Saint Joseph School History Short note for Grade 11

The Leeqaa States

 In the present day Wallaga, east of the Didessa River, the Leeqaa group of
the Macha Oromo underwent a similar socio-economic and political
transformation.
 There were several Leeqaa Oromo groups.
 The two main groups - Leeqaa Naqamtee and Leeqaa Qellam -
formed their own polities of the same name about the mid-19th
century. Here,
 like the Gibe region, the authority of Gadaa officials was increasingly
challenged by powerful Abbaa Dulaa.
 One of these Abbaa Duulaa was Bakaree Godana.
 Bakaree Godana;
 He emerged as a powerful leader around 1851, challenging the existing
Gadaa leadership and establishing a centralized monarchy.
 He unified a number of Leeqaa families around Naqamtee and
established an agriculturally resourceful polity.
 His base was at Wacha (the nucleus of Naqamtee).
 His son and successor, Moroda Bakaree (r. 1868-89), extended his
family`s influence and power over the Leeqaa groups and even beyond to
the Sibu group through a combination of war and diplomacy.
 He was succeeded by his son, Kumsa Moroda in 1889.
 During Menelik expansion, Kumsa Moroda negotiated terms that allowed
him to retain a degree of autonomy while acknowledging imperial
authority.
 He was baptized and took Christian name Gebre Egziabher.
Leeqaa Qellam;
 It emerged to the south west of Leeqaa Naqamte.
 Abbaa Duulaa Tulluu unified the Leeqaa Qellam Macha Oromo
groups.
 Tulluu established a strong polity based on;
 the rich agricultural resources of the region and
 trans-frontier gold trade with the Sudan.

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  Trade was also conducted with the neighboring Sheikhdoms of Aqoldy
(Assossa) and Benishangul.
 The dynasty was further consolidated by Tulluu`s son and successor,
Dejjazmach Jootee Tulluu.
 The Benishangul (Berta) and Gumuz;
 were the two indigenous inhabitants of the Benishangul- Gumuz
region along the Ethio-Sudan border.
 During the 19th century, the Benishangul established three important
Muslim Sheikhdoms along the Ethio-Sudanese border. They were
Assossa (Aqoldi), Benishangul and Khomosha.
 The main factors for the rise of these Sheikhdoms were;
o the influence of Islam from the Sudan and
o trans-border trade.
 The abundance of gold and other natural resources in the region
attracted the invasions first by the Egyptians and then Mahadists of the
Sudan.
 Similarly, in the Gumuz inhabited land of Metekkel another Sheikhdom
called Gubba emerged in the 19th century.
8.1.2.3. Local Chiefs of Gambella Peoples
 Gambella is a region in western Ethiopia known for its ethnic diversity.
 During the period before the mid-19th century, Gambella was the home to
five ethnic groups.
 The main ethnic groups include:
1. Anuak (Anywaa)
 Indigenous to the region.
 Primarily settled along rivers like the Baro and Akobo.
 Agro-pastoralists—practice farming and fishing.
 The Anywaa had an indigenous administrative system whereby
each village was ruled by a Kwaari (village headman) and a Nyiye
(noble).
 The population of each village, consisting of several hundred people
was the largest political unit.

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  Both Kwari and Nyiye are hereditary offices, and while village
headmen are from different lineage, nobles belong to a single
royal lineage.
 Speak the Anuak language (Nilotic).

2. Nuer
 They are also indigenous to the region; related to the Nuer of South
Sudan because there has been a constant wave of movement of
people from what is now South Sudan since the 17thc.
 They are predominantly pastoralists (cattle herders), which was the
backbone of their economy, supplemented by crop production.
 Social status in the Nuer community was determined by the number
of cattle owned.
Administration;
 The Nuer political system lacked formal authorities to compel
and bring social order.
 In the past, the Nuers were ruled by many types of spiritual
leaders and ritual experts. Khor Muon in charge of peacemaking.
 Khor Touch in charge of issues on water, and Khor Tang in charge
of war, were some of their spiritual leaders.
 The main responsibility of spiritual leaders was to advise people on
their respective fields of specialization
 Speak the Nuer language (Nilotic).
 Reside mostly in the western and southern parts of Gambella.
3. Majangir (Majang)
 Indigenous group living mostly in the highland forest areas of
Gambella and bordering Oromia.
 Known for shifting cultivation and honey production.
 Speak the Majang language (Surmic, a branch of the Nilo-Saharan
family).
 They also practiced hunting and gathering.
4. The Opuo and Komo;
 They also live in southern Sudan.

