Oromo
The
Oromo, formerly called
Galla (this usage has now become pejorative, but was widely used into the 20th century) are an indigenous
African ethnic group found in
Ethiopia and to a lesser extent
Kenya. They are the largest single ethnic group in
Ethiopia, at 32.1% of the population according to the 1994 census, and today numbering around 24 million.
[Ethiopia: A Model Nation of Minorities (accessed 26 March 2006)] Their native language is the
Oromo language, or
Afan Oromo.
While further research is needed to comprehend the origin of Oromo people, it is well known that Oromo people come from a line of pastoralist/nomadic group. It is more likely they have existed for a longer period of time side by side with their northern
Semitic-speaking neighbors. There is a wealth of oral history that describe interactions between the two group dating back as early as the 6th century. The Oromo mostly settled in the southern areas of Ethiopia. Their settlement patterns also sometimes separated Christian Amharic-speaking groups from each other.
During the 16th century, following the wars between the kingdom of
Ethiopia and the neighbouring Sultanate of
Adal, which resulted in the exhaustion of both countries the Oromos moved north into their territories. The Ethiopian monk Bahrey, writing in 1593, attributed the Oromo success to the existence of too many non-fighting classes in the ruling Ethiopian heirarchy, as opposed to the Oromos, whom he described as having a homogenous warrior class.
[Bahrey, "History of the Galla" (1593). Translated by C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford in Some Records of Ethiopia 1593-1646 (London: The Hakluyt Society, 1954). This is the earliest known account of the Oromo.] Bahrey also explained their migrations into northwestern areas such as
Arsi,
Shewa,
Welega, and
Gojjam and northeastern areas like
Hararghe and
Wollo as result of their inhospitable homeland.
[Marcus, Harold G. A History of Ethiopia. (University of California Press, updated edition: 2002), pp. 37. ISBN 0520224795] Harold G. Marcus suggests northwest
Borena as the original homeland of the Oromo.
[Marcus, A History of Ethiopia, p. 35.]Settled Oromo started to integrate with their Amharic-speaking neighbors at least from the 18th century. Also, several Oromo chieftains obtained power in government of the monarchy. Particularly Emperor Iyoas I (1730-55) favored his mother's Oromo kinsmen and allies, and in his era, the Oromo language was the language of the court in Gondar.
This era, known in Ethiopia as the
Zemene Mesafint, the Oromo dynasty of chiefs of
Yejju were the most important continuous line of warlords to dominate the figurehead emperors of Ethiopia. They became sub-kings of
Begemder,
Enderases (Regents) of the empire, as well as imperial father-in-laws. Ras
Ali I of Yejju achieved this dominance in 1779, and it continued, although contested by other warlords, until the 1855 defeat of Ras
Ali II of Yejju by the upstart emperor
Tewodros II. Due to the powerlessness of the
Emperor of Ethiopia during this period, the Yejju Oromo were effectively the rulers of Ethiopia.
Other tribes and chiefs of the Oromo people were also prominent, such as lady Menen of Wollo who became Empress in 1800's; Ras Mohammad of Wollo who became Ras
Mikael, later Negus of Sion and father of an emperor; and another lady Menen, of
Ambassel, who became Empress consort of
Haile Selassie.
In order to integrate with the imperial power and family, a large share of the Oromo converted to christianity during these centuries. As one of the last such developments, in late 1800's Emperor
Yohannes IV ordered the Oromo tribe of Wollo to convert to christianity within six months at the threat of losing their property. Their leader Mohammed became lord Mikael and later made an imperial marriage, becoming the father of Emperor
Iyasu V.
The Oromo are divided into 12 subgroups or tribes. From west to east, these tribes are:
* The
Welega Oromo, who live in the
Oromia Region west of the
Didessa River;
* The
Macha Oromo, living between Dindessa River and the
Omo River, and south into the
Gibe region;
* The
Tulama Oromo, who live in the Oromia Region around
Addis Ababa;
* The
Wollo Oromo, who are the northernmost tribe, and live predominantly in the
Oromia Zone of the
Amhara Region, as far north as
Lake Ashenge;
* The
Ittu Oromo, who live in the Oromia Region from the
Awash River east to a line drawn south of
Dire Dawa;
* The
Ania Oromo, who live south of the Ittu and west of the
Erer River;
* The
Ala Oromo, living west of the city of
Harar and the Erer River, and between the Ittu and Ania Oromo;
* The
Nole Oromo, who live east of Dire Dawa and north of Harar;
* The
Babille Oromo, who are one of the easternmost tribes, living east of the Erer River in the Oromia Region, and south of the other easternmost tribe,
* The
Jarso Oromo, who live in the northeastern corner of the
Misraq Hararghe Zone of the Oromia Region;
* The
Arsi Oromo, who live in the part of the Oromia Region named for them, the
Arsi Zone; and
* The
Borena Oromo, who are the southernmost tribe of the Oromo, and live in the southern parts of the Oromia Region and in Kenya.
