Kingdom of Jimma

The Kingdom of Jimma was one of the kingdoms in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the 19th century. It shared its western border with Limmu-Ennarea, its eastern border with the Sidamo kingdom of Janjero, and was separated from the Kingdom of Kaffa to the south by the Gojeb River. Jimma was considered the most powerful, militarily, of the Gibe kingdoms.

Although the king can be described as a despot, the citizens of Jimma were otherwise considered his equals: all could own property, there was no nobility, and the other citizens addressed him as an equal and not as a superior.

Economy

In Jimma, Maria Theresa Thalers (MT) and salt blocks called "amoleh" were used as currency until the reign of Emperor Menelik II.

Like the other Gibe kingdoms, Jimma was a source of slaves, who were sold openly until the reign of Menelik II. Lewis reports estimates that King Abba Jifar II had as many as 10,000 slaves. [Herbert S. Lewis, "A Galla Monarchy: Jimma Abba Jifar" (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1965), pp. 66f] Until the 1930s, slaves continued to be sold out of the public eye, but openly owned, when Emperor Haile Selassie and later the Italian occupiers managed to abolish it. (See also African slave trade).

The condition of slaves in Jimma was usually humane, for they were allowed to marry, own property (including slaves in turn), and inherit what their parents managed to accumulate; families were rarely broken up. However, they had no official rights, could be beaten at will, and run away slaves were beaten and kept in chains.

Coffee ("Coffea arabica") became a major cash crop in Jimma only in the reign of King Abba Jifar II. Another source of income was the extraction of oil from Civets, which was used to make perfume. [G.W.B. Huntingford, "The Galla of Ethiopia; the Kingdoms of Kafa and Janjero" (London: International African Institute, 1955), p. 26]

History

The origins of Jimma are obscure, although prior to the Oromo migrations the territory this kingdom came to occupy had been part of the Kingdom of Kaffa. According to legend, a number of Oromo tribes (variously given from five to 10) were led to Jimma by a great sorceress and "queen" named Makhore, who carried a "boku" (usually connected with the "abba boku", or headman of the Oromo "Gadaa" system) [Lewis, "Galla Monarchy", p. 65. He also notes that the Gadaa system was almost entirely forgotten in Jimma by 1960, and suggests that its use may have ended a generation or two earlier.] which when placed on the ground would cause the earth to tremble and men to fear. It is said that with this "boku" she drove the Kaffa people living in the area across the Gojeb River. While this suggests that the Oromo invaders drove the original inhabitants from the area, Herbert S. Lewis notes that Oromo society was inclusionist, and the only ethnic differences they made are reflected in the history of various kinship groups. [Lewis, "Galla Monarchy", p. 38]

Eventually, the Oromo grew unhappy with Makhore's rule, and through a ruse deprived her of her virginity, and destroyed her power. The various tribes then pursued their own courses, loosely bound into a confederation that held councils at Hulle, where laws were passed under the "abba boku"; at this point, Jimma was commonly referred to as Jimma Kaka.

At first, the Badi of Saqqa were the predominant clan (which led to the alternate name of Jimma Badi), but late in the 18th century another group, the Diggo of Mana, began to extend their domain, conquering the Lalo clan who lived around Jiren, and gaining access to the market and trade center at Hirmata (later called Jimma). Mohammed Hassen believes that the Badi lost their predominant position in part due to raids by king Abba Bagido of Limmu-Ennarea, but also due to constant infighting. [Mohammed Hassen, "The Oromo of Ethiopia: A History 1570-1860)", (Trenton: Red Sea Press, 1994), p. 111] It was during the reign of Abba Jifar I that the kingdom of Jimma coalesced, and after this time Jimma was frequently referred to as Jimma Abba Jifar. King Abba Jifar also converted to Islam, and began the long process of also converting his entire kingdom to that religion. [Lewis, "Galla Monarchy", pp. 41f.]

Under king Abba Gomol, the ancient kingdom of Garo was conquered and absorbed into Jimma. King Gomol settled wealty men from his kingdom in the former state, and brought important men from Garo to live at Jiren, thus integrating the two polities. [Lewis, "Galla Monarchy", p. 45]

It was shortly after his son Abba Jifar II assumed the throne that the power of the "neguses" of Shewa began to reach into the Gibe region for the first time in centuries. As Lewis notes, "Borrelli, Franzoj and other travellers accorded him little hope of retaining his kingdom for long." [Lewis, "Galla Monarchy", p. 43] However, heeding the wise advice of his mother Gumiti, he submitted to Menelik II, and agreed to pay tribute to the "negus", and counseled his neighboring kings to do the same. However, none followed his example, and King Abba Jifar instead found himself enthusiasticly aiding his Shewan master conquer his neighbors: Kullo in 1889, Walamo in 1894, and Kaffa in 1897. In 1928, the tribute of Jimma amounted to MT 87,000 and an additional MT 15,000 for the army. [Huntingford, "Galla of Ethiopia", p. 61.]

Following the death of Abba Jifar II, Emperor Haile Selassie seized the opportunity to finally annex Jimma. As Harold Marcus observes, the kingdom's "autonomy had been undermined by the declining world economy, the deteriorating health of its ruler, the road that slowly advanced from Addis Abeba, the advent of air power, and the transcendent needs of modern, centralized power."Harold G. Marcus, "The Life and Times of Menelik II: Ethiopia 1844-1913" (Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press, 1995), p. 121] On 5 May 1932, the official newspaper "Berhanena Selam" editorialized that the kingdom was in danger because her king, Abba Jifar, was old and ill and his grandson and heir longer properly obeyed the central government and was using the kingdom's revenues to build up an army. Seven days later, on 12 May 400 soldiers and a team of administrators descended upon Jimma and brought the kingdom to an end. During the reorganization of the provinces in 1942, the last administrative traces of the kingdom vanished into Kaffa Province.

See also

*Rulers of the Gibe state of Jimma

Notes