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Wällo, a region of the central highlands
of Ethiopia,is today
benediction
during a wädaja ceremony in Kolo,
Wärrä Himäno, dec. 2000 |
characterized by an
original situation of peaceful coexistence
between Christians and Muslims. The social
relationships which underlie this situation
need to be understood in an in-depth historical
perspective. Wällo owes its name to a
clanic section of the Oromo people. At the
end of the 16th c the Wällo had conquered
the territory of Amhara, motherland of the
Christian kingdom of Ethiopia. This Christian
heartland had previously been ravaged by an
Islamic holy war. Wällo-Oromos thus formed
an enclave hindering the reconstruction of
Christian hegemonic ambitions. This Christian
reaction had swallowed this territory, but
failed to digest it. Progressively overcome
by the Amharic language and culture of the
land they had conquered, the Wällo also
integrated Christian military and political
codes, so much so that they meddled in the
matrimonial patterns and strategic decisions
of the Amhara monarchy.
The Wällo nevertheless
retained their identity through their conversion
to mystical Islam at the end of 18th c,
at a time when the pressure to absorb them
had increased. For the Wällo chiefs,
getting involved in Islamic networks was
a way to avoid alliances with neighbouring
Christian provinces and to get commercial
and political benefits from their position
as intermediaries. This situation lasted
to the end of the 19th c, when the Ethiopian
Christian kings undertook the reconquest
of this territory in the name of national
unity, and the paramountcy of the Christian
faith. Yet they failed to reduce Wällo's
paradoxical and potentially challenging
duplicity. The state of tolerance which
is nowadays revendicated as the cement of
the regional identity covers old rivalries.
These still come alive in the collective
memory through satirical cultural practices
which attempt to exorcize past discriminations
and fears of the future.
Table: Pupulation of South Wollo**
| Dessie
Zuria |
98 |
2 |
| Wore
Babbo |
98 |
2 |
| Qalu |
97 |
3 |
| Kelalla |
96 |
4 |
| Leggambo |
93 |
7 |
| Tehul
adere |
89 |
11 |
| Kuta
Ber |
89 |
11 |
| Worr
Illu |
80 |
20 |
| Tenta |
78 |
22 |
| Meqdalla |
72 |
28 |
| Wogidie |
66 |
34 |
| Jama |
43 |
57 |
| Debre
Sina |
42 |
58 |
| Ambasel |
26 |
74 |
| Saint |
16 |
84 |
| Dessie |
39 |
61 |
| Kombolcha |
58 |
42 |
** Data is re-presented
in table from here for ease of display.
The
original site published the graphic
equivalent which was taken from:
The 1994 population
and Housing Census of Ethiopia: Resulit
for Amhara Region Vol. 1 Part 1. General
Socio Economic Survey, planning and Economic
and Development D'pt for South Wollo Adm.
Zone.
* Ph.
D. in Social Anthropology
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