[Distribution and locations is based on the map in G.W.B. Huntingford, The Galla of Ethiopia; the Kingdoms of Kafa and Janjero (London: International African Institute, 1955).]Oromo society was traditionally structured in accordance with
gadaa, a
social stratification system partially based on an eight-year cycle of
age sets, but over the centuries the age sets grew out-of-alignment with the actual ages of their members, and some time in the
1800s another age set system was instituted. Under gadaa, every eight years the Oromo would hold a
popular assembly called the
Gumi Gayo, at which laws were established for the following eight years. A democratically elected leader, the
Abba Gada, presided over the system for an eight-year term. Gadaa is no longer in wide practice but remains influential.
Religion
In the 1994 Ethiopian census in the 85% Oromo region of Oromia, 44.3% were Muslims, 41.3% Orthodox Christians, 8.6% Protestants, 4.2% Traditional, and the remaining 1.6% constitute other religious groups. In urban Oromia Orthodox Christians constitute 67.8% of the population, followed by Muslims 24.0% and Protestants 7%.
[FDRE States: Basic Information - Oromia, Population (accessed 26 March 2006)]Politics
A number of political organizations have been formed to promote the interests of the Oromo. The first was the
Mecha and Tulama Self-Help Organizatoin, founded in January
1963, but was disbanded by the government after several increasingly tense confrontations in November,
1966.
[Bahru Zewde, A History of Modern Ethiopia: 1855-1991, 2nd edition (Oxford: James Currey, 2001), pp. 261f.] Later groups include the
Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), the United Liberation Forces of Oromia (ULFO), the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Oromia (IFLO), the Oromia Liberation Council (OLC), the
Oromo National Congress (ONC) and others. Another group, the
Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO), is one of the four
parties that form the ruling
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition considered by many Oromos a creation of TPLF (the most dominant organization in the coalition). However, these Oromo groups do not act in unity: the ONC, for example, was part of the
United Ethiopian Democratic Forces coalition that challenged the EPRDF in the
Ethiopian general elections of 2005.
Several of these groups seek to create an independent Oromo nation, some using armed force. This proposed nation would share its name and borders with the current Ethiopian
region of
Oromia where the majority of Oromo people live.
Nomenclature
The Oromo were historically called
Galla, therefore one may encounter this name in older texts, but Oromos do not use this term to refer to themselves. However, when Charles Tutschek, writing in the mid 19th century, researched the Oromo, "his informants, according to their published letters, used
Galla as a term of self-reference."
[Baxter, P.T.W.; Hultin, Jan; Triulzi, Alessandro. Being and Becoming Oromo: Historical and Anthropological Enquiries. (United States:Red Sea Press, Inc.: 1996), p.107.] The name has fallen into disfavor and is now considered to be
pejorative, possibly because of a
folk etymology for "Galla" (that it came from
Qal la, pronounced similar to
Gal la,
Arabic for "he said no") that implies they refused
Muhammad's offer to convert to
Islam. The etymology of the word is still disputed and unsolved, but Cornelius Jaenen offers possible roots derived from words in the
Oromo language:
The Galla who call themselves Oromo, are as uncertain about the origin of their name as are the anthropologists. Orma means a foreigner who is not a relative; galà means a stranger who is a guest, galla is a stranger who joins a tribe; gala, an imperative, means 'go home'; gala a noun, means one who goes home, also provisions for travelling. The Galla language gives us no further hint. The history of the people is indeed a tale of nomadic strangers & guests who are seeking a home. Now they have found that home but they are still designated as guests (Jaenen 1956:172).[Baxter, et al., Being and Becoming Oromo, p.106.]
*
Onesimos Nesib*
Borana*
Oromia* Herbert S. Lewis.
A Galla Monarchy: Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia 1830-1932. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1965.
