Facts
About Oromo
 Summary
Information
Overview
The
Oromo People
Population
Language
Culture
Oromo
Calendar
Religion
The
Land
The
Economy
Culture
Oromo have a very rich culture,
fostered by the size of the
population and large land areas
with diverse climatic conditions.
One highly developed self-sufficient
system which has influenced
every aspect of Oromo life is
the Gadaa system. It is a system
that organizes the Oromo society
into groups or sets (about 7-11
) that assume different responsibilities
in the society every eight years.
It has guided the religious,
social, political and economic
life of Oromo for many years,
and also their philosophy, art,
history and method of time-keeping.
The activities and life of each
and every member of the society
are guided by Gadaa. It is the
law of the society, a system
by which Oromo administer, defend
their territory and rights,
maintain and guard their economy
and through which all their
aspirations are fulfilled.
The Gadaa system has served
as the basis of democratic and
egalitarian political system.
Under it the power to administer
the affairs of the nation and
the power to make laws belong
to the people. Every male member
of the society who is of age
and of Gadaa grade has full
rights to elect and to be elected.
All the people have the right
to air their views in any public
gathering without fear.
There follows a brief description
of how the Gadaa system works:
there are two well-defined ways
of classifying male members
of the society, that is the
hiriyya (members of an age-set
all born within the period of
one Gadaa rule of eight years)
and Gadaa grade. The Gadaa grades
(stages of development through
which a Gadaa class passes)
differ in number (7-1 1) and
name in different parts of Oromia
although the functions are the
same. The following are the
Gadaa grades:-
1.Dabballee (0-8 years of age)
2.Folle or Gamme Titiqaa (8-16
years of age)
3.Qondaaia or Gamme Gurgudaa
(1 6-24 years of age)
4.Kuusa (24-32 years of age)
5.Raaba Doorii (32-40 years
of age)
6.Gadaa (40-48 years of age)
7.Yuba I (48-56 years of age)
8.Yuba II (56-64 years of age)
9.Yuba III (64-72 years of age)
10.Gadamojjii (72-80 years of
age)
11.Jaarsa (80 and above years
of age)
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