Subsistence Hunting: Evolution, Patterns, and Sustainability on a Frontier Metekel, Northwest Ethiopia, during the Twentieth Century

The objective of this study is to reconstruct the history of subsistence hunting in Metekel during the twentieth century. The study employed a qualitative methodology, with primary and secondary sources exhaustively exploited. Primary data were collected from oral interviews, official documents, travellers’ eyewitness accounts, and archival sources. Extensive library work was conducted to gather secondary sources. The study found that the Gumuz people turned to subsistence hunting whenever there were chronic food shortages. In addition, the body parts of hunted game were used for traditional medicines and for making home-based utensils. This range of benefits has made the practice sustainable for centuries. Hence, largely shaped by communities’ perceptions, customs, and attitudes, hunting in Metekel has led to wildlife population decline, the extinction of rare and endemic game species, changes in the cultural landscape, and the disruption of natural ecosystems. Thus, the researchers would like to suggest a paradigm shift from destructive hunting to sustainable (tourist) hunting, the establishment of national parks, natural sanctuaries and protected hunting areas, which requires effective community engagement and improvement of the existing wildlife laws of the country.