Old Sidamo Amulet – Southern Ethiopia

Early to mid 20th century. Copper. Height: 3.7 cm (1.46 in); width: 4.9 cm (1.93 in). Weight: 30.6 g (1.08 oz).

The Sidama are a Cushitic-speaking ethnic group traditionally inhabiting the Sidama Zone of southern Ethiopia. Despite their conquest by Emperor Menelik II at the end of the 19th century, the Sidama preserved significant elements of their cultural heritage, including traditional religious beliefs and language.

In these cultures, metal—especially copper and brass—is associated with protection, vital force, and social status. Amulets were commonly worn by adults for protection, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, and prosperity, as well as by children as a defense against illness and the evil eye.

The spiral is a recurring motif throughout Africa and symbolizes continuity of life, cyclical movement (birth–death–rebirth), and energy that concentrates and expands.

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