Kingdom of Jimma
Encyclopedia
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 was considered the most powerful, militarily, of the Gibe kingdoms. Dawro, an Ometo dialect, was the native language but is losing ground to Oromo
.
Although the king can be described as a despot
, the citizens of Jimma were otherwise considered his equals: all could own property, there was no nobility, and the other citizens addressed him as an equal and not as a superior.
migrations the territory this kingdom came to occupy had been part of the Kingdom of Kaffa. According to legend, a number of Oromo tribes (variously given from five to 10) were led to Jimma by a great sorceress and "queen" named Makhore, who carried a boku (usually connected with the abba boku, or headman of the Oromo Gadaa
system) which when placed on the ground would cause the earth to tremble and men to fear. It is said that with this boku she drove the Kaffa people living in the area across the Gojeb River. While this suggests that the Oromo invaders drove the original inhabitants from the area, Herbert S. Lewis notes that Oromo society was inclusionist, and the only ethnic differences they made are reflected in the history of various kinship groups.
Eventually, the Oromo grew unhappy with Makhore's rule, and through a ruse deprived her of her virginity, and destroyed her power. The various tribes then pursued their own courses, loosely bound into a confederation that held councils at Hulle, where laws were passed under the abba boku; at this point, Jimma was commonly referred to as Jimma Kaka.
At first, the Badi of Saqqa
were the predominant clan (which led to the alternate name of Jimma Badi), but late in the 18th century another group, the Diggo of Mana, began to extend their domain, conquering the Lalo clan who lived around Jiren
, and gaining access to the market and trade center at Hirmata (later called Jimma
). Mohammed Hassen believes that the Badi lost their predominant position in part due to raids by king Abba Bagido of Limmu-Ennarea
, but also due to constant infighting. It was during the reign of Abba Jifar I
that the kingdom of Jimma coalesced, and after this time Jimma was frequently referred to as Jimma Abba Jifar. King Abba Jifar also converted to Islam
, and began the long process of also converting his entire kingdom to that religion.
Under king Abba Gomol
, the ancient kingdom of Garo was conquered and absorbed into Jimma. King Gomol settled wealthy men from his kingdom in the former state, and brought important men from Garo to live at Jiren, thus integrating the two polities.
It was shortly after his son Abba Jifar II assumed the throne that the power of the neguses of Shewa
began to reach into the Gibe region for the first time in centuries. As Lewis notes, "Borrelli, Franzoj and other travellers accorded him little hope of retaining his kingdom for long." However, heeding the wise advice of his mother Gumiti, he submitted to Menelik II, and agreed to pay tribute to the negus, and counseled his neighboring kings to do the same. However, none followed his example, and King Abba Jifar instead found himself enthusiastically aiding his Shewan master conquer his neighbors: Kullo
in 1889, Walamo in 1894, and Kaffa in 1897. In 1928, the tribute of Jimma amounted to MT 87,000 and an additional MT 15,000 for the army.
Following the death of Abba Jifar II, Emperor Haile Selassie seized the opportunity to finally annex Jimma. As Harold Marcus observes, the kingdom's "autonomy had been undermined by the declining world economy, the deteriorating health of its ruler, the road that slowly advanced from Addis Abeba, the advent of air power, and the transcendent needs of modern, centralized power." On 5 May 1932, the official newspaper Berhanena Selam editorialized that the kingdom was in danger because her king, Abba Jifar, was old and ill and his grandson and heir longer properly obeyed the central government and was using the kingdom's revenues to build up an army. Seven days later, on 12 May 400 soldiers and a team of administrators descended upon Jimma and brought the kingdom to an end. During the reorganization of the provinces in 1942, the last administrative traces of the kingdom vanished into Kaffa Province
.
s (MT) and salt blocks called amoleh were used as currency until the reign of Emperor Menelik II.
Like the other Gibe kingdoms, Jimma was a source of slaves
, who were sold openly until the reign of Menelik II. Lewis reports estimates that King Abba Jifar II
had as many as 10,000 slaves. Until the 1930s, slaves continued to be sold out of the public eye, but openly owned, when Emperor Haile Selassie and later the Italian occupiers
managed to abolish it. (See also African slave trade
).
