Despite the fact that the Gurage region is easily accessible and not far away from Addis Ababa, relatively little is known about its peoples, their languages and the exact geographical boundaries of where they live(1). This paper is a preliminary report on ongoing research concerning two peoples of this region and their languages(2). These two peoples are the Qabena and the Wolane(3) who today live in close proximity with one another. Our research is primarily a linguistic one, i.e. to describe the languages and possible linguistic contact phenomena. Furthermore, we will have a look at the history and the socio-linguistic situation. The present paper deals with the history of these two peoples as recounted in their oral tradition.(4)

The Qabena live in rural areas around the town of Wolk’it’e which is located some 150 kilometres southwest of Addis Ababa. The Qabena are considered to number some 33,000. All follow the Islamic faith. To the west the area is demarcated by the Gibe river. Beyond this point is Yemsa territory. To the north the Rebu river forms the boundary with the Oromo people. To the south of the Qabena live the Chaha beyond the Wabe river. In the southeast there seems to be a small area where Ezha live next to the Qabena. East of the Qabena the Wolane area begins. Settlements at the borderline are Wut’iny, Demekash and Zänabänär (also called Qabena or K’aya Gäbäya). Zänabänär is located some 25 kilometres east of Wolk’it’e and has an important weekly market. On Saturdays people from the sourrounding areas like Ezha, Oromo and Wolane come to trade goods.

The Qabena language belongs to the group of Highland East Cushitic languages. Other languages of this group are Alaba, Hadiyya, Kambaata, Maraqo(5) and Timbaaro. The exact classification of Qabena within this group ”is still somewhat of a problem” (Korhonen et al. 1986a: 17). Hudson (1976: 233) considered Qabena to be an isolated pocket of Timbaaro. According to Korhonen et al. (1986a: 17) ”it is neither Kambaata nor Alaba ... [and] ... cannot be considered to be Timbaaro, or Hadiyya ...”. In the light of our current research the closest relative of Qabena is Alaba. Speakers of Qabena consider Alaba as the language with which verbal communication is the least difficult. The degree of mutual intelligibility seems to be very high. A first glimpse into the vocabulary and grammar of Alaba published by Plazikowsky-Brauner (1962) and by Korhonen, Saksa and Sim (1986b) and comparison with our material supports this statement.

As far as the Wolane are concerned, there are only a very few works available dealing with their language and history. Linguistically, Wolane is one language or language variety belonging to the East Gurage group, which is a sub-branch inside Transversal South Ethiopic. Close linguistic relatives of Wolane are Silt’i (with different varieties, like Wulbareg) and Azärnät-Bärbäre(6). All three, Wolane, Silt’i and Azärnät-Bärbäre have been classified as more or less different varieties of one single language. The remaining East Gurage language, Zay, is more divergent from them but belongs to the same group (cf. Hetzron 1972: 119). Gutt (1997: 509), however, identifies all four languages as different varieties of a single entity, which he calls ‘Silt’e group’. In our opinion, the existing data on the Wolane language is not sufficient to make a judgement on this.

The Wolane community consists of circa 160,000 persons in total (Nurye 2000). A remarkable number of Wolane are living in Addis Ababa and are merchants at Merkato. The Wolane in the countryside live mostly in higher places, called ‘Däga’. These places are very suitable for the cultivation of Enset (false banana) which is consequently one of their staple foods. Their main towns are Wolane-Jimma(7) in the former Wolane-Ezha district and Mähal Amba in Kokir district. Whilst Wolane-Jimma has been established for along time, Mähal Amba was founded very recently in territory which is now mostly inhabited by Oromo.

The Wolane, to the best of our knowledge, inhabit an area which is bordered in the north-west and north-east by the Gong-river, in the east by a region called Gädäbano(8), in the south by the Kärib river and in the west by the place of Zänabänär and Wut’iny. The neighbours of the Wolane are the Qabena in the west, the Oromo in the north and north-eastern parts and the Ezha, Muher of the Säbat Bet Gurage(9) as well as Mäsqan and Kistane in the south.

The border between Qabena and Wolane near Zänabänär is very striking because there is a steep escarpment between them. While the Qabena live in villages at the base, the Wolane inhabit the top of a mountain (Amba).

Principal market places in the Wolane area are Wolane-Jimma, which is held on Monday and Thursday, Zäbbidär and Zänabänär. New market places have evolved in recently built towns like Guttazär (Arada Gäbäya), Aqebäl and Wingi to which the Ezha, Mäsqan, Aklil, Muher and Qabena peoples come to trade. From further afield, the Oromo also come to participate in these trading activities.

History of the Qabena by their own oral tradition(10)

The Qabena consider their place of origin to be the city of Tarablus in Libya. From there they went to the Arabian Peninsula and stayed for an unknown period of time in Yemen. They further claim to have reached Ethiopia via a port in Somalia now known as Saylac. From there conquered Gojjam and the Shinasha area and went on to the city of Harar. At that time, the Hadiyya still included all the subgroups which have subsequently split off from the main body such as: the Alaba-Hadiyya, the Kambaata-Hadiyya, the Maraqo-Hadiyya, the Qabena-Hadiyya and the Timbaaro-Hadiyya. There is a large remnant group today which retains the generic name of Hadiyya. The tradition states that they stayed for about ten years in Harar and continued then to C’ärc’är where they remained for some fifty years. The next place they went to was Shirka Gädäb in Bale region where, according to one of our informants, people of Hadiyya origin live to this day. They stayed for some seventy years, finally coming to central Ethiopia where they met with people who lived there as nomads. After some ten years or so they continued to Gera, located between Kambaata and Wolayta. A part of the Hadiyya remained in the Sidaama area and later became the Sidaama people. Gera was the home of the remaining Haddiya for about twelve years before they went to Wacamo which now is called Hosaina. They stayed there for only one year. Wacamo was also the place where the Timbaaro split off from the rest of the Hadiyya. This event is the topic of an anecdote concerning the etymology of the name Timbaaro. Two members of the people went somewhere by horse to do business and when they came back to their settlement the others had already left. These two asked other persons living in the area ”tamba aytont?” which means: ”Where did they go?”

