Kingdom of Janjero
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Janjero was a tiny kingdom located in what is now Ethiopia
. It lay in the angle formed by the Omo
and the Jimma Gibe Rivers; to the west lay the Kingdom of Jimma
and to the south the Kingdom of Garo. Three mountains — Mount Bor Ama, Mount Azulu and Mount Toba — all distinguish the location of the former kingdom.
kingdoms, until its conquest in 1894 Janjero was "isolated, and had little to do with its neighbors, its rivers being very difficult to cross. Although first visited by Europeans in 1614, until the late 1950s this region remained poorly known to outsiders. As a result, its people were said to have preserved a number of "customs so barbarious and strange that there cannot be any more so."
Some of these alleged customs are as follows:
, as one of several states south of the Abay River that paid tribute in horses to the Emperor. The first kings of Janjero belonged to the Halmam Gama dynasty, which was ejected by the Mwa clan, who claimed to have come from the north.
In 1614, Father António Fernandes
visited the kingdom while looking for a southern route to Malindi
on the Indian Ocean
. Father Fernandes met the king of Janjero, and found him
In 1844, warriors of the Kingdom of Jimma defeated the army of Janjero, and the king of Janjero was taken prisoner. He regained his freedom in 1847, and resumed his struggle against his more powerful neighbor.
Jimma conquered part of Janjero in the 1880s. The rest of the kingdom was annexed in the reign of Menelik II in 1894, and its last king, Abba Bagibo, fled to the Gurage
country, but eventually made his submission to Emperor Menelik. His son Abba Chabsa became a Christian
, and adopted the name Gabra Madhen, and served the Ethiopian who held the fief.
During the reorganization of the provinces in 1942, the former kingdom was absorbed to become part of the Kaffa Province
. However, with the new constitution of 1995, the area Janjero once occupied became the Yem Special Woreda
, which was added to the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region to form the enclave of the Region west of the Omo River.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It lay in the angle formed by the Omo
Omo River
The Omo River is an important river of southern Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya...
and the Jimma Gibe Rivers; to the west lay the Kingdom of Jimma
Kingdom of Jimma
The Kingdom of Jimma was one of the kingdoms in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the 19th century. It shared its western border with Limmu-Ennarea, its eastern border with the Sidamo kingdom of Janjero, and was separated from the Kingdom of Kaffa to the south by the Gojeb River. Jimma...
and to the south the Kingdom of Garo. Three mountains — Mount Bor Ama, Mount Azulu and Mount Toba — all distinguish the location of the former kingdom.
Overview
Although one of the SidamoSidama people
The Sidama people of southern Ethiopia are an ethnic group whose homeland is in the Sidama Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. They number 2,966,474 of whom 149,480 are urban inhabitants, the fifth most populous nation in Ethiopia...
kingdoms, until its conquest in 1894 Janjero was "isolated, and had little to do with its neighbors, its rivers being very difficult to cross. Although first visited by Europeans in 1614, until the late 1950s this region remained poorly known to outsiders. As a result, its people were said to have preserved a number of "customs so barbarious and strange that there cannot be any more so."
Some of these alleged customs are as follows:
- The king had the right to take persons of either sex from their homes to either be sold into slaverySlaverySlavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, or to work for him. - MaizeMaizeMaize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
had been grown in Janjero prior to the late 19th century, but a king forbade its further cultivation because "the cobs were better covered than he, and the 'beards' were like human hair." - Human sacrifice was allegedly practiced until the Ethiopian conquest.
- If a man was wounded in war, his relatives killed him to prevent it being said that he died at the hands of the enemy.
- When a new king came to the throne, all victims of leprosyLeprosyLeprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
and ringworm were sought out and taken to a "hospital" on the other side of the Jimma Gibe River, where they were beheaded.
History
Janjero is first mentioned in a victory song of Yeshaq IYeshaq I of Ethiopia
Yeshaq I or Isaac was of Ethiopia. A member of the Solomonic dynasty, he was the second son of Dawit I.-History:Yeshaq's reign was marked by a revolt of the Beta Israel...
, as one of several states south of the Abay River that paid tribute in horses to the Emperor. The first kings of Janjero belonged to the Halmam Gama dynasty, which was ejected by the Mwa clan, who claimed to have come from the north.
In 1614, Father António Fernandes
Antonio Fernandes (Jesuit)
António Fernandes was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary.-Life:About 1602 he was sent to India, whence two years later he went to Ethiopia, where he soon won favour with Emperor Susenyos....
visited the kingdom while looking for a southern route to Malindi
Malindi
Malindi is a town on Malindi Bay at the mouth of the Galana River, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It is 120 kilometres northeast of Mombasa. The population of Malindi is 117,735 . It is the capital of the Malindi District.Tourism is the major industry in Malindi. The city is...
on the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. Father Fernandes met the king of Janjero, and found him
according to Custom in a fort of rail'd Tower, about six Yards high, liittle more or less, 7 Yards and a half over, as we shall see anon, and the Stairs up to it in the back Part. All the courtiers stood below, and he on the top of the Elevation, which was not unlike a Cart Wheel, sitting on a Carpet, and there it is he gives Audience, decides Controversies, and dispatches all Business. He was clad in a white Silk Indian Garment, and was himself as black as Cole, but had not the Features of a Cafre.
In 1844, warriors of the Kingdom of Jimma defeated the army of Janjero, and the king of Janjero was taken prisoner. He regained his freedom in 1847, and resumed his struggle against his more powerful neighbor.
Jimma conquered part of Janjero in the 1880s. The rest of the kingdom was annexed in the reign of Menelik II in 1894, and its last king, Abba Bagibo, fled to the Gurage
Gurage
Gurage is an ethnic group in Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, its population is 1,867,377 people , of whom 792,659 are urban dwellers. This is 2.53% of the total population of Ethiopia, or 7.52% of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region...
country, but eventually made his submission to Emperor Menelik. His son Abba Chabsa became a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, and adopted the name Gabra Madhen, and served the Ethiopian who held the fief.
During the reorganization of the provinces in 1942, the former kingdom was absorbed to become part of the Kaffa Province
Kaffa Province, Ethiopia
Kaffa was a province on the southwestern side of Ethiopia; its capital city was Jimma. It was named after the former Kingdom of Kaffa.Kaffa was bordered on the west by Sudan, on the northwest by Illubabor, on the north by Walega, on the northeast by Shewa, on the east by Sidamo, and on the...
. However, with the new constitution of 1995, the area Janjero once occupied became the Yem Special Woreda
Yem special woreda
Yem is one of the 79 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. Because Yem is not part of any Zone in the SNNPR, it is considered a Special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area. Yem is named for the Yem, or Janjero,...
, which was added to the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region to form the enclave of the Region west of the Omo River.