Kingdom of Jimma

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The Kingdom of Jimma was one of several kingdoms that formed in the Gibe region of southwest Ethiopia in the 19th century .

It was bordered to the west by Limmu-Ennarea and to the east by Janjero , part of the Kingdom of Sidamo . The river Gojeb formed the southern border to the Kingdom of Kaffa . Jimma was considered the most powerful of the Gibe kingdoms from a military point of view.

The king acted as a despot . The residents of Jimma were considered equal to one another on many issues: everyone was allowed to own property and there was no nobility.

economy

Until 1945, in Jimma, as in the rest of Ethiopia, mainly Maria Theresa thalers (MT) and amole (salt bars) were used as means of payment.

As in the rest of the Gibe kingdoms, Jimma was a source of the slave trade . Until the time of Menelik II, slaves were publicly sold. According to the Lewis reports, King Abba Jifar II owned up to 10,000 slaves. Until the 1930s , the slave trade continued in camera. However, the possession of slaves was no secret until the Emperor Haile Selassie and the Italian occupiers finally succeeded in abolishing it. (See also East African slave trade , Inner African slave trade .)

The living conditions of the slaves in Jimma were usually humane; they were allowed to marry, they were allowed to own property (including slaves) and they were allowed to inherit the things their parents had amassed. Families were seldom torn apart. However, they had no official rights and could be beaten at any time for no reason. Escaped slaves were beaten and chained.

Coffee ( Arabica coffee ) was only grown commercially at the time of King Abba Jifar II . Another source of income was the extraction of civet oil , which was used to make perfume .

history

The beginnings of Jimma's story are obscure. However, it is known that before the Great Migration of the Oromo, this area was part of the Kaffa Kingdom . Legend has it that a great sorceress and "queen" named Makhore brought a number (figures vary between five and ten) Oromo tribes to Jimma. She wore a boku (usually the property of the abba boku or leader in the hierarchical age group system, gada ), which, as soon as he touched the earth, made it shake and spread fear among people.

It is said that with this boku she drove the local kaffa across the Gojeb River. This representation seems to indicate that the Oromo, as invaders, drove the people who originally lived here from the area. Herbert S. Lewis notes, however, that the Oromo society assimilated other peoples. If the Oromo made ethnic differences, these are only reflected in the history of different kin groups.

Eventually the Oromo became dissatisfied with Makhore's rule, ruse ripped her away from her innocence and destroyed her power. From then on the paths of the numerous tribes were separated. They were loosely combined in an alliance that held its meetings in Hulle and passed laws through the abba boku . At that time, Jimma was known as Jimma Kaka .

Initially, the Badi from Sak'a were the dominant clan, which led to the alternative name Jimma Badi . Later, in the 18th century , the Diggo from Mana began to expand their sphere of influence, defeating the Lalo clan near Jiren and gaining access to the market and trading center of Hirmata, today's Jimma . Finally, under Abba Jifar I , the kingdom was unified and from then on often referred to as Jimma Abba Jifar . King Abba Jifar converted to Islam and began the lengthy process of converting the entire kingdom to that religion.

Under King Abba Gomo , the ancient kingdom of Garo was conquered and incorporated into Jimma. The king settled rich men from his empire in the former state and brought important men from Garo to Jiren, thereby achieving an integration of the two constitutions.

Shortly after the accession of his son Abba Jifar II to the throne, the power of the Negus of Shewa made itself felt in the Gibe region for the first time in centuries. Lewis states: "Borrelli, Franzoj and other travelers accorded him little hope of retaining his kingdom for long." (Borrelli, Franzoj and other travelers gave him little courage to keep his kingdom for a long time.) Following the wise advice of his mother Gumiti , he submitted to Menelik II and agreed to pay tribute to the Negus . He advised the kings of neighboring kingdoms to follow his example. However, none of these followed his advice, whereby King Abba Jifar unexpectedly enthusiastically helped his master defeat his neighbors. Kullo fell to Shewa in 1889 , Walamo in 1894 and Kaffa in 1897 . In 1928, Jimma's tribute payments were 87,000 MT plus 15,000 MT for the Army.

After the death of Abba Jifar, the emperor Haile Selassie used the opportunity to finally incorporate Jimma. The country was officially incorporated into the Ethiopian state. When the regions were reorganized in 1942 , it disappeared in the Kaffa region .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Herbert S. Lewis: A Galla Monarchy. Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia, 1830-1932. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI et al. 1965, pp. 66 f.
  2. ↑ George WB Huntingford: The Galla of Ethiopia. The Kingdoms of Kafa and Janjero (= Ethnographic survey of Africa. North Eastern Africa. Vol. 2, ZDB -ID 446768-1 ). International African Institute, London 1955, p. 26.
  3. ^ Herbert S. Lewis: A Galla Monarchy. Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia, 1830-1932. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI et al. 1965, p. 65 notes that the gada system in Jimma was almost completely forgotten in 1960, and claims that its application may have ended a generation or two earlier.
  4. ^ Herbert S. Lewis: A Galla Monarchy. Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia, 1830-1932. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI et al. 1965, p. 38.
  5. ^ Herbert S. Lewis: A Galla Monarchy. Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia, 1830-1932. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI et al. 1965, p. 41 f.
  6. ^ Herbert S. Lewis: A Galla Monarchy. Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia, 1830-1932. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI et al. 1965, p. 43.
  7. ^ Herbert S. Lewis: A Galla Monarchy. Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia, 1830-1932. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI et al. 1965, p. 45.
  8. ^ Herbert S. Lewis: A Galla Monarchy. Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia, 1830-1932. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI et al. 1965, p. 61.