Thejournal of Oromo Studies

EDITOR Bichaka Fayissa, Middle Tennessee State University, USA ASSOCIATE EDITOR Demissew Ejara, University ofMassachusetts, USA CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Lemmu Baissa, SUNY Institute ofTechnology at UticaIRome, USA Asfaw Beyene, San Diego State University, USA Belletech Deressa, Global Mission, USA Mohammed Hassen, Georgia State University, USA Bonnie K. Holcomb, George Washington University, USA Asafa Jalata, The University ofTennessee, USA Addisu Tolesa, Indiana University, USA EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Mario 1. Aguilar, University ofSt. Andrews, Scotland George Banti, University ofRome, Italy Paul Baxter, University ofManchester, UK Mekuria Bulcha, University ofUppsala, Sweden Bahiru Gametchu, Medical College ofWisconsin, USA Richard Hayward, University ofLondon, UK Jan Hultin, University ofGoteborg, Sweden Said Samatar, Rutgers University, USA Sidney Waldron, SUNY Cortland, USA THE JOURNAL OF aROMa STUDIES VOLUME 8, NUMBERS 1 AND 2, JULY 2001 THE JOURNAL OF OROMO STUDIES POBox 189 MTSU Middle Tennessee State Univetsity Mutfreesboro, TN 37132-0189 TheJournal of Oromo Studies (lOS) is a multi-disciplinary interna tional journal of the Oromo Studies Association, and it publishes original research and book reviews on Oromo studies and othet related issues twice a year. JOS welcomes contributions in all areas of Oromo studies and related fields The acceptance of articles for publication is made by the editor based upon comments and recommendations ofanonymous peer referees in the appropriate field It is our commitment to wotk with authors by responding to them with comments whether or not we publish the manusctipt Articles published in this journal do not neces sarily represent the views of the Oromo Studies Association or those of its officets; individual authors carry full responsibility for the accu racy of the facts and for opinions expressed in the articles © 2001 The Journal of Gromo 5tudi,! All rights reserved ISSN 1070-2202 Subscriptions: Published twice a year One-year individual, $20.00; one year institutional, $40.00 Single copies: $10.00 for individuals; $2000 for institutions Add $5.00 for mailing ourside of the USA Please send manuscripts, business, and editorial correspondence to: Prof Bichaka Fayissa, Editor, The ]ow·nal of Ommo Studies, POBox 189 MTSU, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132-0189 Manuscripts must be submitted in three copies (typed, double spaced) with an abstract of about 200 words. Figures, tables, and maps must be camera-ready Authors must follow the latest edition of the Chzeago Manualof 5tyle Separate notes and references should be at the end of the manuscript Accepted articles must be submitted in a hard copy and on a floppy disk using Microsoft Word THEJOURNAL OF OROMO STUDIES VOLUME 8, NUMBERS 1 AND 2, JULY 2001 Editorial Ovetview i-iv The Lesser of Two Evils Paradigm of Colonial Rule: A Comparative Study of Colonialism in the Sudan and Ethiopia 1-34 Ezekiel Gebissa Understanding Oromo Nationalism: An Historical Perspective 35-72 Okbazghi Yohannes Forms of Subject and Object in Af"an Oromo 73-98 Tilahun Gamta (Xilaahun Gamtaa) Some Features of Traditional Oromo Education 99-109 Melaku Mekonnen Famine as an Instrument for Nation-Building and State Consolidation: Ethiopia's Resettlement and Villagization Prograrus of 1978-1991in Retrospect 111-154 Mekuria Bulcha An Overview of Some Factors Limiting the Migration of the Oromo to Addis Ababa 155-172 Benri Getahun Book Reviews 173 NOTE ON CONTRIBUTORS Ezekiel Gebissa, PhD, is OSA Board member and Assistant Profes sor of History at Kettering University, Kettering, Michigan Okbazghi Yohannes, Ph D, is Assistant Professor of Political Sci ence at the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky Tilahun Gamta was an Associate Professor of Education and Lan guage at Addis Ababa University before he retired in June 1996 In addition to many articles, he has published, two major works, namely: The Ommo EngliJh Dldionary (Addis Ababa University Printing Press, 1989), and 5eera Afaan Oromo (Berhanina Selam Printing Press, 1995) Melaku Mekonnen, PhD, Director of Residential life at the Univer sity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Mekuda Bulcha, PhD, is Associate Professor of Sociology, and Se nim Researcher atUppsala University and Malardalen University, current Vice President of Oromo Studies Association, authm of a book en titled: Fught and Integration, Man Ex'odurfrom Ethiopia and PmblemJ of Integration in the 5udan, Scandinavian Institute of Aftican Studies, Uppsala, 1988, and the editor of Oromo Commentary Benti Getahun, PhD" is currentTreasurer of OSA and Assistant Pro fessor of History at Southern Illinois, Carbondale, Illinois Paul T" W, Baxter, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at