The first one is the system in which the members of each class are recruited strictly on the basis of chronological age which the anthropologists call Age Sets(read more in chapter 5). 2 (Summer, 1956), pages 171-190, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics", https://www.peoplegroups.org/Explore/groupdetails.aspx?peid=14769, 2007 Population and Housing Census of Ethiopia, "The Genetic Structure and History of Africans and African Americans", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boorana&oldid=1152099502, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 05:55. Dabballes hair will never be cut and he will have a fictitious name until the naming ceremony (ceremony of passage to the second Gadaa grade) is undertaken. Though the nomenclature of each five cyclic Gadaa classes varies across the Oromo land, in essence, all are the same. The legacy of the Abba Gadas lives onThe decisions made by the Borana traditional councils extended to the use of natural resources. namely the Gada class or the Warra Bora. Keywords: Gadaa, indigenous institution, Oromo, conflict resolution, Awash River Basin, Borana. Like modern parliaments today this Borana parliament would summon sittings to make, repel or ensure that the laws were being followed. It is reasonable to question the reason why do most indigenous peoples of East Africa including the Oromo did organize social structure based on continuous age-groupings and periodic rituals? Age is one of the basic elements for age-group formation. Abba Gadas: The Ancient Borana Leadership System Across the dusty plains, under the shade of acacia trees six old men can be seen sitting together. 0000006983 00000 n age, initiation, interval, and size) the more it gets complicated. RM HWJN1P - Kura Jarso the 71st Borana Oromo Abba gadaa in his house, Oromia, Yabelo, Ethiopia. Kurraa Jarsso Diddo is the next Abba Gada in Borana Oromo Gada System of leadership,Kurraa will be in power for the period of 2017-2025. In this respect, Gadaa is a holistic (social, economic, political and religious) system in essence and perhaps this fact made it difficult to define unanimously the Gadaa system by simple and clear terms. According to Asmerom Legesse's book entitled "Gada Three Approaches to the Study of African Society", the Gada system is a system of classes (luba) that succeed each other every eight years in assuming military, economic, political, and ritual responsibilities. Nevertheless, it is customary that one person has to lead a team whenever there is a team of leadership. 4 0 obj And the possession of the defining institutions of Qaallu (the spiritual leader) and the common Gadaa government seems to have been the special mark of the Oromo people. By Ibrahim A. Elemo (M.D., MPH) The Borana Oromo has a very prominent traditional system of governance-the Gada System. As a result problem in a relation to incorporation of late or early born children often arises. (LogOut/ Considering the symbolic significance of Gadaa for the Oromo, as well as its structural innovations, researchers in law, indigenous studies, and pan-Africanism are exploring how the system could be utilized in the 21st century. Gadamojjii (full retirement) is the terminal and sacred stage of the Gadaa grade refers to that are entering into or going out of the gadamojji Gadaa grade. This is the Adula council; they have come to debate as to who should manage the wells. The laws, norms, values, and ideals of the Gadaa System are compatible with existing international human rights instruments. [1] It is also practiced by the Konso and Gedeo people of southern Ethiopia. Before proceeding to the discussion of Gadaa institutions it is necessary to clarify these conceptual understandings. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In this line, one may regard that age-sets are something common among different ethnic groups of the region to the extent that there is no distinction among them. The more the elements decrease (e.g. However, its use of genealogical generations as its organizing elements makes it different and unique. 0000007783 00000 n Marra Grass or pasture Muru Cutting, making a judgment or decision Nagaa Peace/cosmic harmony Nagaa Booranaa Peace of Borana It was the central institution of the Oromo people that contain complex and extraordinary features. Abba Gadas: The Ancient Borana Leadership SystemAcross the dusty plains, under the shade of acacia trees six old men can be seen sitting together. In Boran, the junior gamme are called the sons of Guyyo and the senior gamme are called the sons of Liban. That is, they are named after the two Abba Gadaas, Abba Gadaa Guyyo Gobba (incumbent) and Abba Gada Liban Jaldessa (ex-Abba Gadaa). They are in the last stage to the Gadaa stage and are in one part of stages of Borana system. 