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IDENTITY IN ETHIOPIA: THE OROMO FROM THE 16 TH TO THE 19 TH CENTURY By Cherri Reni Wemlinger A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Washington State University Department of History August 2008 To the Faculty of Washington State University: The members of the Committee appointed to examine the thesis of Cherri Reni Wemlinger find it satisfactory and recommend that it be accepted. ___________________________________ Chair ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENT It is a pleasure to thank the many people who made this thesis possible. I would like to acknowledge the patience and perseverance of Heather Streets and her commitment to excellence. As my thesis chair she provided guidance and encouragement, while giving critical advice. My gratitude for her assistance goes beyond words. Thanks are also due to Candice Goucher, who provided expertise in her knowledge of Africa and kind encouragement. She was able to guide my thoughts in new directions and to make herself available during the crunch time. I would like to thank David Pietz who also served on my committee and who gave of his time to provide critical input. There are several additional people without whose assistance this work would have been greatly lacking. Thanks are due to Robert Staab, for his encouragement, guidance during the entire process, and his willingness to read the final product. Thank you to Lydia Gerber, who took hours of her time to give me ideas for sources and fresh ways to look at my subject. Her input was invaluable to me. There are so many others who contributed to the completion of this work in important ways and I would like to acknowledge them: the staff in the history department Pat and Dewayne who always had a good word to share and a smile on those days when it was sorely needed, the staff at the WSU libraries who pulled and re-shelved hundreds of books, and my fellow graduate students in the history department who encouraged me along the way. Final acknowledgement goes to my parents who raised me with the idea that I could do whatever I put my mind to if I was willing to put in the work needed to accomplish the task. Their love and support through the years has been a constant source of inspiration. iii IDETITY I ETHIOPIA: THE OROMO FROM THE 16 TH TO THE 19 TH CETURY Abstract By Cherri Reni Wemlinger, M. A. Washington State University August 2008 Chair: Heather Streets This thesis looks at changing identity through the history of the Oromo people of Ethiopia from the 16 th to 19 th century. Using culture, religion, and identity to situate the mechanisms used by the Oromo, I explore how they have maintained and altered their sense of self; it seeks a better understanding of the role identity maintenance and formation play in the unfolding of world history. The diverse history of Ethiopia provides a unique venue for studying cultural change. Ethiopia had global connections throughout Asia and the Middle East, maintaining strong trade relations with Egypt, Arabia, the Mediterranean, and Eurasia. These trade relations were an important element in the spread of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism into the area that is modern day Ethiopia. Although there has been considerable contact between these religious systems, there still remain distinct practices which reveal clues about the agency groups have used to create their own identities. The cultural group that will be the focus of this thesis are the Oromo. The Oromo constitute the largest ethnic group in modern day Ethiopia. They are an eastern Cushitic speaking people. The Oromo began to move north into Abyssinian territory after fighting iv between the Sultanate of Adal and the Christian Solomonite kingdom, in the 16 th century weakened both groups and gave the Oromo an opening to relocate. The Oromo chose different religious identities to define themselves and to gain power in their new homes. The Oromo identify as a single ethnic group, but are also subdivided into smaller groups related to their families of origin. The Oromo practice Islam, Christianity, and Oromo religion. Even though they have adopted diverse religious beliefs systems, these systems all bear distinct Oromo cultural elements. The Oromo exercised power over their own identities, defined their own cultural and religious character, and have maintained their ethnic distinctiveness. This thesis will provide a blueprint for looking at religion as a system used to define and empower. By investigating the syncretism of religious systems and the methods used by specific groups of people to shape their own identities in the face of changing political and cultural environments, it is possible to identify some of the mechanisms used by minority cultures to shape and maintain identity. v Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENT .................................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 Historiography .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Concepts of Power, Religion and Identity ............................................................................................... 14 Considering Culture ................................................................................................................................ 19 What Lies Ahead? ................................................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 2: Historical Context ...................................................................................................................... 21 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 49 Chapter 3: Identity, Culture, and Religion .................................................................................................. 51 Religion and Culture among the Oromo ................................................................................................. 68 Chapter 4: Oromo Cultural Identity ........................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 5: Conclusions ............................................................................................................................ 101 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................. 103 vi List of Figures Figure 1: Aksumite Kingdom at its zenith ................................................................................................... 21 Figure 2 Map of Oromo Area ...................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 3 Oromo Genealogy ......................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 4: Map of Ethiopia today ................................................................................................................. 25 Figure 5 Tewodros II ................................................................................................................................... 44 Figure 6 Menelik II....................................................................................................................................... 47 Figure 7 Haile Selassie ................................................................................................................................. 49 Figure 8: The Oromo in Ethiopia ................................................................................................................. 76 Figure 9 Berilla, An Edjow Galla, 1809. ....................................................................................................... 83 vii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my children Erik, Elizabeth, Zachary and Joshua Wemlinger without whose support and love I could never have completed this project. Also included are Tessa, my daughter-in-law, and Cora and Declan, my grandchildren, who offered diversion and perspective during the completion of this project viii “Peoples create their own histories by making choices within a framework of opportunities and constraints. In the historical interaction of small groups within a larger state and social formation, the context of constraints and opportunities changes over time, as do the choices and actions of the smaller groups.” 1 James Quirin Fisk University Chapter 1: Introduction The purpose of this thesis is to explore how the Oromo who lived within the borders of modern day Ethiopia used elements of their own culture to maintain their distinct identity in spite of the influence of non-Oromo religions and how they molded these religious systems to accommodate their cultural identity between the 16 th and 19

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