Dear Makobili,
I wrote my message for EthioForum and I don't know how to post the answer to
soc.culture.ethiopia.misc. I brought the French as an example of how Europe
works toward of the union, while Ethiopia goes through the opposite process
and Eritrea is the sample and price of it. If you read my message you notice
that I am critical of the government which made no changes after the recent
war lessons, including the nationalities policies. If the government is
representative, why it can't represent Oromo or any other nation of the
state? I see problems in the present political and social situation
more than in the past.
I never understood why Ethiopia never entertained the ideas of confederation
of commonwealth (see the most recent constitution).
Even the federative status is not clear although by any logical
standard Ethiopia should be a federal republic.
But since most of the economic activities are controlled by the socialist government there are no Oromo or Amhara schools, banks, private TV stations and etc. Very little of actual power belongs to people of Ethiopia, including all -- Oromo or Tigreans. If Ethiopia in past was owned by 500 Amharas, today it is a few dozens foreigners who happened to be born in Ethiopia. In many ways Africa still lives under colonial rule, when individuals and their parties fight for the possession of people and land. They only look like Africans, they are not Africans.
If you would read my other articles, you can see that I don't believe that
Meles is an Ethiopian or a Tigrean, neither Issayas is an Eritrean. They are
Marxists, they have no national interests. As well as so many today. If they would indeed have their national interests at heart, they would understand how the Oromo people value theirs. Not just Oromos, but Ethiopians and Eritreans shouldn't be involved in the conflict between two factions of the same party.
In our visit to Addis in 1995 I was struck by the fact that 30 miles out of
the capital one finds himself in Oromo country and unless people of Ethiopia
are ready for decades of war like in Palestine the issue of Oromo statehood
can't be solved. Not everything could be solved by politics. Ethiopia is a
poor country because its society is so weak that it could be ruled by any men
with guns. If Oromo would have ECONOMIC freedom and power, it would make
the difference in shaping their present and future.
At the final analysis I believe that all African problems are rooted in
disrespect for cultural heritage, which includes good and bad. History must be valued if we want the tomorrow to value us today. We are not hostages of the past only when we do not try to rewrite the history. I would rather see Oromo writing books about their history.
Perhaps I have my personal dislike for splitting everything; my wife is a
half Oromo and I don't know to draw the line in her identity.
You are welcome to post my reply to your discussion group or visit
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/Ethiopia
where I am an editor, and post your articles. I am glad that you raised the
Oromo issue at the time when people of Ethiopia should learn those painful lessons of dismissed national values (Eritrea).
Yours,
Anatoly
----- Original Message -----
From:
Sent: Monday, April 05, 1999 10:20 PM
> Dear Anatoly,
I read your article as it was fowarded to soc.culture.ethiopia.misc., and here is an answer I gave to a question you asked about Oromos not being Ethiopians. If you are interested, we can discuss on the subject in more detail in the above-stated news group.
.... I wish Ethiopia could take care of her problems before going into the obvious critique of Eritrea and Eritreans. Thousands are lost over this issue and nevertheless we see the debates over Oromo non-Ethiopian identity. That much for lessons of history. That much for: personal choices. If French can be French and Europeans at the same time, why: Oromo can't be Oromo and Ethiopians?
> The answer is quite simple and obvious: Europe is a continent whereas Ethiopia is an empire. The French have no choice but to be French and Europeans because they cannot free their homeland from the European continent. On the other hand, Oromos cannot be Oromos and Ethiopians because they can and they will free themselves and their homeland from an empire they were incorporated to through colonial conquest. Just like the French are French and Europeans, Oromos are Oromians and Africans. If the French could not be Romans or Ottoman Turks, why are Oromos expected to be Ethiopians?
> Makobili
I never recieved any responce. It's okay. One day people like Makobili will have their place in Ethiopian politics. In our guestbooks you can find some messages written by the people who believe that they advance the Oromo cause; you can recognize them by the use of the street language. It's better if you visit The Oromo Liberation Front website and read the statements of the leadership of the Oromo nationalist movement. Also, www.oromo.org.