185 0 obj <> endobj The late Donald Levine has said[26] that Gadaa is "one of the most complex systems of social organization ever devised by the human imagination". Occasionally, the Gadaa leaders come from the Ethiopian . The objectives of this study were to assess the status of tick infestation in relation to climate change, teats blinding and milk production and to estimate the economic losses caused as a result of the effect Regarding persons with special responsibilities, the Abba Gadaa, the elected chairman of the class leadership presides over the assembly. In this regard, due to the rigidity of the Gadaa principle, the moment a member of the family fails to stick to the rules of timing for legitimate procreation, the whole generational chain is brought out of step. Junior gamme and senior gamme are the sons of two distinct Gadaa classes and they are named after the Abba Gadaa (Gadaa class) in power. Post author: Post published: December 1, 2021 Post category: usmc drill instructor speech Post comments: family tree vincent tan first wife family tree vincent tan first wife It is appropriate to discuss who can enter into gadamojjii and who is leaving. All Gadaa officials were elected for eight years by universal adult male suffrage. The second in command who is also the supreme leader of the whole Borana community is referred to as Abagadha. Spiritually, Boranas believe that there is a supreme Being in charge of their worldly affairs and upper dominion, they believe that there is a creator called 'WAQ'. However, in the case of the Gadaa political system, as long as they (semi-retired men) are not declared individually incapable due to factors such as incapacity (physical or mental) and not fully retired (traditionally known as yuubomu that is after completing the four yuuba period); they have duty to serve as legal experts and advisers to Gadaa council in power. For the South American sub-language, see, Borana Gadaa system- a form of government that is in existence for the last 567 years, The Oromo of East Africa, Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, Vol. As a result, we will have early born and late-born sons. [2][3][4], Under Gadaa, every eight years, the Oromo would choose by consensus nine leaders known as Salgan yaii Borana (the nine Borana assemblies). Since they were semi-nomadic, their population growth did not match with those of their neighbors both in Kenya and Ethiopia, this put them at risk to lose much of their territories. Besides, the term generation has been used in different literature in connection with kinship descent, cohort, life stage and historical periods, which further complicate it. The people would hold elections to elect a new crop of leaders every eight years according to tradition, Indeed, democracy existed in Africa long before the white man ever set foot on the African continent and strong, age old dynasties are not the preserve of Europe and Asia. Each active Gadaa classbeyond the first three gradeshas its own internal leadership (Adula) and its own assembly (yaaaa), but the leaders of the class become the leaders of the nation when their class comes to power in the middle of the life cyclea stage of life called Gadaa among the Boran or Luba among the central Oromo. At each level of the development or Gada grade, the classes hold corporate responsibilities. A democratically elected leader, the Abba Gada, presides over the system for an eight-year term. However, for Lues all the four yuuba Gadaa grades constitute twenty-four years in sum. "I feel very weird announcing this, but tomorrow I begin a new journey hosting mornings on [610 WTVN]. The president was called the Abba boku. His eyes still shine with the rigors of his youth. In the state of Oromia under the Federal system of Ethiopia, the Gadaa system started a renaissance across Oromia. However, Gadaa is one as well as three: life, time and history. Gada is an existing system in Borana Oromo. First, individuals who are leaving gadamojji grade are the fathers of the members of the sixth Gada grade (Gada class in power). CigpOW$lAkHc-,Q%HvzcUu86e9riK!Q ; 5/2}36"qt0F{X;! . Elementary age-sets are the basic sets not tied to other variables such as initiations, the interval between father and son and other elements discussed hereinabove. 0000009706 00000 n Besides, daballe are free and irresponsible groups. In the interpretation (conception) of the Gadaa system, there are several concepts that are understood differently by different scholars. Shujaa Stories is a production by Tuzi Creatives, Managed by Tuzi Consultancy LTD. Across the dusty plains, under the shade of the acacia, six old men regard one another. 0000002248 00000 n Put it differently, the generational aspect comes in with the moment of initiation, whereby a male, along with his brothers (who belong to the same class as he himself), gets introduced to the system in chronological accord with the life-course timing and set belonging to his father. ;.En!PHI At this Gadaa grade, all elected Gadaa councilors at the kuusaa Gadaa grade will assume power at the sixth Gadaa grade. Thus transition to Kusa is accompanied with a formal ceremony. Problems and Purpose The Borana custom makes it mandatory that the men and women who belong to the Gada class of Kurraa Jarsso Diddo undergo circumcision only when their Gada class as a whole reaches the Gada stage of active leadership.This is true for other successive Gada classes, the Abba Gada in the Oromo Gada