Atint Kotera was a traditional practice carried out before marriage at partners selection in the norm of arranged marriages in certain parts of North Shewa Amhara, Ethiopia as recently as two generations ago. It was especially a norm for the conservative upper circles and only forgoed in marriages of political alliance as in such cases backgrounds are assumed to be known or because the necessity of the situation dictates it.
The practice involved counting back seven generations to check several points in accepting marriage proposals or in making them.
Checking to see if the couple in question were related within seven generations. This was was done for religious purposes as they were strict orthodox Christians and their religion dictates that's no two people that share filial affinity within seven generations could be married.
Checking for any inherited diseases within those seven generations. This included both physical and psychological.
Checking the character and reputation of the family. Those suspected of witch craft or thieves and those guilty of heinous crimes were avoided.
Checking for background (If they are within the same area and from the same social and ethnic background. (similarity and closeness of background was highly preferred)).
Etc...
If one of the two people failed this seven generation assessment then the marriage was rejected. In a way this was a traditional form of artificial breeding that allowed them to steer clear of many visible genetic abnormalities. Upon observing family sides and relations (both sides, the one that strictly followed this and the other that didn't) I observed that the sides that followed this were more relatively free of genetic issues and complications (for instance it took two proposals and negotiations for my great grand father to earn the hand of my great grand mother simply because he lived in another part of North Shewa in the same region and despite the fact that the two families knew each other and that his family were likewise prominent.) On the other hand, the side that didn't adhere to it, (that married into the other one within the last generation) and is slightly mixed with 3 other ethnics like 1/8th (or 1/16th for me, has a lot of genetic issues, shaddy secretive characters and murky backgrounds (I didn't grow up with this side and only met them for the first time later in life but every time I talk to them and see them all I hear about and observe is their complications and shadiness. This is a personal case observation as well as information gathered from several elders, both related and unrelated.
Personally, I am a major scientific eugenics buff. Not just that but I strictly believe epigenetic factors also influence genes over a long period of time. I do realise its complications and that it should be done with full consent of parties involved. So it was great to know some form of it was in part of my traditional background.
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