At the following place of settlement, Mugo, the Qabena separated from the Alaba(11). The Alaba went to the lowland and the Qabena continued to the Säbat Bet Gurage region and settled down in a place called Mafet in the Ennemor area. Fifteen years later they moved to Chaha Jijom. One group remained in the Ennemor area and their descendants still live there. They are known under the name of Womb.

When they came to the area where Chaha live, the Qabena got in trouble with them because of dissension about the celebration of Arafa (i.e. Id al-Adha). There was fighting which led to the Qabena moving yet again to a place named Dirre Lafto. From there they continued up to the strategically important area of Zänabänär which they maintain was uninhabited at that time. During one rainy season some Gurage reached the area and shortly afterwards the Oromo came. Both groups were quarreling about the area. It is said that Zänabänär is a Gurage word which means: ”We sowed and without eating we left”. The Oromo then expelled the Gurage at approximately the time when the Qabena reached the area. The Qabena pushed both groups out and remained the dominant ethnic group for 370 years. The place was now called Qabena and a very important market place named Qabena Gäbäya was established. People from different regions came here to trade, e.g. Yemenis living in Ethiopia, people from the Kaffa, Adal, Tigre and Sidaama regions. Trading comodities were incence, fabrics, different metal objects, Amole which was used as currency and finally slaves who came from Janjero (now called Yemsa), Kaffa, Sidaama and Wolayta. During market days lawyers were present to judge in case of controversy. Eventually the Qabena expanded up to the Soddo area in the east and the Gibe river in the west. The Qabena established their own administration. The leader of this administration unit was given the title Gärad. The last of all fourteen Gärad was the famous Hassan Injamo who re-established a strong Islamic faith in the Gurage region and then called for a Jihad against Menelik II to protect the area from Menelik’s conquest. Hassan Injamo had good relations to Jimma Aba Jiffar who stayed frequently overnight in Wolk’it’e during journeys from Jimma to Addis Ababa or vica versa. In the twentieth century, the Qabena were tributary to Haile Selassie. This forced some Qabena to move to Jimma and Abälti where they live up to now retaining their language and culture.

One of the forefathers of the Qabena was a man called Mancenu. He is considered to be the father of all the Hadiyya including the Sidaama. His son was called Bukana and his son Hassana. One of the sons of Hassana was Sidi who is said to be the father of the Qabena and the Alaba. Formerly, the Qabena were divided into two groups called Qabena and Gänz. Today there are 37 subgroubs of which the following are known to us: Aba Kiro, Abrimoy, Ajamo, Annosheko, Bahmadi, Bulcata, Dami, Darimo, Dula, Gänz, Jawarra, Kannasa, Konazza, Milmila, Misken, Nibo, Safato, Taramo, Torada, Torombora, Qatbare, Wogico and Zewadda.

History of the Wolane by their own oral tradition

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* University of Mainz.

1 This research, conducted between winter 2000 and summer 2001, is part of a larger project affiliated to the University of Mainz/Germany. It is financed by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) and deals with cultural and language contact in Northeast Africa and West Asia (Sonderforschungsbereich 295 Kulturelle und sprachliche Kontakte: Prozesse des Wandels in historischen Spannungsfeldern Nordostafrikas/Westasiens).

2 Unfortunetly, while writing this article the two huge monographs written by Ulrich BRANKÄMPER (BRANKÄMPER 1980, BRANKÄMPER 1983) who dealwith the history of the Hafiyya and Gurage peoples were not at our disposal.

3 Throughout the paper we use these spellings even if the respective word s are pronounced slightly different.

4 We undertook three fieldtrips into the area in order to interview elder persons about the history of their peoples. Our thanks go to Bertrand Hirsch, director of the Centre français des études éthiopiennes, who made available a four wheel drive car for us. In addition we have express our gratitude to Bilchanesh Mekiyu, Mubarek Mudesir and Shamil Sayyid for introducing us to the respective language communities and for their work as translators. In addition we are indepted to Mark Simons for editing an earlier version of this paper.

5 According to Korhonen et al. 1986a: 38 the Maraqo call themselves Libido.

6 Bärbäre are living at a place called Inneqor which became later one of the names by which the people are known. They have a common history with the Azärnät and are called Azärnät-Bärbäre (see Rahmato 1984: 7, 37).

7 Wolane-Jimma is different from Jimma town founded by Abba Jifar.

8 A translation of Gädäbano in Wolane is as follows: ‘Gädäb’ means border and ‘ano’ means built; so the meaning of Gädäbano should be something like ‘Built a border (with the Oromo)!’

9 The Wolane are definitely not part of the Säbat Bet Gurage either on linguistic or historical grounds (cf. Worqu 1983 Eth.C.: 21ff).

10 We conducted three interviews with elder Qabena about the history of the Qabena. One interview took place in Wolk’it’e on December 10, 2000 with Hajji Ahmäd Alhadi Säyyid Mosa the other two on December 16, 2000 in Zänabänär with Shamsu Nägash Abagaru and Musamma Jamal.

11 One of our informants told us that Alaba, Qabena and Timbaro still built one group when they came to Mugo. The splitt off from the Kambaata occured at a place named Ineria.