Institute of Indigenous Studies

The Institute of Indigenous Studies (IIS) at Wolaita Sodo University (WSU) was established at the beginning of 2007 E.C with the purpose of studying, preserving and promoting all languages, cultures, histories and heritages of WSU catchment areas and beyond that uses them as the tourism resources. The Institute creates opportunities for all languages, cultures, histories and heritages in WSU catchment areas and beyond to be intensively researched and published as scholarly articles and books. It is hoped that these publications can advance knowledge and develop the languages, cultures, histories and heritages of the catchment areas’ people via scientific process of restoring them back to their original status.

The Institute will organize national and international conferences to share and disseminate the latest research findings of its focus areas. It also will strive to bring about the standardization of the many indigenous languages and the restoration of their cultures, histories and heritages. Furthermore, the Institute will strive to promote and globally market the tourism industry of the people using the overall and rich tourism potentials of the areas.

Administratively, being established under the Vice President for Research and Community Services, IIS is mandated to undertake multifaceted researches and provide varieties of community services on languages, folklore, cultures, history and heritages of the linguistically and culturally diverse people who are settled around WSU catchment areas and beyond that. Its major responsibilities are studying, documenting, preserving and promoting indigenous languages, cultures, histories and heritages of these people. The Institute also focuses on collecting and documenting oral literature, indigenous knowledge, and indigenous wisdom of the people.

Visions of the institute

The vision of institute of indigenous studies is to establish WSU as the world’s leading research university in the area of Indigenous languages, cultures, histories and heritages. 

Missions of the institute

The mission for the institute of indigenous studies is studying, preserving and promoting all languages, cultures, histories and heritages of the people and using them as tourism resources.

                                      Structure of the Institute