Chronicle of the Kingdom of Guma http://www.samizdat.com/cerulli2.html
I. The Legend of Adam. Adam lived in the woods, lived in the forest of Ebicca Talo (1). In this forest there is a cave. Adam closed the opening to the cave with a stone, milked the buffaloes, killed the big buffaloes and ate them. Such a man was Adam. When the Dagoye (2) went out to hunt, they saw Adam. They saw him and fled. "This man is a wild beast," they thought, and fled. The Dagoy gave a guard to the chief huntsman (3). The Dagoye said to them, "Spy out what this man does!" The guard stood and waited. Ater a while, twenty buffaloes came. Adam rose; he did not take a lance; he followed (the buffaloes) unarmed until he caught one; he seized by the haunches a young buffalo which was quite large. He dragged it to the left and threw it down. Then, taking a knife, he cut its throat. Then he shouldered this buffalo and went to the cave, which he entered. He seized that rock which served as a door to the cave with one hand and opened the door. He entered carrying the buffalo. Although this buffalo was not small, he threw away only the enrails. He did not even take off the skin; he ate the whole of it except the head and the horns (4). The guard went back and spoke to the head of the scouts (5). "What did he do?" the latter asked. "He seized (it) with (unarmed) hands, and cut its throat. He killed it and threw away nothing but its head and the entrails," the guard related to the chief of the scouts.
The chief guide entered to speak with King Dagoye. King Dagoye was then Sarboraddo. He said to the chief guide, "Come, bring hither this guard!" The former called the guard. Then Sarboraddo asked, "Young man, is this story true?" "It is true, my lord," he replied. "If then another sees what thou hast seen, I will give thee a horse. But if this story is a lie, I will cut thy throat like a sheep's," said Sarboraddo. And so they made an agreement. Sarboraddo chose twelve men and gave them to the guard. "Show them (Adam)!" he said. "Very well," replied the former, and with the twelve men he went out into the country. These twelve men watched and saw Adam. "O man! O man!" they shouted and called him. He lifted up his right foot and looked. The man (Adam) was white (6). "This giant is a wild animal," they thought and were afraid; therefore they fled. Then they said, "When we return, what shall we tell the king that we have seen?" and therefore they decided to remain there another day. Thus they waited two days. A full-grown buffalo came; Adam fell upon this buffalo, seized him, cut his throat and devoured him. While they were looking at him, he finished (eating) it. "This man will eat us next!" they said and were afraid. Then they ran far away and there they stopped. Then, when they had stood still a while, there came a mother buffalo. Adam seized the buffalo and tore off withes, and bound its haunches together (7). Having bound it, he took hold of it underneath and milked it. He drank the milk of this buffalo, then freed it of those withes, and took off the fetters. The buffalo with its little one went away. Then he (Adam) went toward home and entered his cave. He raised the door of his cave with one hand, entered, closed the door again, and went to sleep. Then they came and told Sarboraddo. "The story was true, my lord," said said to Sarbo (8).
When they said to Sarbo that the story was true, he said, "I will go and seize Adam." He gathered together the Dagoye people, descended to that elephant wood, went and saw him. He stood still in the middle of the wood. "How shall we seize him? A man who milks elephants, who seizes buffaloes and eats them up, who will be able to catch him" he said. "This stone with which he has closed the doorway, O all my army pull at it!" he said. They pulled but they accomplished nothing. "This is not a man; it is Satan," they said. Then Sarboraddo gave up the undertaking and went back.
When Sarbo gave up the udnertaking and returned, the young daughter of the Dagoye said, "I will seize him." "How wilt thou capture him?" they said to her, and they told Sarbo that the girl had said, "I will capture him." Then he said, "Bring this girl to me." Then they brought the girl to Sarbo. "How wilt thou seize him, my daughter?" asked Sarbo. "Take me, leave me at the door of the hosue which he enters; give me some fire, give me food for seven days, give me seven guards. In seven days I will capture him!" (9) said she. Then Sarboraddo gave her seven guards for seven days and sent her. The guards passed the night on a path in the woods; she slept alone. They took the girl then and placed her at the door of the house. Adam had gone out of the house. When they placed the girl at the door, Adam came with a young buffalo on his shoulders. He set down the buffalo. "What odor do I smell?" he said. "It is what is called man, man!" He put down that buffalo, cut its throat, and ate it. He did not leave even a little piece; he ate the whole of it. When in the morning he saw that girl, he did not say a word to her; he passed by her and went away. He went into the wood, seized a buffalo, returned, cut its throat, and ate it. When he had finished eating, he entered the cave and spent the night there. The second day he looked at the girl on the ground, seized her, and took away her virginity. He took this girl and passed the night; the next day he went to the wood. He could not catch a big buffalo; he took a young one of the buffalo and came back (10). The second day he ate this buffalo and spent the night; he made her his wife; he had her enter his house. He had her enter the house and went back to the coutnry. He could not catch buffaloes, and returned after catching an antelope. He returned and slept with the girl. The third day he pushed the door, but it did not close as formerly. Then, without having closed the door, he went to the woods. Then those guards came. He was not at home; they found the girl alone. "Well, how are things going?" they asked her. "He passed the night with the door open, because he pushed it but could not close it. Before, he brought a big buffalo; after one night be brought a little buffalo and an antelope. So come tomorrow at dawn," she said. Then they came the enxt morning. he had returned with a gazelle and had eaten only half of it. He had not been able to eat the other hald and thus he had passed the night. Then they entered to capture him. the guards came at early dawn and opened the door. They took Adam by surprise. they seized him and returned with him (to the city) and brought him into the house (of the king); they led him to the king of the Dagoye and handed him over to him. Since the king of the Dagoye gave him a house, Adam took the girl, made her his wife and entered (that house). When his wife was pregnant, he bought for himself a lance fourteen cubits long. "My name is Abba Balo," he said (11). Then he took fifteen slaves and said to Sarboraddo, "I will come to fight with thee." "What can a slave made prisoner in the woods do to me?" said Sarboraddo. Then they came to combat; at the first dawn Adam killed Sarbo. When Sarob died, Adam took the gold ring from the finger of Sarbo (12). The second day Sarbo, the Dagoye, was buried. "This man is an evil spirit. Since he has taken the gold ring from the king's finger, let him reign," they said and they let him reign.
