Abba Jifar II

"Moti" Abba Jifar II was king of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma (reigned 1878 - 1932). He was the son of Abba Gomol and Queen Gumiti. He had several wives: Queen Limmiti, who was the daughter of the King of Limmu-Ennarea; Queen Minjo, the daughter of the King of Kaffa; and Queen Sapertiti, also from Limmu-Ennarea. [Herbert S. Lewis, "A Galla Monarchy: Jimma Abba Jifar, Ethiopia" (Madison, Wisconsin, 1965), p. 77.]

In the 1880s, he conquered a portion of the Kingdom of Janjero, which lay eastof Jimma, along the Omo River, and incorporated it into his kingdom.

Due to the advice of his mother Queen Gumiti, he agreed to submit to Menelik II, "negus" of Shewa in 1884. In 1886, he paid tribute consisting of "slaves (including eunuchs), ivory, bamboo internodes filled with civet, jars of honey, localy made cloth, spears, shields ornamented with silver plates, and objects of wood (including stools)." [G.W.B. Huntingford, "The Galla of Ethiopia; The Kingdoms of Kafa and Janjero" (London: International African Institute, 1955), p. 61.] Because of these "shrewd politics" (Herbert S. Lewis' words), which included providing military assistance to Menelik in conquering the neighboring kingdoms of Kullo (1889), Walamo (1894), and Kaffa (1897), he was able to preserve the autonomy of Jimma until his death. [Lewis, "A Galla Monarchy", pp. 45f.]

Queen Gumiti also advised him to expand the cultivation of coffee in his kingdom, which provided increased revenue for him and his subjects.

In 1898, as part of a Red Cross mission to southwestern Ethiopia, A.K. Bulatovich visited Jimma, and scattered through his report on the geography, flora and fauna,and customs of the local peoples of this region are references to King Abba Jifar, his mother, and his two closest female relatives. [Chris Proutky, "Empress Taytu and Menilek II: Ethiopia 1883-1910" (Trenton: Red Sea Press, 1986), pp. 198f.]

Towards his later years, he became senile and his grandson Abba Jofir attempted to take control and re-assert Jimma independence. However, Emperor Haile Selassie responded quickly and sent military forces against Abba Jofir, and brought Abba Jofir back to Addis Ababa, where he was imprisoned. [Paul B. Henze, "Layers of Time, A History of Ethiopia" (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 208.]

Notes

Succession |office=Kingdom of Jimma
preceded=Abba Gomol
succeeded=Abba Jofir