Oromo Origins Lost in the Shadows of History

The nation of Ethiopia is the umbrella for over 70 ethnic groups; the largest group is the Oromo people, comprising almost 40% of the total population. In 1994, when Ethiopia became a federal republic, eight regional states were created along ethno-linguistic lines; the state of Oromia covers the most land area, including the capital, Addis Ababa. The Oromo tribes include Afar, Agaw, Baja, Darassa, Konso, and Sidama, among others.

The origin of the Oromo people is lost in the shadows of history. Their language family is Cushitic, a branch of the Afroasiatic family, spoken in Somalia, Djibouti, northeastern Kenya, and Ethiopia. Some ethnologists believe the people in this language group originated from Cush, an area in southern Egypt and northern Sudan and thus have occupied the Horn of Africa for thousands of years, possibly even before the arrival of the Abyssinians or habasha in the northern highlands of Ethiopia. Others-considered detractors by Oromo historians-believe they originated in the area of Somalia and invaded Ethiopia in the sixteenth century. Whether it was an invasion or an attempted liberation of the Oromo from the Abyssinians, one of the results was the fortification of the town of Harar against the Oromo: the people of the town built high walls flanked by 24 towers and controlled entry through five gates.

A third theory of origin, perhaps whimsical but not without circumstantial evidence, was put forth by Martial De Salviac in his book "The Oromo" published in 1901. He believed the Oromo people may be descendents of people from Gaul, an ancient region in Western Europe. These people-adventurous, fearless, and hungry for conquest-spread into Ethiopia through two routes: one group followed a caravan route that began in Mauritania, transversed Libya, and traveled south on the Nile; another group from Gaul entered through Carthage and traveled up the Nile into Ethiopia. His theory was partly based on two suppositions: the mythology of the Oromo and the similarities between Oromigna (also Oromiffa) and the language of the Gauls. He pointed out that myths of some Oromo-related tribes assert that they came from where the sun goes down; that is, to the west of Ethiopia, along the shores of the Atlantic. Then he compared the words and structure of the two languages, showing their striking similarity.

De Salviac discussed at length the origin of the word Galla, the name by which the Oromo people are known outside their own group. Galla means "go home." At the end of a battle in which they were victorious (which apparently happened frequently), the warriors would steady their spears and chant "'sons,' Galaa." Roughly translated it means "the battle is over, the spears are stilled, and it is time for the sons to go home."

But some words lose their original freshness and turn sour, becoming an insult to the people to whom they are directed. This is true in the case of "Galla." Today these tribes prefer to be called "Oromo" which means "son of Orma," the name of the personage whom all the tribes claim as their father.

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