The condition of slaves in Jimma was usually humane, for they were allowed to marry, own property (including slaves in turn), and inherit what their parents managed to accumulate; families were rarely broken up. However, they had no official rights, could be beaten at will, and run away slaves were beaten and kept in chains.
Coffee
(Coffea arabica
) became a major cash crop in Jimma only in the reign of King Abba Jifar II. Another source of income was the extraction of oil from Civet
s, which was used to make perfume
.
Gibe region
The Gibe region is used to indicate a historic region in modern southwestern Ethiopia, to the west of the Gibe and Omo Rivers, and north of the Gojeb...
of Ethiopia
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...
that emerged in the 19th century. It shared its western border with Limmu-Ennarea
Limmu-Ennarea
The Kingdom of Limmu-Ennarea was one of the kingdoms in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the 19th century. It shared its eastern border with Jimma, its southern border with Gomma, and its western border with Gumma. Beyond its northern border lay tribes of the Macha Oromo...
, its eastern border with the Sidamo
Sidama 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...
kingdom of Janjero
Kingdom of Janjero
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...
, and was separated from the Kingdom of Kaffa
Kingdom of Kaffa
The Kingdom of Kaffa was an early modern state located in what is now Ethiopia, with its capital at Bonga. The Gojeb River formed its northern border, beyond which lay the Gibe kingdoms; to the east the territory of the Konta and Kullo peoples lay between Kaffa and the Omo River; to the south...
to the south by the Gojeb River
Gojeb River
The Gojeb River is eastward-flowing tributary of the Omo River in Ethiopia. It rises in the mountains of Guma, flowing in almost a direct line its confluence with the Omo at....
. Jimma was considered the most powerful, militarily, of the Gibe kingdoms. Dawro, an Ometo dialect, was the native language but is losing ground to Oromo
Oromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
.
Although the king can be described as a despot
Despotism
Despotism is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. That entity may be an individual, as in an autocracy, or it may be a group, as in an oligarchy...
, the citizens of Jimma were otherwise considered his equals: all could own property, there was no nobility, and the other citizens addressed him as an equal and not as a superior.
History
The origins of Jimma are obscure, although prior to the OromoOromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
migrations the territory this kingdom came to occupy had been part of the Kingdom of Kaffa. According to legend, a number of Oromo tribes (variously given from five to 10) were led to Jimma by a great sorceress and "queen" named Makhore, who carried a boku (usually connected with the abba boku, or headman of the Oromo Gadaa
Gadaa
Gadaa is the traditional social stratification system of Oromo males in Ethiopia and northern Kenya; it is also practiced by the Gedeo people of southern Ethiopia. Each class, or luba, consists of all of the sons of the men in another particular class...
system) which when placed on the ground would cause the earth to tremble and men to fear. It is said that with this boku she drove the Kaffa people living in the area across the Gojeb River. While this suggests that the Oromo invaders drove the original inhabitants from the area, Herbert S. Lewis notes that Oromo society was inclusionist, and the only ethnic differences they made are reflected in the history of various kinship groups.
Eventually, the Oromo grew unhappy with Makhore's rule, and through a ruse deprived her of her virginity, and destroyed her power. The various tribes then pursued their own courses, loosely bound into a confederation that held councils at Hulle, where laws were passed under the abba boku; at this point, Jimma was commonly referred to as Jimma Kaka.
At first, the Badi of Saqqa
Saqqa
Saqqa is a town in southwestern Ethiopia, and capital of the former Kingdom of Limmu-Ennarea. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of ....
were the predominant clan (which led to the alternate name of Jimma Badi), but late in the 18th century another group, the Diggo of Mana, began to extend their domain, conquering the Lalo clan who lived around Jiren
Jiren
Jiren was the capital of a large Oromo kingdom of Ethiopia until the late 19th century. It lies today in the northern suburbs of the city of Jimma in the Oromia Region.-History:...
, and gaining access to the market and trade center at Hirmata (later called Jimma
Jimma
Jimma, also Jima, is the largest city in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of . The town was the capital of Kaffa Province until the province was dissolved. Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administratively as a...
). Mohammed Hassen believes that the Badi lost their predominant position in part due to raids by king Abba Bagido of Limmu-Ennarea
Limmu-Ennarea
The Kingdom of Limmu-Ennarea was one of the kingdoms in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the 19th century. It shared its eastern border with Jimma, its southern border with Gomma, and its western border with Gumma. Beyond its northern border lay tribes of the Macha Oromo...