II. The Reigns of Adam and Gilca. When he moutned the throne of Guma, the throne of the Dagoye, thus did Adam rule. Whether Adam was born of the devil or born of human beings, we do not know. There was no flesh that he did not eat; if he hurled a lance, he did not miss the mark; if he spoke, he did not err. Then he said to the Guma. "Become Mussulmen." The Guma were pagans. Adam abolished the festival of the butta. "This kingdom is a Mussulman kingdom," he said. So Adam quickly made them become Mussulmen (13). When he died, his son of the name of Gilca reigned over Guma. Gilca reiiigned only over the land of the Dagoye.
III. The Reign of Onco. When Gilca died, his son by the name of Onco reigned. Onco fought against Gima, Gomma, and Giera. He made an expedition against Hanna; he made an expedition against the Nonno Gacci. Therefore, he was called abba dula, i.e. "father of the expedition" (14). The lance of Adam was called in ancient times Balo; the lance of Onco was also called Balo. His name was therfore Abba Balo. He married a girl of Gomma. He desired to eat human flesh and therefore he cut the throats (of men). But his wife did not wish it and prepared for him dog's meat. "The human flesh is cooked," she said and gave it to him. "It smells bad! Throw it away!" he said. And thus (his wife) made him give up human flesh. Then he said, "I have done everything. There remains for me to swim in hydromel." He had a great trunk followed out; he had it filled full of hydromel. He immersed himself in it and drank (15). This drink struck him in the chest, killed him.
IV. The Reign of Gawe. When he died, his son by the name of Gawe reigned (16); the name of his lance was Abba Balo as was the name of his father's lance. He married twenty-seven women. Abba Boqa, king of Gimma, sent him seven ambassadors. These seven ambassadors came and entered the house (of the king). (Gawe) secretly had the throat of an ass cut, had it cooked with butter and salt; and gave it to them (17). These seven men ate and spent the night. After this when it was morning, six of the men (of the ambassadors) he sent to the millstone. The seventh, on the other hand, when they brought him forth -- his name ws Abba Malate (literally, "father of cunning") -- went and sat on the millstone. He said to the salve, "Bring some water." Abba Balo was seated on the throne and was looking on. (Abba Malate) washed the stone of the millstone with the water. "Why dost thou wash the millstone?" asked (Abba Balo). "The people of Guma are hard, the cereals of Guma are hard. Let us see whether I succeed at least in softening the millstone by wetting it with water," replied the other. Then, "Have them grind," ordered Abba Balo. Then while they made the millstone revolve quickly, (Abba Malate) sang:
"O wonder of Abba Balo! O wonder of Abba Balo!
We did not think of grinding. We thought of hydromel." (18)
When he had spoken thus, (Abba Balo) ordered, "Rise from that millstone," and he asked him, "What is thy name?" The former replied, "Abba Malate" (literally, "father of cunning"). "Then return to thy country, thou and thy cunning," said (Abba Balo) and sent him away. Then they returned to Gimma and told Abba Boqa how the king of Guma had treated them. "Why hast thou treated my people thus?" Abba Boqa sent to ask (the king of Gua). Abba Balo sent back in reply, "I wish thee to grind, too."
Abba Boqa then declared war on him. Abba Balo asked the king of Gomma to let them pass (through the territory of Gomma). Gomma consented and let him pass. Then they advanced and drew up in battle line on the Faca (19). (The king of Gomma) having had a scout climb up on a tree, the one on the tree shouted, "O Abba Balo! O Abba Balo!" (Abba Balo) raised his eyes twoard that tree. When he looked and saw that man who ws on the tree, he said, "Why do you call me my father?" The other replied, "May the sword cut off the neck of thy father." Then Abba Balo said to the men of Guma, "Bring me an axe, and cut down this tree." They brought an axe, cut down the tree, and thus killed that scout (20). Then Gimma moved forward. The king of Gimma had with him forty-four horsemen (21). The people of Gimma were numerous. The men of Guma could do nothing against that swarm of bees; in one day the army of Gimma destroyed the people of Guma, the army of Guma. The the Guma returned fleeing (to their own country).
