Individual Cultural Communication “Ethiopian Culture”
Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation

Discussion of the Ethiopian culture’s pattern of communication using Purnell’s Domains of culture as a guide The Purnell’s model for cultural competence is a circular model made up of four rings. They include the global society, community, family and person. Global society which is the outer most ring represents aspects such as world politics and communications, global exchanges in fields of commerce, health and technology, war, famine and the increasing ability or people to tour the world while interacting with people from diverse cultures. The second ring which is labelled community represents people whore share a common interest or have a common identity and live in a specific locality. The third is labelled family and it represents two or more people that are emotionally involved. The fourth one is labelled person and it represents the human being who is constantly adapting. The interior of these four rings is divided into twelve wedges that show cultural domains and their concepts. The core of the circle is left empty to depict the unknown aspects of a cultural group. The twelve domains include heritage, communication, family organization, workforce issues, bio cultural ecology, high risk behavior, nutrition, child bearing practices, death rituals, religious practices and health care practices. Nurses can use the model to become consciously competent of a group’s culture. Ethiopia is a multiethnic and multicultural country. The religious practices have a major influence on everyday life. About 50% of the population belong to Ethiopian Orthodox Church, there is also a large Muslim population while others still uphold the traditional Judaism. Muslims lead in the business community and they tend to occupy the lowlands but there is a significant number in the capital, Addis Ababa. English is widely spoken and used as a medium of instruction in high schools and universities. They use local languages such as Amharic and Tigrinya for instructions in primary schools Cultural Ancestry
The Ethiopian culture is diverse. It contains more than eighty ethnic groups. However the majority are Somali, Amhara, Oromo and Tigreans making up more than seventy five percent of the population. English is the most used foreign language. The Oromo people who are the largest Cushitic speaking ethnic group in the horn of Africa are believed to have occupied Ethiopia for a few millennia now. Their precise origin has not been established but they are believed to have been nomadic pastoralists. The Amhara people are believed to have had their traditional home in central Ethiopia .They are believed to have ruled their region using emperors. The Somalis early life can be traced to the northern part of Ethiopia. This is because ancient rock paintings normally found in Somalia have been found in the northern parts of Ethiopia. Based on linguistic evidence the Tigreans are said to be ancestors of some early Semitic speaking people found in central Eritrea and north of Ethiopia. Willingness of individuals to share thoughts, feelings and ideas. The Ethiopian people value politeness .Therefore sometimes they are unable to communicate their true feelings. They tend to speak indirectly to people who they don’t want to offend especially foreigners. For instance the can say ‘it is possible’ to a request that they don’t want to comply to avoid disappointing somebody. However they are willing to communicate and share thoughts on topics such as religion, marital status and business. It is advisable to refrain talking about sex and politics during the initial encounters with someone from this culture. They also don’t appreciate questions on what tribe or area one is from so it is best to avoid such questions until you are well acquainted. Ethiopians are also not open to discuss the topic of homosexuality since the practice is outlawed and taboo in their culture. Raising your voice, showing anger and public confrontations are considered to be very rude. Comments and conversations about physical appearance are very common and acceptable in this culture. Touching When people of the same sex are holding a conversation touch is acceptable. People of the same sex can also be seen in public holding hands or arm to arm. It is also common to see men holding shoulders or with hands around waits, they can also be seen hugging. Men touching and hugging does not have anything to do with their sexual preference, it is just a sign of closeness and friendship in this culture. Women are however less touchy but they also practice similar closeness with other women. Normally there is no touching when people of opposite sex are having a conversation. This is slowly starting to change especially with the young generation and the urban population. Majority of Ethiopian Muslims consider touching among people of different sexes taboo, therefore for them a stern handshake or a nod will suffice as a way of saluting one another. Personal space and distancing strategies when communicating In the Ethiopian culture personal space and distancing strategies vary from one place to another depending on tribal influences and religious beliefs. An arm’s length distance or less is considered appropriate during conversations. This distance tends to be less when people of the same gender are involved. Eye contact In this culture eye contact is acceptable during conversations between people of the same gender. It is also considered appropriate during conversations between people of different genders. When communication is between people of the same age group it is appropriate to maintain direct eye contact. Eye contact is avoided when communicating to respectable people. For instance eye contact will be avoided when talking to someone who is of a higher socioeconomic status than you. Direct eye contact is also avoided by the young people when communicating with their elders as a sign of respect. Gestures and facial expressions Ethiopians also make use of gestures and facial expressions to express themselves. For instance when gesturing a waiter to come over Ethiopians clap loudly. Foreigners however find this gesture hard to adopt because in many countries this is considered rude. When signaling someone to come over they gesture by facing the palm towards them and making an inward scratching motion. Ethiopians sometimes show emotion through the tone of their voice. For instance when someone’s speech becomes loud this may mean that they are excited or angry. In this culture, public display of affection such as kissing sexually is not common. Sex is considered private and lovers are shy of expressing themselves even in the midst of family. Hand gestures are used to express approval, satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Greetings Greetings are an important part of the Ethiopian culture. The can be lengthy lasting between a minute to ten minutes. It is considered important to ask after one’s day, their health and their family. When a man is greeting another man a handshake using the right hand is appropriate. For friends and family the handshake is accompanied by leaning forward to have your right shoulders bump. In this culture men also hug and exchange kisses on the cheeks as a sign of closeness. It does not imply anything on their sexual preferences. When a woman is greeting another woman a handshake is also considered appropriate. Women who are good friends or family show affection by exchanging a few kisses on alternating cheeks. When a man is greeting a woman, the appropriate type of greeting depends on their relationship. Before a man and a woman establish a relationship a handshake is usually the appropriate form of greeting. Family and friends exchange a few kisses on alternating cheeks. However with most Ethiopian Muslim men and women touching is considered a taboo so with them a simple nod is enough. Children are expected to bow as a sign of respect when introduced to older or senior people. Temporal relation The Ethiopian people tend to be present oriented. This means that they focus more on relationships than they focus on schedules and appointments. In this culture, few people keep time and this is not considered rude. If someone arrives late for an appointment or meeting they offer an apology and it is customary to accept the apology without making a big deal of their lateness. Functions are rarely well planned in advance so they often start late. Punctuality is not valued in this culture as it is valued in the Western society. People are rarely in a hurry and they give their time freely. Punctuality is more respected in business encounters than social ones. The impact of my culture on my healthcare As a healthcare personnel, my culture has impacted on the way I handle my patients. My greetings to a patient are always courteous and formal. I always show respect to my patients while addressing them by adding Mr. or Mrs. to their names. I also maintain eye contact with my patients because in our culture avoiding eye contact could be a sign that you are hiding something. I also use a calm audible voice while communicating with my patients because using a high voice is seen as a sign of disappointment or anger.

References
http://esdhweb.ucl.dk/217435.The%20Purnell%20Model%20for%20Culturel%20Competence.pdf