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  They are settled agriculturalists.
 Fishing, gathering and hunting are their supplementary economic
activities.
In addition to the above indigenous people of Gambella, there were highland
communities which includes Amhara, Tigrayans, and Oromo who migrated to the
region, especially during and after the Derg regime.
 They moved to the region partly for economic reasons.
8.1.3. Eastern States
8.1.3.1. Harar
 Harar was the center of the Walasma Sultans of Adal, which was a very
powerful state between the 15th and 16th centuries.
 The immediate successor of Imam Ahmad, Emir Nur ibn al-Wazir, built the
Jugol wall surrounding Harar in 1552-53 to safeguard the Harari from attacks
by the enemy.
o It was registered by UNESCO as World Heritage Site in 2006.
 In 1577, the pressure of the advancing branches of Barantu Oromo
forced the Sultans of Adal to shift the political center from Harar to Aussa in
the north east of the Awash Valley.
o The Emirs of the Harari people continued to pay annual tribute to
the Sultans of Aussa until the mid-17th century.
o This tributary relationship was broken when a local Harari dynasty
was established which declared the independence of the Emirate.
o The founder and first ruler of the dynasty was Emir Ali Dawud (r.
1647-1662).
o Under this dynasty, Harar became the most important trade center in
the east for the next two centuries.
o It was strategically located between the trade routes of Northern
Somali ports of Zeyla and Berbera, and the interior of the Ethiopian
region.
o The city minted its own coin as early as the 17th century.
o The control of these trade routes made Harar a very prosperous
Emirate.

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 o The commerce of Harar brought about economic interaction
between the Harari, the Oromo, Somali, Afar and other peoples of the
region.
o Economic interdependence facilitated the closer and peaceful
interaction among the peoples.
 The Oromo in the fertile territories surrounding the walled city
of Harar produced grain, varieties of fruits and vegetables.
 Harari possessed well developed handicrafts.
 The Somali and Afar also brought animals to Harar for
exchange.
 The main factors for integration were;
a. Economic links,
b. marriage relations, and
c. above all, Islam
Religion;
 Harar was an important center of Islamic learning and culture.
 A number of mosques were built in the city. The Grand Mosque and the
palace of the Emir were the most important standing structures in the city.
 Harar is often referred to as the “Fourth Holy City of Islam” (after Mecca,
Medina, and Jerusalem), especially within African Islamic traditions.
 There were also a number of religious shrines (82 mosques and 102
shrines) in the city dating back probably as far as the 10th century.
External relation
 The Emirate of Harar had economic and political relations with Yemen
and other parts of the Arabian Peninsula through the ports of Zeyla and
Berbera.
 Many foreigners including Arabs, Persians, Turks, Armenians and the
Greeks lived in the city.
 On the contrary, the Emirs of Harar were suspicious of Europeans.
 Europeans who tried to enter the city were often imprisoned or killed.
 It was only the British national named Richard Burton who, disguised as an
Arab, was able to stay in the city for ten days in 1855.

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  On his return to Europe, this traveler disclosed the wealth of the city and its
strategic importance to the outside world. As a result, the Egyptians led by
Mohammad Rauf Pasha occupied Harar from 1875 to 1885.
Indigenous rule
 The Harari Afocha - the Harari people have a longstanding tradition of
self-rule, cooperation and maintenance of peace and order through its
traditional institutions.
 Afocha (association) is the prime indigenous institution of self-help
association for cooperation.
 Afocha is a voluntary mutual aid association (like a social club or
cooperative), made up of members—usually from the same neighborhood or
extended families.
 It is non-political and community-based, deeply rooted in Islamic and
Harari traditions.
 The term likely comes from the Harari word for “group” or “association.”
 Settlement of disputes through customary mediation is the other
significant role of the Afocha, which is accepted by members at the moment
of admission.
 The Harari of all occupations could be members of an Afocha.
 Since Afocha is sex specific, both males and females have their own
Afocha with differing functions.
 The male Afocha is known as Aboch, and the female Afocha is known as
Endoch.
 The Afochas among the Harari are strongly egalitarian in ideology and
practice. This served as a mechanism to control class conflict within
Afocha, and created an atmosphere of social solidarity within the old city.
 Nowadays, Afocha is being practiced by other peoples of the area as well
notably the Oromo.
Collapse;
 In 1887, Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia conquered Harar at the Battle
of Chelenqo, incorporating it into the expanding Ethiopian Empire.
 The last emir, Abdullahi II, was defeated, ending Harar’s independence.