Abba Boqa made a law which said, "The warrior who has killed only two enemies may not anoint himself with butter (22); instead it shall be one who has killed four of the people of Guma." Then a man of Gimma, of a good family (23), killed fourteen of the Guma. When he went away after having killed fourteen of the Guma, the king of Gimma himself having asked him, "How many have you killed, young man?" he replied, "I have killed and have taken the genitals of fourteen princes of the Adamites." And the king having asked him, "How do you know that they are Adamites?" he replied, "The pagans of Guma are not circumcised. The Adamites, on the other hand, being Mussulmen, are circummcised (24)." He brought (the trophies) into the presence of King Abba Boqa and showed them to him. Then all the prisoners paid the ransom, and then the king of Gimma let them go. Then he gave the government of a district to Nagari Bato, made him a property owner, and he became a vassal. Guma and Gimma, Abba Boqa and Abba Balo then made peace.
Summary of the last passage of the chronicle.
(See Introduction). The chronicle continues narrating a war which broke out shortly after between Guma and the Lieqa Billo. Garbi Gilo, chief of the Lieqa Billo, cuts a plant of makannisa (croton macrostachys) and binds it to an olive branch. He calls together the assembly of the Lieqa Billo and says he wishes to send the two branches bound together to Gawe Onco, declaring to him that he (Gawe) is the makannisa (a plant despised among the Galla, used as a remedy for venereal diseases), while he (Garbi Gilo) is the ever green olive. The deputation having been sent, Gawe and Garbi prepare for war. Garbi Gilo is advised by his son, Nagau Garbi, to avoid a face to face battle with the army of Guma which is more numerous in cavalry; and instead, to have the army pass through the territory of the neighboring kingdom of Gomma, so as to attack the army of Guma from the rear. Garbi Gilo accepts the advice, calls to his aid Gimma Argo, Gimma Gudaya, Kekku, the Lieqa Sibu, the Lieqa Naqamte, and the Lieqa Horda. Gawe is occupied with these preparations; but nevertheless he sends this word to Garbi Gilo: "You will enter Guma, to be sure, but fastened to the tail of my horse." The contingents of the Lieqa Sibu and of the Lieqa Horda arrive to help Garbi Gilo. The latter having crossed the Limmu territory without a struggle attack the kingdom of Gomma. In a single day Gooma is defeated and the Lieqa arrive at the Faca. Their vanguard crosses the river. The royal enclosure of Gomma is taken by the Lieqa and the king's women are made prisoners; the king of Gomma escapes into the kingdom of Giera. The army of Guma hastens to the Faca; it arrives there on a Thursday evening. Gawe Onco says to wait for the dawn before beginning battle, because he is not a hyena that fights by night. The next day, Friday, the Mussulmen of the Guma army offer their morning prayer. Garbi Gilo sends a messenger to Gawe Onco to inquire of him ironically if before joining battle, he must also wait for the Guma Mussulmen to take their coffee. Meanwhile a column of Lieqa cavallry has crossed the Faca unexpectedly and having crossed the Guma frontier is devastating the country in the rear of the hostile army. Messengers arrive for Gawe Onco who tell him this. Gawe, preoccupied, does not give battle that day. The day after, Saturday, the dvvastations in Guma continue. Gawe on the other hand gives battle and is vanquished. His defeated army is scattered in flight. Garbi Gilo returns victorious to Billo: "I have gained my end! Instead of the five Lieqa having been taken, the Guma have been taken! Instead of the sons of Lieqa having been made prisoner, the sons of Guma have been taken prisoner! Instead of the vulture descending upon my land, the vulture has descended upon the land of Guma, and has ravaged the possessions of Guma! I have gained my end!"
The Folk-Literature of the Galla of Southern Abyssinia
Entered by hand by Richard Seltzer (seltzer@samizdat.com, www.samizdat.com) from Harvard African Studies, Volume III, Varia Africana III, editors E.A. Hooton and Natica I. Bates, Assistant Editor Ruth Otis Sawtell, Published by The African Department of the Peabody Museum of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. 1922
This edition Copyright © 2003 Richard Seltzer. Permission is granted to make and distribute complete verbatim electronic copies of this item for non-commercial purposes provided the copyright information and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. All other rights reserved. Please contact us first if you are interested in making copies for commercial purposes, seltzer@samizdat.com Comments welcome.
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