A futuristic, governance 2.0 project called BitGadaa[31] draws inspiration from the principles and structure of Gadaa. . Occasionally, the Gadaa leaders come from the Ethiopian . As younger men, some of these old men may have also sat in the Borana Assembly or the Salgan yaa Borana. Borana. Whereas Gadaa grades are the phases of development through which the members pass. He was the leader of qandala (army) and was elected by the people. The discrepancy between the two models of counting amounts to three years and it arises from the timing of the Power (ballii) transfer ceremony. q@7EabWzk[5 \ra:;t Jv*6Vx\liFQ$,eW\81+gdq LV=wQ,/Rn9/?J &8,PD+- Q+7VcAu `KT9p]^) t>D]jK*Vs0eOJgL^`5.2'Lx/!*YtJ4T-tF5i@A;G /q8v<6_ |g[8U. The Abagadha and others of his age pass through an education system that will last for forty years after which he will take over the leadership as Abagadha. However, to be initiated to the Gadaa system, in principle, they have to be always five Gadaa grades apart from their father. Despite the Gadaa system being an egalitarian social system, women were excluded from passing through age-sets and generation-sets. However, before traveling to different houses, they had to notify in advance the mothers of age-mates so that they will arrange the trip and feast for them. >3 w%Q2]H==\SZHSC3HJx{ e#ggm RvPuE2@+1oB2\$kWvctwF~EhJ6p,? These were the Abbaa Chaffa, the chair of the assembly, Abbaa Dubbi, the speaker, Abbaa Seera, ,the Memorizer of laws Abbaa Alanga the judge, Abbaa Duula, the army commander, Abbaa saa in charge of the economy. It is a brick that most indigenous peoples of East Africa use to organize and structure their society (based on age relatedness). Gada Harboora is considered to be the senior of the three assemblies and it is also the Gada assembly for all of the Borana society. Put it differently, the generational aspect comes in with the moment of initiation, whereby a male, along with his brothers (who belong to the same class as he himself), gets introduced to the system in chronological accord with the life-course timing and set belonging to his father. (LogOut/ Hence, among the Borana, late-born sons of a man should be introduced to the same Gadaa grade as his brothers despite the difference in their age. @ gad&Cv7pc[D.~"= vadR,sH!~(lS=5nTy %MtaZ,q'I32#N+ ~t6>Es){6?9d(HDx&Axdy[?T ` L(M? |+x#nADbiCg_ SC^Y|s+WR?bry06NRIQ#kE>MOwVMIVui0CjWP!]z+*UrP% 6iy^?haM?S*p]vo+SRX'u?0TRp4r";o_YJ9PXEL' H+wdXp+AuH>NrKIz8}OcN;vcXpg e$ According to the Oromo worldview, all are established by divine will. It was purely invented by the Oromo and it is one of the most remarkable political systems which was highly democratic with effective legislative and judicial institutions. Many Borana people prefer to be Muslims rather than Christians since the religion of Islam concurs in many ways with their tradition. 185 0 obj <> endobj This is the Adula council; they have come to debate as to who should manage the wells. Those in Kenya and Ethiopia speak Borana language that is closely related to Oromo, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the large Afro-Asiatic language family. Scholars and. @F% Portuguese products available Online we mail to all lower 48 states. rules are determined by Abba Gada (the leader of Oromo democratic institution named Gada in which Borana is one of the branches) together with council of elders or messengers of Abba Gada. Each luba consists of all of the sons in another particular class. The nomenclature of the ceremony of passage to Gadamoojjii itself is known as the rite of incense exchange (qumbi wallraf udachu not balli walirrafuchu). Abba gadaa Stock Photos and Images. 0000001731 00000 n But the OLA accused the Abba Gada, who are elders in the Oromo culture, of being hand-picked by the government. The purpose of these activities is to first make the members of the grade be aware of their class and peer group. 0000012528 00000 n Oromo philosophy, art, and calendar are based on Gadaa as an expression of Oromo civilization. The Borana and Guji groups near the Ethiopian-Kenyan border were able to practice Gadaa without interruption. It is an indigenous system of government where leaders are elected to position of authority through the will and active participation of the people they represent.For people who have studied the system and worked with the Gada Councilors, it is absolutely clear that Gada is a functioning democracy. Asafa Jalata, Gadaa (Oromo Democracy): An Example of Classical African Civilization, Journal of Pan-African Studies (2012). It is, therefore, wrong to conceive the idea of retirement or leaving the office here as in the west where a person is relieved from his or her official duties and s/he cannot come back to leadership positions. 0000002211 00000 n 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). Where a rightly born son perfectly fits into the principle, the late-born sons cannot, and the option they have is to run behind their elder brothers. There is an intergenerational correspondence between the hemicycles that: the first Gadaa grade is linked to the fifth, the second is linked to the sixth, the third is linked to the eighth, the fourth is likened to the ninth, the fifth is likened to the tenth, and the sixth is likened to the liminal/final (Gadamojjii) stage. Politically, it has a system of government where the overall leader is God himself and many unknown things are referred as 'Waqa Bekh', a sentence that can be equated to a Supreme Being knows. Hence, it is customary to move from home o home to find their age-mates. The Borana Gada council of Ethiopia has been involved in Kenyan democratic elections for a long time to achieve the desired political goals. 