, but also due to constant infighting. It was during the reign of Abba Jifar I
Abba Jifar I
Moti Abba Jifar I was the first king of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma .-Reign:Abba Jifar was the son of Abba Magal, who was a leader of the Diggo Oromo. He built upon the political and military base his father had provided him, and created the Kingdom of Jimma...
that the kingdom of Jimma coalesced, and after this time Jimma was frequently referred to as Jimma Abba Jifar. King Abba Jifar also converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, and began the long process of also converting his entire kingdom to that religion.
Under king Abba Gomol
Abba Gomol
Moti Abba Gomol was a King of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma .-Reign:Abba Gomol was the son of Abba Bok'a and a woman from the Busase family of the Kingdom of Kaffa....
, the ancient kingdom of Garo was conquered and absorbed into Jimma. King Gomol settled wealthy men from his kingdom in the former state, and brought important men from Garo to live at Jiren, thus integrating the two polities.
It was shortly after his son Abba Jifar II assumed the throne that the power of the neguses of Shewa
Shewa
Shewa is a historical region of Ethiopia, formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire...
began to reach into the Gibe region for the first time in centuries. As Lewis notes, "Borrelli, Franzoj and other travellers accorded him little hope of retaining his kingdom for long." However, heeding the wise advice of his mother Gumiti, he submitted to Menelik II, and agreed to pay tribute to the negus, and counseled his neighboring kings to do the same. However, none followed his example, and King Abba Jifar instead found himself enthusiastically aiding his Shewan master conquer his neighbors: Kullo
Kullö
Kullö is a locality situated in Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 539 inhabitants in 2005....
in 1889, Walamo in 1894, and Kaffa in 1897. In 1928, the tribute of Jimma amounted to MT 87,000 and an additional MT 15,000 for the army.
Following the death of Abba Jifar II, Emperor Haile Selassie seized the opportunity to finally annex Jimma. As Harold Marcus observes, the kingdom's "autonomy had been undermined by the declining world economy, the deteriorating health of its ruler, the road that slowly advanced from Addis Abeba, the advent of air power, and the transcendent needs of modern, centralized power." On 5 May 1932, the official newspaper Berhanena Selam editorialized that the kingdom was in danger because her king, Abba Jifar, was old and ill and his grandson and heir longer properly obeyed the central government and was using the kingdom's revenues to build up an army. Seven days later, on 12 May 400 soldiers and a team of administrators descended upon Jimma and brought the kingdom to an end. During the reorganization of the provinces in 1942, the last administrative traces of the kingdom vanished into 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...
.
Economy
In Jimma, Maria Theresa ThalerMaria Theresa thaler
The Maria Theresa thaler is a silver bullion-coin that has been used in world trade continuously. Maria Theresa Thalers were first minted in 1741, using the then Reichsthaler standard of 9 thalers to the Vienna mark. In 1750 the thaler was debased to 10 thalers to the Vienna Mark...
s (MT) and salt blocks called amoleh were used as currency until the reign of Emperor Menelik II.
Like the other Gibe kingdoms, Jimma was a source of slaves
Slavery
Slavery 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...
, who were sold openly until the reign of Menelik II. Lewis reports estimates that King Abba Jifar II
Abba Jifar II
Moti Abba Jifar II was King of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma .-Reign:Abba Jifar II was the son of Abba Gomol and Queen Gumiti...
had as many as 10,000 slaves. Until the 1930s, slaves continued to be sold out of the public eye, but openly owned, when Emperor Haile Selassie and later the Italian occupiers
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
managed to abolish it. (See also African slave trade
African slave trade
Systems of servitude and slavery were common in many parts of Africa, as they were in much of the ancient world. In some African societies, the enslaved people were also indentured servants and fully integrated; in others, they were treated much worse...
).
The condition of slaves in Jimma was usually humane, for they were allowed to marry, own property (including slaves in turn), and inherit what their parents managed to accumulate; families were rarely broken up. However, they had no official rights, could be beaten at will, and run away slaves were beaten and kept in chains.
Coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
(Coffea arabica
Coffea arabica
Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee"...
) became a major cash crop in Jimma only in the reign of King Abba Jifar II. Another source of income was the extraction of oil from Civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
s, which was used to make perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
.