Arsi Oromo
Encyclopedia
Arsi Oromo is one of the branches of the Oromo people
inhabiting the Oromia Region
, mainly in the Arsi
and Bale
Zones, and partly in the Misraq Shewa Zone
. They claim to have descended from a single individual called Arse. The Arsi in all zones speak the same language, Afan Oromo (which is sometimes called Afan Arsi), and share the same culture and traditions.
n conquest of 1881-6, when Menelik II conducted several unsuccessful invasion campaigns against their territory. They put up stiff opposition against an enemy equipped with modern European firearms, until they were defeated in 1886.
It is a shared tradition of the people that the Oromo originated in Mada Walabu − an area that is still inhabited by Arsi. In Northern Ethiopia, for instance, an Agew tradition has it that the Arsi Oromo moved to the locality around the sixteenth century. According to the tradition, some of the Agew speakers near Metekel were Arsi Oromos who moved via Gabra Guracha town in Northern Showa. They named their new locality Jaawwii after an Arsi Oromo clan name. The fact that the locality is still called Jaawwii and a nearby church, Arusi Mikael, attests to the pertinence of the Agew story.
The Arsi are also believed to have been mentioned on the Greek inscription of Adulis in the first century as people living south of Shewa.
Oromo 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...
inhabiting the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
, mainly in the Arsi
Arsi Zone
Arsi is one of the 12 zones of the Oromia Region in Ethiopia. Arsi is also the name of a former province. Both the Zone and the former province are named after a subgroup of the Oromo, who inhabit both...
and Bale
Bale Zone
Bale is one of the 17 zones in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Bale is named for the former kingdom of Bale, which was in approximately the same area...
Zones, and partly in the Misraq Shewa Zone
Misraq Shewa Zone
Misraq Shewa is one of the 12 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa. Misraq Shewa is located in the middle of Oromia, connecting the western regions to the eastern ones...
. They claim to have descended from a single individual called Arse. The Arsi in all zones speak the same language, Afan Oromo (which is sometimes called Afan Arsi), and share the same culture and traditions.
Culture
The Arsi have developed a concept of Arsooma which roughly translates to Arsihood. This has provided Arsi with an identity that has been passing to clans and other groupings for a long period of time. The Arsi have a complex concept of tribal division. The two main branches are Mandoo and Sikko. Mandoo refers to the Arsis in the Arsi and northern Bale Zones, while Sikko refers to those mainly in the Bale Zone.History
The Arsi Oromo demonstrated fierce resistance against the EthiopiaEthiopia
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...
n conquest of 1881-6, when Menelik II conducted several unsuccessful invasion campaigns against their territory. They put up stiff opposition against an enemy equipped with modern European firearms, until they were defeated in 1886.
It is a shared tradition of the people that the Oromo originated in Mada Walabu − an area that is still inhabited by Arsi. In Northern Ethiopia, for instance, an Agew tradition has it that the Arsi Oromo moved to the locality around the sixteenth century. According to the tradition, some of the Agew speakers near Metekel were Arsi Oromos who moved via Gabra Guracha town in Northern Showa. They named their new locality Jaawwii after an Arsi Oromo clan name. The fact that the locality is still called Jaawwii and a nearby church, Arusi Mikael, attests to the pertinence of the Agew story.
The Arsi are also believed to have been mentioned on the Greek inscription of Adulis in the first century as people living south of Shewa.