The Oromo of Ethiopia: A history 1570-1860

Abstract

Starting in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and increasingly during and since the sixteenth century, the Christian literature of Abyssinia, the Muslim literature from Harar, and European travelers' accounts make considerable reference to the Galla. This was a name, applied by outsiders, by which the Oromo were known until recently. the term is loaded with negative connotations. The Oromo do not call themselves Galla and they resist being so called. In this study I employ Oromo, the name which they have always used. The Oromo constitute a good half of the population of Ethiopia. They are also the largest national group in the Horn of Africa and have been so at least since the nineteenth century. However, careful examination of the sources on Ethiopia reveals that much has been written on the Oromo by anthropologists, while Oromo history has been totally neglected. Take, for instance, the important work of Dr. Taddesse Tamrat covering the period from 1270 to 1527, which...