University of Manchester, UK He has edited many books, written book chapters, and many journal articles on the Borana Oromo He is on the Editorial Board of The Journalof Oromo 5tudzer Mohammed Hassen, Ph D, is an Associate Professor of History at Georgia State University, current OSA Board member, and past presi dent of OSA EDITORIAL OVERVIEW This volume of T!:Je Tournai of Gromo Studi,.. addresses substantive issues related to colonialism in the Sudan and Ethiopia, the origins of Oromo nationalism, the development of Oromo language, traditional Oromo education, famine as form of state consolidation, and an analy sis of the barriers to Oromo migration into Addis Ababa In his article, Dr', Ezekiel Gebissa argues that the creation of the Ethiopian state has recently emerged as one of the most controversial subjects in the Ethiopian historiography. The debate was engendered by the change in the political life of the nation rather than by a discov ery of new evidence that called for a reassessment of the previous interpretations The antagonists are establishment scholars for whom Ethiopia is an ancient nation which remained independent throughout much of the time Europe ruled Afiica while nationalist scholars are those who argue that Ethiopia is a colonial state which emerged in its present form during the European scramble for Africa, The advocates of the former see the latter's analysis as a malevo lent distortion of Ethiopia's otherwise glorious history and hence a serious threat to the very foundation of the Ethiopian state, They de ride nationalist scholars as academically incompetent and their works as methodologically deficient This essay attempts to provide a reas sessment of past arguments about the creation of the Ethiopian state through a comparative study of developments in the Sudan under the British rule and in the southern lands of modern Ethiopia following the establishment the Abyssinian rule Dr Ezekiel argues that national ist scholars have a good deal invested in the task of reclaiming and making history and that their works are as legitimate any scholarly pur suits, Furthermore, if the pastwere to be an avenue to the future stability and improved way of life in Ethiopia, the views of nationalist scholars must be welcomed and be subjected to constructive criticisms, not vit riol and invectiveness Dr. Okbazghi Yohannes' article traces the historical contours of the Oromo anti-colonial narrative At the outset, Dr Yohannes sug gests that perusal of Oromo historiography suggests that the Oromo contention to the existing state of affillrs in Ethiopia revolves around five points First, the conquest and absorption of Oromia into traditional Ethiopiawas a classic case of colonialism Therefore, the Oromo people, as colonial subjects, were and still remain entitled to decolonization and the establishment of their own State Second, the colonization of Oromia was partly the result of an intra-Abyssinian contradiction, a contradiction that necessitated outward expansion during the last quar ter of the 20th century in search of transferable economic surpluses Third, the Ethiopian colonial plunder of Oromia was carried out with the connivance and, indeed, with active European diplomatic and mili tary support without which Ethiopia could have hardly succeeded in achieving its colonial ventures Fourth, the current Ethiopian constitu tion is more an exercise in political chicanery than in substance The Tigrayan-dominated regime conveniently uses constitutional federal ism as a guise to perpetuate Ethiopian colonial domination over Oromia and the continuation of the Arnhara-Tigrayan hegemony. Fifth, the historical and analytical relevance of the above facts to the contempo rary Oromo situation has been obscured by the mystification of the Ethiopian State as a historically evolved organic whole Finally, he observes that both Ethiopian and Western scholars are equally culpable in obfuscating the Oromo question to the extent that they furnished the intellectual context to the official Ethiopian version of historl' These five salient arguments, forming the core of the Oromo thesis, pose serious historical and theoretical challenges to the national political configuration of the Ethiopian empire today and thus man dating closer examination In his article entitled "Forms of Subject and Object in Afaan Oromo," Professor Tilahun Gamta carefully and painstakingly pre sents the rules goveming a subject and an object in Ataan Oromo One of the rules states, "Verbs that end in -yu, are preceded ouly by a consonant, not by a vowel. Examples: iyyuu (to yell), tayyuu (to be well again) In a workshop on verbs, which Professor Tilahun was chairing, a Finfinnee University student hom Bale raised his hand and said, "What about booyuu

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