00:00. Herds of cattle or camels were not allowed to go there unless there was an extremely severe drought. Had it been so, some argue that Gadaa would have been extinct long ago. His eyes still shine with the rigor of his long past youth. The council men bow in reverence. These requirements are similar in three aspects: both are formed every eight years; both pass from one stage to another; and in both active members pave position in both systems. 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. These councilors must pass through a rigorous training for years about the laws and the customs of Borana, and the wisdom of leading a society before they take the position of authority in Gada. All Gadaa officials were elected for eight years by universal adult male suffrage. Second, generational relationship and generation-set are mutually interdependent, due to likened lives and interlocking trajectories across the generations. He takes a seat at the head of the council as he has done, for eight years, since the beginning of his rule. 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. 0000001244 00000 n For example, a thesis by Z. Sirna[29] entitled "Ethiopia: When the Gadaa Democracy Rules in a Federal State" explores how the system could be integrated with the contemporary federal structure of Ethiopia, serving as a governance mechanism for the Oromia Regional National State. The Borana Oromo has a very prominent traditional system of governance-the Gada System. The class in power is headed by Abba Gadaa in Borana, Abba Bokku elsewhere. Hence Gadaa class is the cross-cutting three organizations: age-sets, generation-set, and moieties, (luba) and the age-sets (hariyya). On the other hand, it also ends some of the privileges they used to enjoy and it brings minor social duties to them. The class in power is headed by Abba Gadaa in Borana, Abba Bokku elsewhere. 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) The two groups then become cross-linked, cross-cutting, structural units that operate as complementary institutions so long as they are both represented by living members. 0000008615 00000 n Accordingly, where the first five years of the senior gamme are characterized by joyful activities (singing, dancing and experience sharing) the remaining consecutive three years is the period of being considered as members of the Gada class rather than as a mere member of age-sets. The average Daniel O'Neil is around 53 years of age with around 57% falling in to the age . They keep camels traditionally together with cows and goats. QSLBe3x\y+eOkh-5EU/ Participedia Contributors, "The Gadaa System of the Oromo People," last modified September 7, 2018, Retrieved from, This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 05:08. The ruling group has the responsibility to assign senior leaders and experts to instruct and counsel these young men in the importance of leadership, organization, and warfare. The Abbaa Boku and his two colleagues are chosen from the oldest or most distinguished families, which are known as `families of Hayu. The principal function of the Abbaa Boku is to preside over the parliament to proclaim the laws, and to act when necessary as a ritual expert in the Gadaa-ceremonies. Friday 28 April, 2023 Horn Affairs News Articles Interviews The distribution of genealogical generations (G). Abba Gadas: The Ancient Borana Leadership System. For five hundred years, the Borana have religiously followed this system of ruling themselves because it has kept them together, in unity. Major Oromo clans have established the centers of their Gadaa at several places based on their territorial settlement. Each one of the eleven Gadaa grades equally bears eight-year periods and they are based on genealogical generations. The system regulates political, economic, social and religious activities of the community. This was a very unusual moment in the Boran history of power transfer ceremonies. 0 Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In this regard, research have been undertaken to examine Gada system of different Oromo clans. This committee includes members of the PP party in Oromia, members of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF, of which the OLA is an outlawed splinter group), the Abba Gada council, and religious leaders. Gada is a complex system that incorporates pivotal institutions such as moggaasa (naturalization), guddifacha (adoption), araara (conflict resolution), gumaa (reparation), rakoo (marriage law) waaqeffannaa (Oromo religion) and Siinqee (institution to safeguard women right). They ensured that the laws made in the higher levels of authority reached the people. Seldom did division occur even among the council men because they were of the same age set like the ones who ruled before them. In the state of Oromia under the Federal system of Ethiopia, the Gadaa system started a renaissance across Oromia. Gadaa class refers to a segment of genealogical generations constituted by two cross-cutting elements: age-sets and moieties. [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). Junior gamme is the second Gadaa grade that has to be established through transition rite. The Gada assembly to which the Abba Gada Liiban Jaldeessa belongs is called Gada Harboora. Though the nomenclature of each five cyclic Gadaa classes varies across the Oromo land, in essence, all are the same. A party come to power once every forty years. 0000002322 00000 n It is evident from the Boran Gadaa history that there is the high percentage of premature (before assuming political power) death. stream June 22, 2022; list of borana abba gada; alton funeral home; what is joel riley doing now . Both types of social groups are formed every eight years. Hence elementary age-sets are organized in such a way that male generations who are approximately the same age share similar collective military, economic, political or ritual responsibilities. Below this assembly was the Kenyan MCA equivalent, the councillors, Hayyus who made the less weighty decisions. In the border regions of Ethiopia-Kenya and southwestern Somalia, one estimate places about 1,094,000 people as Boranas. The entire grade progresses through eleven different grades, each based on an eight-year cycle, and each with its own set of rights and responsibilities.