Africa is an amazing continent where you will find beautiful people, different tribes, ethnic groups, cultures, languages, dialects, etc. Today we will introduce you to one of the largest groups in Africa – the Oromo people.
Oromo people
The Oromo are the third largest ethnic group in Africa. They are mainly located on the Horn of Africa – Ethiopia and Somalia. There are also a few in Kenya.
Original members of the tribe occupied a region called Oromia or Biiya-Oromo. It was a free country in the Horn of Africa but was later colonized by the Abyssinian Empire (now Ethiopia).
For much of their history, the Oromo people have been referred to as “Galla”. There are various reasons why they were called Galla. Antoine d’Abaddie, a French explorer, explains that the galla was a war cry uttered by the Oromo themselves.
Some accounts state it means, others say it refers to a river, a foreigner, or a pagan, while some say when the Islamic prophet Muhammad asked the Oromia chief to accept Islam, the chief said “gha la” meaning “no”.
The Oromo people are said to have descended from the Lake Shamo (Chamo) region. Oromos belong to the Kushite family (people from the ancient land of Kush/Nubia) who inhabited much of North and East Africa.
However, some Abyssinian historians dispute that the Oromos are ancient residents of the country, stating that they were recent arrivals migrating from Asia. However, the Oromians believe such claims should be dispelled as they were fueled by a report by Abba Bahrey, who was biased against Oromia and fueled the desire of the Abyssinians (Ethiopians) to conquer the Oromos.
system of government
Being from Nubian family, Oromos have a lot in common with Somalis, Afars, Bejas and so on. They have a unique organizational system called Gadaa.
The Gadaa is a social system in which the leaders of the Oromo community are elected by their husbands every eight years. The Gadaa system regulates social, political and religious areas of life in Oromia.
The Dabballee are the sons of the ruling class who are under 8 years old. As they get older, they reach the next age group. Every three years before the third age group ends, the Qondaala, the members of the Gadaa, appoint future leaders who now become members of the Hayyu Council.
Similar to modern democracy, Gadaa elections are preceded by a period of negotiations/campaigns conducted by members of the Hayyu Council to gain supporters before the elections.
In the Kuusa age group, the males will be officially elected, while in the Doorii they will be permitted to have wives. These two stages prepare the men for leadership, learning Oromo history, administration, and other tactics and necessary information to support their tenure. When they reach the Gadaa class, they assume full leadership competency.
1. Dabballee (0-8 years)
2. Folle or Gamme Titiqaa (8-16 years)
3. Qondaala or Gamme Gurgudaa (16-24 years)
4. Kuusa (24-32 years)
5. Raaba Doorii (32-40 years)
6. Gadaa (40-48 years)
7. Yuba I (48-56 years)
8. Yuba II (56-64 years)
9. Yuba III (64-72 years)
10. Gadamojjii (72-80 years)
11. Jaarsa (80 years and older)
The Gadaa consists of nine officials responsible for various offices.
1. Abbaa Bokku – President
2. Abbaa Bokku – First Vice President
3. Abbaa Bokku – Second Vice President
4. Abbaa Chaffe – Chairman of the Assembly (Chaffe)
5. Abbaa Dubbi – Speaker presenting the decision of the Presidium to the Assembly
6. Abbaa Seera – Memorizer of the laws and the results of the deliberations of the Assembly.
7. Abbaa Alanga – Judge who executes the decision
8. Abbaa Duula – In charge of the army
9. Abbaa Sa’a – In charge of the economy
flag
The Oromians have a unique flag that is a symbol of their own social, political, and legal system. The flag, known as “Fajji Baqqala” in the Oromo language, consists of the colors of the Qaallu turban (Surri Ruufa) and has three equal horizontal stripes: black at the top, red in the middle, and white at the bottom.
Each of the colors represents something. The black above represents those who are not yet in active life and are generally considered unknown. The red color represents those in active life who are in different institutions. They are considered the light of the people.
The white color at the tail represents those who have passed the active life phase. It also represents retirement age.
language
The Oromos speak the Oromo language called Afaan Oromoo. Afaan Oromoo is a Cushitic language with numerous variations spoken by over thirty million people. Other ethnic groups such as Sidama, Berta, Adare, Annuak, Koma, Kulo, Kaficho and Guraghe also speak the Oromo language in addition to their own languages.
Afaan Oromoo is the third most spoken language in Africa after Arabic and Hausa and the second most spoken indigenous language in sub-Saharan Africa.
Early Oromo people relied on vocal communication rather than written words to tell their story. Until recently, Oromos was denied the right to develop their language, literature and alphabet. For almost a century it was a crime to write in this language. With the advent of the Oromo national movement, in the early 1970s, Oromo scholars adopted the Latin script (the alphabet used for English and most other European languages) and began teaching reading and writing.
Oromo clothing
Oromo clothing is quite similar to that of their Ethiopian “cousins”, the Amharas, although those of the Oromos are mostly red. Due to the diversity of the Oromo, traditional clothing can vary between tribes/clans.
Clothing is usually made from a material called Shema. Shema is an Ethiopian cotton that was originally hand-spun but industrialized, although some locals still resort to spinning the material by hand. The shema is then made into dresses, shawls and other local garments.
Oromian music
Music is an important part of Oromian culture and as in most African countries, Oromians have music for every occasion.
For example, the horse praising songs, or faaruu farda as it is traditionally called, is usually sung during hamamoto (bride-taking).
There are love songs, songs that appreciate the beauty of the Oromo people, and songs that tell stories of human suffering, joy, and unity.
protests and other interesting facts
In 2015, the Oromo launched a protest demanding an end to decades of systemic marginalization and subordination of Oromians.
Although the protests by aThe government’s plan to extend the territorial and administrative borders of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to the neighboring towns and villages of Oromo appears to be more than meets the eye.
The protest, which started small, soon grew in size and intensity. The protests reached a turning point on August 6, 2016, when hundreds of thousands of people marched in more than 200 cities to resist the government’s draconian and ever-escalating repression and peaked on October 2, 2016, when the government responded with overwhelming force , which Amnesty International described as a “vicious cycle of protests and entirely avoidable bloodshed”.
Over two million people had gathered to celebrate Irreecha, a cultural festival that brings Oromos from all walks of life together to celebrate life and nature, when security forces fired tear gas and aimed bullets at the crowd, arresting over 11,000 people.
This didn’t end here, the protest was onWhen Feyisa Lilesa, an ethnic Oromo marathon runner, crossed his wrists with an “X” above his head to define the Oromo protests, he crossed the finish line at the Rio Olympics silver medal.
In January 2018, top officials in the Oromo region announced that 2,345 inmates had been pardoned, of whom 1,568 had already been convicted and sentenced.
Former Merera Gudina, an opposition leader who was arrested in December 2016 on returning from Brussels where he had spoken to members of the European Parliament about the violence in his country, was released along with 114 other inmates.
Although the Oromians have not yet received their demands from the government, they have managed to change the history of Ethiopia forever.