Oromo

oromo
Language & Culture

Oromo is one of the Cushitic languages, which form a With the adoption of a writing system, a lot of what was
branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. In the Bible, Cush was originally Oromo oral literature is now in print and
the son of Ham, the son of Noah, and the name became the available to students studying the language. Much of the
biblical word for Ethiopia. The Kingdom of Kush was a material available to students who are interested in studying
major rival of Egypt in the 2nd millennium B.C. There are the language is in English. Three important links are:
three main varieties of Oromo: Borana-Arsi-Guji, Eastern,
http://ethnomed.org/ethnomed/cultures/oromo/
and West-Central. Major related languages include Afar,
alphabet.html
Dirasha, Gedeo, Hadiyya, Kambaata, Komso, Sidamo,
Somali, and Xamtanga. Under the autocratic rule of http://www.voiceoforomiyaa.com
Emperor Haile Selassie, who belonged to the Amhara ethnic
group, the Oromo language was banned and its speakers http://www.abyssiniacybergateway.net.fidel/
were ridiculed. In the early 1970s, the Oromo Liberation ShaykhBakriSapalo/
Front, which helped to overthrow Selassie’s government,
chose the Latin alphabet as the official writing systems for
Oromo, but between 1974 and 1991, under the Mengistu
regime, the writing of Oromo in any script was forbidden.
Today, the Oromo people are allowed to use their own Studying oromo
language, and Oromo is the medium of instruction in the
Oromo State, but there is increasing pressure from the
in the U.S.
government not to use the language in urban centers, which Below is a partial list of some of the universities in the
include Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) and Dire Dawa. United States that currently offer Oromo. For more
information, please contact the National African Language
An important linguistic characteristic of Oromo involves Resource Center or visit the NALRC website at:
causatives, in which an additional participant is specified in http://www.nalrc.indiana.edu/
a sentence, specifically the participant who is responsible for
causing the given situation. For this, Oromo uses a verbal Cameron University
Michigan State University
affix. The traditional greeting used by Oromo men and
women is called “salamatta.” They grasp each other’s hand
and kiss the top of the other person’s hand. If they are
related, they will usually kiss each other. “Good morning” is National African
“akkam bultan.” “Good afternoon” is “akkam ooltan.” In Language Resource
social exchanges, the Oromo language tends to be more Center (NALRC)
formal than English. Women are greeted as “aaddee.”
“Good morning” would be “akkam bulte aaddee!” If the 701 Eigenmann Hall, 1900 East 10th Street
woman has children, she will be called “haadha” plus her Bloomington, IN 47406 USA
oldest child’s name: “haadha Rooba.” Civilian men are Telephone: (812) 856-4199, Fax: 8128564189
greeted as “obbo.” Military men are greeted as “jaalle.” If a Email: nalrc@indiana.edu
man has a child, he will be called “abba” plus the name of Website: http://www.nalrc.indiana.edu OROMO WOMAN IN TRADITIONAL OUTFIT
the child: “abba Bunna.”
National African Language
Resource Center (NALRC)
Why Study oromo? Who Speaks oromo?
The Oromo make up the largest ethnic group in People and History
Ethiopia, accounting for more than forty percent of
the population. Their language, also known as The Oromo have been in the eastern part of Africa
Afaan Oromoo or Oromiffa, is spoken by over 30 for over two thousand years - at least. Pillars which
million people worldwide. Oromo speakers are the Oromo used in the invention of their calendar
found in every province in Ethiopia, except Gondar, system, discovered in northern K enya, date to 300
and in the neighboring countries of Egypt, Kenya, B.C. During the latter part of the nineteenth
and Somalia. Programs in Oromo are broadcast over century, the Oromo were colonized by the rulers of
the Voice of Revolutionary Ethiopia, and there is a Abyssinia, what is today Ethiopia, and between
1870 and 1900 the Oromo population was reduced Oromo girl
weekly newspaper, Berisa, in Oromo. When other
nations of the world began accepting Oromo from ten to five million. This systematic attempt to
political refugees in the late 1970s, many Oromo destroy Oromo culture continued throughout the
immigrated to the United States. Today, there are twentieth century, most notably under the reign of
large communities of Oromo speakers in Seattle, Emperor Haile Selassie, but with the dawn of the
Washington; Washington, D.C. and several cities in twenty-first century and with the availability of the
Minnesota. Internet as a means of communicating their plight
to the rest of the world, the Oromo have begun
There has been a steadily increasing interest in the what many hope is the first step toward
study of the Oromo language, not only for people to independence.
communicate more easily with their new neighbors,
but also to learn about the rich Oromo culture. According to tradition, the Oromo people are
Because the Horn of Africa has begun to play an descended from the two wives of Oromo, Borana
important role in international affairs, Oromo had and Barenttuma, and all of the current clans and
been classified by some nations as a critical sub-clans have come from this union. The Oromo Oromo women and children
language, which means that governments promote have a very rich culture. One very important aspect
the study of it in their colleges and universities. The of Oromo life is the Gadaa system which organizes
knowledge of the Oromo language is crucial to Oromo society into groups that assume different
anyone in linguistics, anthropology, history, and responsibilities in the society every eight years. The
folklore who wants to study in the countries which Gadaa system has always guided the religious,
make up the Horn of Africa. Individuals working social, political, and economic life of the Oromo.
for international organizations will also find that Time is a very important concept in Gadaa, and
they can accomplish their day-to-day tasks more Gadaa itself can be narrowly defined as a given set
easily if they can speak Oromo. Tourists, too, will of time in which groups of individual perform
soon discover that the knowledge of the Oromo specific duties in a society. Although some Oromo
language will allow them to enjoy their holiday practice Islam or Christianity, many still adhere to
more if they can communicate with the local the traditional Oromo religion called Waaqayoo.
residents.
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