system is rightfully considered as the prime minister rather than a president who can make decisions alone. First and foremost, one has to be clear that Gadaa class refers to the group of people who share the same status and who perform their rites of passage together. He concludes that the Gadaa systems' technique of 'consensus through dialogue' is unique but firmly rooted in Western democratic norms, and thus well suited to adoption within Ethiopia's federally structured democracy. Oratory, the art of public speaking, is highly valued in Oromo society; the forms of delivery, the wit of the speaker, his tone of voice, his posture, eye contact and ability to command the attention of the audience are skills to be honed and admired. However, what initiation, interval, and genealogical generations constitute is not clear. Second, it also makes senior gamme acquire/share experiences with one another for future collective responsibilities. Just another site . The other council-men bow in reverence. To be nominated as a candidate as well as to be possibly elected the Borana consider the following criteria: personal qualities (skills such as courage, patience, open-mindedness, reconciliatory and orator); competence of the candidate among his peers and his knowledge (commitment for) of cultural values; antecedents such as betrayal, fraudulent, untruthfulness and others prohibits him from competing; historical achievements of his forefathers (the more his forefathers had accomplished positive deeds to the Boran and to the Gada System; the more the candidate owes high probability to be elected); the candidate has to have a positive image before his own clan and other clans; and recommendation from religious (Qallu) institution. [11] It is the brainchild of Oromo from the Madda Walabu district of Oromia. Gadaa was developed over five centuries with the purpose to foster social, political, economic and military matters collectively. Hence the coming to power of each Gadaa class once within forty years (i.e. 12, No. Herds of cattle or camels were not allowed to go there unless there was an extremely severe drought. June 22, 2022; list of borana abba gada; alton funeral home; what is joel riley doing now . Old and wise as his years, he trudges along, stick in hand. The nomenclature of the ceremony of passage to Gadamoojjii itself is known as the rite of incense exchange (qumbi wallraf udachu not balli walirrafuchu). Once they are elected freely and fairly, they will remain de facto councilors of their Gadaa class for two consecutive Gadaa grades (i.e. Since then their system remains full tradition. the former is horizontal and refers to the collective, the latter is vertical and defines the responsibilities assumed successively throughout their careers. Each Gadaa class remains in power during a specific term (Gadaa ) which begins and ends with a formal transfer ceremony. There are five Gadaa parties known as shanan Gadaa Oromoo. Abbaa Gadaa is another name for Abbaa Boku. After a few minutes, the head of the council arrives, the Abba Gada or 'father of Gada' as he was called in the Borana tongue. Asafa Jalata, Gadaa (Oromo Democracy): An Example of Classical African Civilization, Journal of Pan-African Studies (2012). This begins when sons join the system as members of Gadaa class (generation class or set) forty years after their fathers and continue passing from one Gadaa grade to the next every eight years. The Gadaa System is a system of generation segments or Gadaa classes that succeeded each other every eight years in assuming political, military, judicial, legislative and ritual responsibilities. A political party known as GSAP (Gadaa System Advancement Party) bases its ideology on the principles of Gadaa. Another peculiar activity at the Raba (especially at its early stage), is the appointment of two auxiliary groups known as jaldhaba (executive officers) and torbie (conscripts). In incorporating the age-classification system, Gadaa is similar to age-sets practiced by the Masai, Kikuyu, and the Nuer. Political Participation is open to all Borana, decisions are taken under the guidance of the ritual leaders, the Abba Gadaa and the councilors. The assembly had the president, two vice presidents and six other very important officials who ran the Borana administration. Had it been so, some argue that Gadaa would have been extinct long ago. They are economically affected and politically caught between these colonial governments and many struggles between them. It is still able to preserve its structural values though various external challenges tested it to abolish or decline it through time. division 3 college athletic director salary. However, before traveling to different houses, they had to notify in advance the mothers of age-mates so that they will arrange the trip and feast for them. Accordingly, these customary leaders become the custodians of Borana pastoralists' nat ural resources through These were the Abbaa Cha a, the chair of the assembly, Abbaa Dubbi, the speaker, Abbaa Seera, the Memorizer of laws Abbaa Alanga the judge, Abbaa Duula, the army commander, Abbaa saa in charge of