant's Head | Belay Makonnen
4 | The People of the Sea | Egassi Reta
Berta Stories
5 | The Ungrateful Snake | Abdurahim Ibrahim
6 | The Lion's Whiskers | Fatuma Ali
7 | The Two Travellers | Fatuma Ali
Shinasha Stories
8 | The Pot of Honey | Yirpa Kebede
9 | The Story of Jahiti | Demelew Beyene
10 | Adiberga and her Brothers | Demelew Beyene

Translations by Captain Hamis Balla, Habasha Feyisa and Mesfin Habtemariam

With grateful acknowledgement to Dires Gebremeskel and other members of the Beni Shangul-Gumuz Education and Culture Bureau for their invaluable help in the collection of these stories.

© These versions of the stories retold by Elizabeth Laird
© Exercises written by Jacek Opienski
© Illustrations by Eric Robson