[20]. Their time cuts across two consecutive supreme leaders and they serve and take instructions from both. The other is a system in which the members are recruited equally strictly on the basis of genealogical generations. Borana are polygamous, with a husband being the head of the family. The class forms its own internal officials (adula hayyus) and its own assembly (yaaaa). During the election the activities such asthe assurance of readiness of recommended candidates and notification thereof within the reasonable period of time for election campaigns; fathers of the candidates may be part of the election process; and lastly, notification of election results takes place. The second meeting is after four years. Leaders are not only elected to position of authority to maintain the laws and the rules of the land but also made accountable for every decision they make during their tenure as councilors of their own constituency and leaders of the society.According to the Borana Oromo Gada System, the Gada is made up of three assemblies of active leaders and their immediate family members called Yaaa. However, for Lues all the four yuuba Gadaa grades constitute twenty-four years in sum. 0000009706 00000 n The Gada system is a class system that succeeds each other every eight years in assuming political-military administration, economic management, and other social activities. The Borana age-set (hariyya) is an institution or organized on age and generational relationships. This article is about East African ethnic group. age, initiation, interval, and size) the more it gets complicated. It was the central institution of the Oromo people that contain complex and extraordinary features. Currently dominantly, they live in southern Ethiopia (called Borana Liban and Dirre /Liban-Dirre Gada territory) and Northern Kenya (Borana Saku and Borana Waso/ Saku-Waso Gada territory). Page 1 of 1. 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". cyclic but neither in a sense of reincarnation nor is it a closed cycle. Second, it also makes senior gamme acquire/share experiences with one another for future collective responsibilities. 0000009484 00000 n In nutshell, at the Raba Gadaa grade the following Gadaa executive bodies have to be constituted: The Executive officers (jaldhaba)comprising not less than six members; and. Legesse[24] has written that Gadaa is "one of the most astonishing and instructive turns the evolution of human society has taken". The assembly had the president, two vice presidents and. 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. Asmarom (1973) is one of the scholars who studied the structure of Borana Oromo's Gada system. <<51B1CC5AE372B54BB6E33B35BC5182B1>]/Prev 120898>> 216 0 obj <>stream in the fourth year of Abba Gadaas term office). For example, if a father belongs to the Gona moiety and he is at the fifth Gadaa grade and if he got a son at that stage, his son will be initiated to the same Gadaa class as a dabballe) like his father. The late Jatani Ali Tandhu (Shaalaqa) was such a figure, born into a Borana family in southern [], [] Many identify themselves as Borana. The Karrayyu clan has one Adula Hayyu in Gada Harboora. The president was called the Abba boku. Since Gadaa is found not only on age-groups but also on generation-sets, hence, understanding the generational relationship and its role is vital. 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. 0000002053 00000 n Political Participation is open to all Borana, decisions are taken under the guidance of the ritual leaders, the Abba Gadaa and the councilors. The first has nothing to do with genealogical ties. Like modern parliaments today this Borana parliament would summon sittings to make, repel or ensure that the laws were being followed. They are recognizable by their hairstyle known as guduru which is typically feminine (the Borana likens them to girls at this stage). endstream endobj 186 0 obj <> endobj 187 0 obj <>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 270/Type/Page>> endobj 188 0 obj <> endobj 189 0 obj <> endobj 190 0 obj <> endobj 191 0 obj <> endobj 192 0 obj [/ICCBased 198 0 R] endobj 193 0 obj [/ICCBased 197 0 R] endobj 194 0 obj [/ICCBased 196 0 R] endobj 195 0 obj <>stream There may be no refuge left for them in severe droughts. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Below this assembly was the Hayyus or councillors who made the less weighty decisions. 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. 185 32 Between the third and fourth Gadaa grades, boys become adolescent and initiated into taking serious social responsibilities. The fathers and mothers then stood to face each other around the flag, and the fathers sang a song of praise to their wives The transition ceremony takes no less than two weeks. [27] Siinqee feminist represent women in the gadaa system.[28]. How Perfect Is Ethiopian Calander? Amongst the Borana, the people would hold elections to elect a new crop of leaders every eight years according to tradition. [15][16], The Oromo governed themselves in accordance with the Gadaa system long before the 16th century, when major three party wars commenced between them and the Ethiopian Empire to their north and Adal Sultanate to their east and south. hb``e``~p:XaSj0ck"/ H0w4 W1MdP+ggc` X _D8{NZ8008da4`8a@QI"Aw ~9 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. 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.
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