24/04/2024
The Oromo of Harerghe: Some Remarks on “Galamso”, “Aw-Seid” and “Oda Bultum”
By Afendi Muteki
The town of Galamso has historical significance in the tradition of the Oromo of Harerghe. Yet its name is very odd; it has no exact meaning in Afan Oromo and other languages. No town or village in Ethiopia and elsewhere in the world is called by this name except the single town which is situated at the heart of Carcar province. So what does “Galamso” mean? The answer to this question takes us to some interrelated topics which can show us the impressiveness of the ancient tradition of the Oromo people.
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The Ittu Oromos, who are native to “Carcar” province, say that the name “Galamso” came from a compound noun “Galma Usso” which was to mean “Usso’s hall” or “Usso’s worship house”. The name refers to a small mosque built by a man called “Usso”. Basically “galma” refers to a worship house of the ancient “Waqqffannaa” religion of the Oromo people. However, the Oromos used to call a worship house of any religion by this name. An interesting point here is not the way the name was derived but how the mosque could be built on the Oromo land where the law of the time didn’t allow it.
The Ittu Oromos say the man who built the mosque at Galamso was actually “Aw-Seid”, a saintly figure who tried to Islamize the Oromos of Carcar province in ancient times. His given name was “Seid Ali”. Latter on the public added a prefix “Aw” to his name to indicate his sainthood (this is done in the manner of the Somalis and the Hararis who call their saints and national heroes so).
The elders say when the Oromos were reformulating their constitution and workings laws (“Heera” and “Seera”) at “Odaa Bultum” in early 13th century, they asked “Sheikh Abadir” of Harar to send with them a scholar who would assist them by giving legal advices. So Sheikh Abadir send “Aw Seid” to Oda Bultum up on certain agreements; that “Aw Seid” would live and act according to the law of the Oromo land, that he would assist the Oromos in drafting the laws; that he would remain as a legal adviser of the people, that the Oromos take care of him and his family; that he would practice his religion freely and build his mosque at his place of residence, that he can work and own properties.
Based on the aforementioned agreement reached between the Oromos and Sheikh Abadir of Harar, elders say, “Aw Seid” came to the Oromo land and built his residential house at Galamso. He was officially adopted to the Oromo citizen and made “ilma gosaa” (adopted son) of the Warra Qallu clan (one of the ten clans that make up the Ittu Oromo). On the adoption ceremony, the Oromos gave him the name “Usso”.
When “Aw Seid” built his mosque short time later, the Oromos started to call it “Galma Usso” just to mean “mosque of Usso”. The newly built structure became a sign that would indicate the place and its surroundings. And in the long period of time, the Ittu elders say, the name “Galma Usso” evolved to “Galamso”.
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The Oromo elders say “Aw Seid” became a chief legal adviser of the “Caffe Gadaa” assembly of “Oda Bultum and the “Mana Bokku” of the Ittu Oromo and he lived on this service for many years. He also became a chief traditional healer of the era since he had wide knowledge of Arabian and African medicines. Because of his preaching efforts, few people accepted Islamic faith.
As time passed, dispute rose between the Oromos and “Aw Seid”. The origin of the dispute is narrated in different ways; some elders say “Aw Seid” has changed many of the traditional working laws of the Oromos and thus the land of Oromos was attacked by serious drought that persisted for three consecutive years. The people felt that they became sinful for altering the traditional law of their forefathers. The leaders of those dissatisfied people gathered and asked for the return of the ancient Oromo laws. The Caffee Assembly called an extra-ordinary congress and reformulated the laws according to the ancient tradition of the Oromo people. And at the end, they sent back “Aw Seid” to Harar where he passed the rest of his life and died.
Contrary to the above, other elders say that a son of “Aw Seid” was killed by certain Ittu man but the Oromos paid the blood money of the dead as though the he was “amba” (non-citizen). “Aw Seid” asked for higher payment arguing that his dead son was already a “lammi” (citizen) because he was born in the Oromo land. He couldn’t reach an agreement with the Oromos so that he became frustrated and returned back to Harar where he came from.
