Abstract:
This thesis dealt with the history of traditional beliefs and practices in Méça wäräda to the
20thc. The major objective of the study is to reconstruct the history of traditional beliefs and
practices in the study area from the past to the 20thc. It is common that several traditional
beliefs and practices are exercised since long period ago in Ethiopia, Gojjam and specifically
in Méça yet no attention is given to investigate the issue in Méça wäräda. Having this in
mind, this study has gave attention to reconstruct the historical developments of the beliefs
and practices of zar, emä mulad, jin and enä alämočä in Méça wäräda of the expressed
period. The historical development of spiritual culture in the study area has been readdressed
by this thesis despite other beliefs and practices exercised in the wäräda was not assessed by
this study due to scarcity or unavailability of sources about the untouched beliefs and
practices. To process the study archival sources, journal articles, thesis papers, photographs,
annual reports, oral traditions and published sources has been used by cross checking these
sources and with careful investigations to assure authenticity of data used for the study.
Qualitative means of research methodology has been used to reconstruct this thesis. By using
these sources the thesis gave analysis on the genesis of traditional beliefs and practices,
different thoughts on beliefs and practices and their historical developments in different
periods. The traditional means of treating spirits and victims possessed by the spirits, the
process of variolation and the qudša treatment has well expressed. Besides, the struggle
against traditional beliefs up to the 20thc has, also, been articulated