Shum

Shum ( äthiop. ሹም , appointee ) was in imperial Ethiopia the title for an administrator, commander or general boss appointed from a higher position. In addition to the title of the Shum, some administrators also had the name of the area they administer (e.g. Wag Shum, Shire Shum, Temben Shum, Agame Shum, Gurage Shum).

First of all, all Shum were equal. Later the Wag Shum (ዋግሹም), which administered the area of Lasta with the important Wag district, developed to the highest level among these administrators. The Wag Shum owed this outstanding position to the importance of the Agau people , which they have up to the present day. He was only allowed to be appointed by the emperor from members of the Agau people. The title was equal to the dignity of a Ras . The Wag Shum had the right to appoint 3 Dejazmach .

Also very influential were the Agame Shum and Temben Shum (ሹም ታምብየን), which corresponded to the rank of Dejazmach and were awarded by the emperor exclusively to people who came from the areas of Agame and Temben respectively .

With the end of the monarchy in Ethiopia, the function of the Shum also ended .

literature

Andrzej Bartnicki, Joanna Mantel-Niećko: History of Ethiopia ("Historia Etiopii"). Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1978.

From the beginning to the end of the 19th century .
From the beginning of the 20th century to the present .