These two views are widely narrated in different story lines. But the writer of this essay observed that the latter view has many supporters. An act that strengthens this view happened in 1991 when the renaissance of “Caffee Gadaa” assembly was celebrated at Oda Bultum after its disappearance for more than hundred years. At that time, thousands (and this writer as well) attended a ceremony on which the Oromos gave many cattle to the family (clan) of Aw Seid as unpaid blood money of his dead son. The Oromos say when their land was conquered by Emperor Minilink’s army, their forefathers told them that the trouble was happened to them because they annoyed a big saint which contrary to the Oromo ethical code (the ancient Oromos used to pay a respect to saints of any faith and they wouldn’t attack the shrines and worship houses of those religious figures) and that they established a tradition urging the future generations to pay the blood money of Aw-Seid’s son whenever they will get their freedom.
On the other hand, the interrelation between “Aw Seid” and “Oda Bultum” can be expressed by one vital fact; throughout the life experience of the writer of this article, “Oda Bultum” is also called “Aw Seid” and many people continue to call it by this name.
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The history of the mission of “Aw Seid” partly appears in scholarly written records, many hagiographic documents as well discuss it. On the other hand, the name of “Aw Seid” appears many times in the list of the saints of Harar (in his full name “Aw Seid Ali”). Accordingly, the validity of the above Oromo oral traditions is unquestionable. However, the time is disputed. Many scholars including Professor Ulrich Braukamper say that the mission of Aw-Seid was probably a phenomenon of 16th Century. This view makes good historical sense on two grounds. First, many written sources agree that the Eastern Oromos established their separate Caffee Assembly at Oda Bultum only after the second half of 16th Century. Second, the Ittu elders say that it’s 69 Gadaas (i.e. 552 years) since the Oda Bultum assembly was founded separately to serve the eastern Oromos; prior to that the Oromos of Harerghe held their Caffee Assembly at Oda Walabu (found in Bale) together with Arsi and Karrayu Oromos.
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“Aw Seid” is a saint associated with Galamso town. An establishment of permanent settlement on the current site of the town is ascribed to him although its urbanization process took many years (few centuries). On the other hand, a perennial river that rises from the western side of the town is called in the name of “Aw Seid” which can show the strong bond existing between the saint and the town. In the last century, a small “galma” (prayer house) and a shrine was built at a place thought to be a sight of the ancient “Galma Usso”.
Why “Aw Seid” selected the site of Galamso town and built his mosque there is still unclear. Some say Galamso was the seat of “Mana Bokku” (President’s Office) in ancient times and Aw-Seid settled there in order to be close to the administrators of the time; others say he’s residence was decided by the Warra Qallu clan who adopted him as their son. As the town is surrounded by two places called “Caffee” which are regarded as the remnants of ancient local “Caffee”s, as a place like “Halaya Buchoro” where the Oromos used to execute criminals by throwing to a chasm is located in its vicinity, and as the town was the only one which had seven “karra” (gates) in the Oromo tradition (five “karra” according some sources consulted recently), then it seems to the writer of this essay that the former story can tell us the most likely reason. That is, Galamso might had been the seat of “Mana Bokku” of the ancient Ittu Oromo tribal administration and that could be a reason for which “Aw Seid” settled there and built his mosque (“Galma Usso”).
Written by Afendi Muteki
February 8, 2013
Harar, East EthiopiaConsulted Works
አፈንዲ ሙተቂ፡ ፉጉግና የሀረርጌ ኦሮሞ ፣ በአዲስ አድማስ ጋዜጣ፣ አዲስ አበባ፣ ሰኔ 20/2001
አፈንዲ ሙተ: ኦዳ ቡልቱም በሀረርጌ፣ በአዲስ አድማስ ጋዜጣ፣ አዲስ አበባ፣ ሰኔ 27/2001
Bahru Zewde: A History of Modern Ethiopia 1855-1991, Addis Ababa University Press, Addis Ababa, 2007
Mohammed Hassan: The City of Harar and the Spread of Islam Among the Oromo in Hararghe, A Paper Presented on African Studies Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, November 11–14, 1999
Mohammed Hassan: Minilik's Conquest of Harar and its Effect on the Political Organization of the Surrounding Oromos, in D.L. Donham and W. James , Working Papers of Society and History in Imperial Ethiopia, The Southern periphery up to 1900s, School of African Studies, London, 1980
Richard F. Burton፡ First Footsteps in East Africa or The Exploration of Harar, Longman, Green, Brown and Longman, London, 1856
Ulrich Braukamper: Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia: Collected Essays: Lit Verlag Münster, Munster, 2004
picture:Oda Bultum ,Ittu,Oromia
Oromia Country
