Someday Too Far Away: TRAVEL IN ETHIOPIA: South through Butajurato to Sodo

The following article is from the Addis Tribune and it is about the Gurage, the tribe of which Beamluk's birth mother belongs. It is also believed that her birth father is from Hadiya, also mentioned in the article.

*I added some photos at the bottom of the article.

By John Graham

The area South of Addis has an interesting mixture of peoples and cultures which gives clues to the ancient history of Ethiopia.

Down the road to Butajira, which cuts off from the Jimma road about 20 km from the centre of Addis at Alem Gena, the farmers in the fields are Oromo. About 50 km south, the area begins to be mixed, Oromo and Gurage. By 100 kilometers South you are fully in Gurage territory.

Addis itself is in Oromo country, the Oromo name for Addis is Finfinne. Although the majority in the city are Amhara people, the countryside is mostly Oromo. The Oromo northern migrations of the 17^th and 18^th centuries brought them from the Southeast of present day Ethiopia into the centre and north. They filled a vacuum left by the rapid rise and fall of the Harar leader Mohammed Gran in the 1500’s. An Oromo dynasty even took over the Emperorship in the Northern Highlands.

Gurage Territory

One group closely related to the Amhara of the northern highlands was seemingly cut off from the Empire, and developed independently until they were re-integrated in the 19^th century. These are the Gurage, the fifth largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, living almost directly South of Addis. To the North, West and East are Oromo, and in the South are other southern peoples, none of whom speak a Semitic (Middle Eastern) based language like the Gurage and Amharas.

Many Gurage are Moslem, but there are also Orthodox Christian, retained from the time before they were separated from the Northern Highlands. The ancient rock hewn church of Adadi Maryam is also a remnant of early Christianity, probably associated with the Gurage’s ancestors, although it is now in Oromo territory. The church is probably 600 or 700 years old, but was only rediscovered in the 19^th century when Emperor Menelik brought the area back into the Ethiopian Empire.

There is another theory that the Ethiopian civilization migrated from the south to the north, rather than the other way around. Perhaps there was an ancient, pre-Axumite kingdom based in the centre or south of present day Ethiopia, which has now been lost to historical memory. All we can do is speculate!

Perhaps because of their proximity to Addis, there are many Gurage in the city, and in other parts of the country as well. They have a reputation for industry, business acumen, and also academic success. The shoe shine boys, or listros, are considered to be mostly Gurage. Around the time of the Meskal festival, September 27^th this year, the listros disappear from the streets of Addis to go back to Gurage for this important celebration. You have to get your shoes shined before they leave!

The Meskal festival in Gurage is something that people save for year round, then celebrate with their raw kitfo (ground beef) and butter for several days. Families and friends will group together to buy and slaughter a heifer, and share the feast.

Butajira, 175 km South of Addis, is in the heart of Gurage territory. There is a turn here which takes you 50 km to Ziway, near Lake Langano.

Further South – Hadiya and Wolayta

South are the Hadiya people. Despite the very big linguistic difference with the Gurage, culturally they are very similar. Both share the same house design, along with the Wolaytans further south, a gorgeous bee hive shaped thatch.

Another common characteristic is the complicated agricultural system that keep the dense population of these highland areas alive. Enset, or false banana, is a staple here, made from the inside of the trunk of the tree, which is meticulously prepared into a kind of grey bread. People also grow maize and other grains, as well as potatoes and vegetables, all of which ripen at different times. Even though the area is lush and fertile, the high population means that if any of these crops fails, there can be hunger and starvation. This is called the ‘green famine’.

The quiet and unassuming looking area of Hadiya is actually a hotbed of politics. In the elections of 2000, the area was swept by the opposition, while most of the rest of the country returned government representatives.

Further south, on the okay but increasingly rough road, you come into the territory of the Wolayta. From Hosaina south the area is Wolaytan. These are very gentle and dignified people. They are mostly Protestant - they have a custom of having graves with crosses on them in front of their houses or in nearby graveyards. Traditional animist beliefs are also strong here.

Although Protestants don’t celebrate the Ethiopian festival of Meskal much, the Orthodox Christians are joined by the animists in a lively celebration that lasts for several weeks. During this time a spirit representing the ancestors is said to come into the house and stay, so a place setting of food is put out for the spirit. At the end of the festival, the spirits are accompanied from the house with a wild night of celebrations, including throwing lit torches into the air to show the spirits the way out.

Ajora Falls

About 65 kms south of Hosaina, a few kilometers north of the town of Areka, is the turn off to the Ajora Falls. The road is not great, but is passable for the 25 kilometer trip, even during the rainy season.

Ajora Falls are spectacular because they are two very high parallel waterfalls, falling off a steep precipice into a lush valley. The Soki and Ajacho Rivers both conveniently and picturesquely fall off the same cliff a few dozen meters apart. Neither of the falls is very wide, so the combination of the two really makes the site unique and interesting.

Below the two rivers join together near the bottom of the falls, shortly joining the Omo River. You can view them from the top of a steep cliff, which has manageable paths down a short way. Further down it gets very steep and slippery. Local people climb down, and the occasional Ferengi who is braver or more foolish than I am. There were plenty of stories about people falling and getting killed, 5 in one banner year. Even the sure-footed livestock of the area sometimes plunge off. I decided to be very careful.

The view from the cliff edge is breath taking. The mists rise towards you, as the thundering waters of the two falls disappear into the foliage far below. These falls are very high, probably about 100 meters. The valley below is thick and mysterious, mostly covering the routes of the rivers that wander off below.

At the top it is an easy walk to the bank of the Ajacho River, which was gratifyingly wild, if not too large. It is heavily enclosed by jungle, so I didn’t attempt to walk to the cliff edge by the river, I’d had enough vertigo already.

The cluster of homes at the top where you stop also provide a good opportunity to see Wolayta life up close. The houses are pleasantly attractive, with a layered beehive look. These gentle people were curious, and eager to show the falls, but they didn’t hassle us unduly.

One warning, it is generally pretty misty in the morning, especially during the rainy season, which makes it impossible to see the falls. Go in the afternoon if you can.

Back at Areka, it is 28 kilometer drive down to the major centre of Sodo. Sodo is connected to the paved Southern road, which comes from Addis to Debre Zeit, then south through Shashamene. This is an easier and generally faster road than the direct route south through Butajira and Hosaina. It is probably easier to visit Ajora Falls by coming the Sodo route and heading north, rather than the other way around.