the economy. These parties follow the five world views of the Oromo people. There may be no refuge left for them in severe droughts. The Eleven Regular Gadaa cycle among the Boran Among the Boran people the Gadaa System embraces eleven basic Gadaa grades: five active, five passive and one liminal (full retirement) stage. This is the reason why the Borana Oromo chooses to call the Abba Gada of Harboora Assembly Hayyuu Fiixe, or Adula Fiixe, which literally means the prime councilor. For example, certain areas, such as forests, were set aside as drought refuge. Of course, the legacy of ones family and the past accomplishments of a clan councilor has a great influence in the decision that is made to nominate the would-be councilors. According to the Oromo worldview, all are established by divine will. Today we seem to have forgotten these important rules, and cattle invade and damage forests every dry season. A son to be initiated (along with his peers and to form a generation-set), he has to be five Gadaa grades away from his fathers set. Boranas harmoniously lived with their neighbors through sharing and helping during hard times like prolonged drought seasons, till colonial powers set in and instigated colonial wars and redrew the African territories into colonial boundaries. Men who married could also participate or send representatives to the assembly. Despite the emergence of various autonomous Gadaa systems, the central principles of the system remained intact. [1] It is also practiced by the Konso and Gedeo people of southern Ethiopia. Hence when such event occurs, additional councilor (s) will be elected to fill the gap (serve as substitutes for deceased councilor (s). Lastly, they remain as an informal group of friends and kinsmen rather than as members of a Gadaa class until they reach the third Gadaa grade. Gada system, an indigenous democratic socio-politicalEthiopia Representative List 2016 EN: Guyo Goba, the seventieth Abaa Gada of the Borana Oromo, ties 'kallacha' headgear on his forehead which is a symbol of power, and bearing a staff known as Hororo and a whiplash (Litcho) in his hand and wearing shorts (Hida) These were the Abbaa Chaffa, the chair of the assembly, Abbaa Dubbi, the speaker, Abbaa Seera, ,the Memorizer of laws Abbaa Alanga the judge, Abbaa Duula, the army commander, Abbaa saa in charge of the economy. cyclic but neither in a sense of reincarnation nor is it a closed cycle. They were the Gada class or the Warra Bora. These parties have different names in different parts of Oromia as the result of Oromo expansion and the establishment of different autonomous administrative systems. Nevertheless, water resources scarcity in the country is to be understood in terms of its spatial and temporal distributions. Herds of cattle or camels were not allowed to go there unless there was an extremely severe drought. The grade passes from one stage of development to the next every eight years. The parliament, called Gumi Gayo, functions just like a present day senate with the same roles. A few of them are pulling at their scraggly white and ochre beards while nodding in agreement. He is a councilor representing his clan like the rest of the councilors with the same and equal vote and authority when a decision is to be made. <> The second meeting is after four years. Each luba consists of all of the sons in another particular class. <<51B1CC5AE372B54BB6E33B35BC5182B1>]/Prev 120898>> ]OYQP"Turc/"vw@kO80;:qcGx$aAcR!C:yawD$'em -S+|$vwxpAF$>KI]fOX=Vm5 Wu "QP4,CRs(Jq He and his team will vote from 17 sub-clans of Borana, one parliament member from each sub-clan. His eyes still shine with the rigor of his long past youth. This . Copyright shujaa stories 2018, Childrens Program Saturday, April 13th, Venice Biennale Delegation x British Council (2022). .Married men could also participate or send representatives to the assembly. A few of them are pulling at their scraggly. <>/ExtGState<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.32 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> [8] Another estimate in 2019 suggests 874,000 Boranas in Ethiopia, 210,000 in Kenya and 10,000 in Somalia.[9]. Second, in Boran Gadaa System there are five Gadaa classes that are basically cyclic (i.e. Tenna Dewo. 5 X 8) ensures not only power transfer but also the maintenance of quality leadership thereof. The assembly had the president, two vice presidents and six other very important officials who run the Borana administration. Among the Boran, however, similar (age wise) male generations will undergo a variety of rites of passage together as they approach each new phase every eight years. As discussed elsewhere, the two groups are cross-cutting structural units that operate as complementary institutions as long as both are represented by living members. They ensured that the laws made in the higher levels of authority reached the people. There may be no refuge left for them in severe droughts. Third, it is also part of the ceremony to plant a flag made from white and red colored garment called a (baqqalaa faajjii) (a white flag).

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