Who are famous historical Oromo figures?

[James Dahl]

It's the other way around, the Futuh mentions Gurgura but not Dir, at least not that I can remember. The Futuh doesn't spend a lot of time talking about clans, maybe a sentence here or there, it's more interested in the battles and campaigns.

 

[Wardheere]

The Story of Qaasim Usman – better know by his nom de geurre “Nadhii Gammadaa”-

One of the benefits of his story is that it can benefit many youth living in these times, who lack substance. Or those who only strive for material gains. Born to a family of farmers of the Arsi-Oromo, Nadhii was a post secondary student in the mid 1970’s at a time when student movements were challenging the regime of Haile Selassie. When the regime was toppled in a military coup, Nadhii saw the military as merely another tool of oppression for his people, and so he went to east Hararge where Oromo guerrillas of the OLF, at that time led by Sh. AbdulKarim Ibrahim were based. He would spend the remainer of his adult life in the bush fighting the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam.

In the mid 1980’s, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to Somalia after relations between the OLF and the Siad Barre regime had improved after a long period of hostilities. The issue stemmed from the OLF’s refusal to work with the WSLF and SALF movements and accept the name “Somali Abbo”. Anyways due to the collapse of the SALF, many of its members joining the OLF, and the decline of the WSLF the Siad Barre regime decided to maintain relations with the OLF. During his brief stay in Moqdisho, an OLF member asked Nadhii about the situation in the bush, to which Nadhii gave a memorable reply:

“I am doing something, which if you offered somebody a million dollars to do, they would never do it. But I do it with happiness. It is hard when the comrade you laughed & joked with, you lived with for so long, next thing you know you are digging his grave. When the generous family which fed you yesterday, you come back the next day and you find them slaughtered and their house burned down (by the brutal regime). But what can you do.”

On another occasion he told one of his companions that after spending over a decade in the bush walking long distances with a heavy load , “I don’t even know how to walk in a city anymore”.

Abiy Ahmed is muslim or christian? Dig deep and tell us.

 

[Marquis]

It's the other way around, the Futuh mentions Gurgura but not Dir, at least not that I can remember. The Futuh doesn't spend a lot of time talking about clans, maybe a sentence here or there, it's more interested in the battles and campaigns.

Thanks.

How much research have you done on the Afar? Personally I find them very fascinating and the information you posted in the other thread made me more interested.

Is there a reason why the Afar are so small as a ethnic group? They total under 3 million. Did they lose a large amount at some point in the past? For a ethnic group that took advantage of the Adal - Abyssinian, and assimilated Somalis (and other ethnic groups?), I would expect them to be much bigger than that. Or is there a cultural reason behind it?

 

[James Dahl]

I've done some research but information is hard to find, they mostly keep to themselves and what is there is mostly in French.

But hey 3 million is pretty darned good by East Africa standards, there only are about 150,000 Beta Israel in the whole world, and the total population of Rendille is only about 60,000 people. Considering Afar started out as a relatively small clan living mostly in northern Djibouti they've grown to gigantic size.

 

[The Gadabursi Nomad]

Thanks.

How much research have you done on the Afar? Personally I find them very fascinating and the information you posted in the other thread made me more interested.

Is there a reason why the Afar are so small as a ethnic group? They total under 3 million. Did they lose a large amount at some point in the past? For a ethnic group that took advantage of the Adal - Abyssinian, and assimilated Somalis (and other ethnic groups?), I would expect them to be much bigger than that. Or is there a cultural reason behind it?

It was the Gallas that took advantage of the Adal Habeshi war. Afars where our Allies.

 

[Marquis]

It was the Gallas that took advantage of the Adal Habeshi war. Afars where our Allies.

I thought that too but according to James:

The Afar were important allies of the Habesh kingdom and they played a significant role in the destruction of Adal. Adal itself, the area around Awsa oasis, was taken by the Danakil in the 17th century from the last successor state to Adal, the Imamate of Awsa.

The Afars have expanded very far to the south from their original homeland, they originally lived only in the northern half of what is now Afar territory, and held no territories south of Awsa oasis. What is now the southern half of Afar lands was originally inhabited by the ancestors of the Argobba, the Gabala people, and various Somali clans, and there was an important Gabala kingdom here and important Somali regions called Mora and Adal, all of which have been conquered by Afars in the last 300 years.

Many Somali and Gabala clans have been over the centuries assimilated into Afar clans. According to historical accounts of Mora, it was inhabited primarily by "Jeberti" (Darod) and today there is a large Afar subclan who live in what is now Mora who are of Darod descent.

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Yeah Afars and Oromos were the big winners in the collapse of Adal and the Habesha Empire.

Two of the Darod descended Afar clans are called Daheimela and Welwelu. Welwelu sounds like it could be from Wilinwili, the royal clan of Adal. Since they named their state Adal perhaps Awsa Oasis (the center of the Adal region) was the center of their clan, despite the royal capital being far away at Dakkar.

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[The Gadabursi Nomad]

I thought that too but according to James:

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What?? Afars where part of the Jihad against the Ethiopians.

 

[The Gadabursi Nomad]

Never mind. Kind of. Afars where the allies of the Ethiopians in the 15th century then became part of the Adal Sultanate on the 16th century and helped us fight the Ethiopians.

 

[Factz]

I thought that too but according to James:

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There might be little truth to it but james is just exaggerating. Afars were part of Adal Sultanate and the second largest forces under Ahmed Gurey after Somalis. In fact, Afars were also affected by the Oromo expansion.

Read this source below which tells you Afar heavily contributed during the Abyssinian-Adal war.

Here is the medieval map showing you Somalis and Afar being part of Adal Sultanate.

Here is a source telling you Afars were also affected by the Oromo expansion.

 

[James Dahl]

Never mind. Kind of. Afars where the allies of the Ethiopians in the 15th century then became part of the Adal Sultanate on the 16th century and helped us fight the Ethiopians.

The history of Afars and the Empire is complicated, as with the Somali kingdoms. Sometimes enemies, sometimes allies.