The Oromo are future-oriented people. Contrary to the views12 of some writers about the African conception of time, the Oromo are not only concerned with the past and the present but also with the future. For the Oromo the past is a powerful tool for critically evaluating why we are in the present situation. The future is a powerful one to enact change. What happened in the past and what is happening in the present affects their future concerns. In light of this, I will discuss how various happenings help the Oromo to envision and make valiant efforts to build their future., Through my fieldwork, I have confirmed the observation of Baxter (1970) that the Oromo's concern of ancestors and genealogical continuity shows that they are concerned with the future.. Baxter's observation in the pastoral Boran conveys this fact.
No man disposes of cows and camels, even his handhuuraa [a calf given to the son at birth] without consulting his brothers. A father of a herd is a trustee, and a man who imperils his herd would be treated as a potential suicide or murderer and restrained---"Fathers of herds", like fathers of the land or lineage heads in many African agricultural societies, or trustees, and a herd on which future generations depend for subsistence is not at the free disposal of its living "owners". A man has no right to endanger his descendants because, as their "father", he is responsible for their welfare (Baxter 1970, 126).
The Gadaa system reflects that the Oromo rely on the present and the past to build the new future. In contrast to some African people, the Oromo did not have a tribal chieftain structure. They had a democratic system of government called the Gadaa. As has been stated earlier, at the end of each Gadaa cycle, the Oromo used to evaluate the weakness and the strength of the previous government, and formulate new programs and rules by correcting past mistakes.
There are five Gadaa grades in a cycle of forty years in Ambo, namely Roobalee, Birmajii, Horata, Michillee and Duulo. If a person enters office (becomes raagaa now), his sons become Luba forty years from now. The names of the Gadaa cycle differ from region to region. Each of the Gadaa grades have features that are very unique. The first Gadaa grade, Roobalee is believed to have heavy rainfall. The people plant many trees. Roobalee is full of happiness and prosperity. Circumcision is common during this period. There are many singers in Birmajii. Economically it is not bad. Animals are believed to breed well in Horata. It is full of happiness. Michillee is believed to be a friend of war. Individuals fight and kill one another. The last Gadaa grade, Duuloo, is full of war and famine. Duuloo has the nick name "bututtuu"--tatter. What is interesting is that the Oromo have tried to adjust themselves to the features of these periods. They try to prepare beforehand and avoid famine and suffering (Infs: Dalassa; Dawo; Dhabassa; Duresso; Gamtessa; Lemo; Nagara; Ulfata).
The Gadaa system served as the major time regulator for scheduling rituals, assemblies, intertribal warfare and peace process. In this case, then, environmental history can be constructed on the basis of the past record of the five Gadaa grades. The informants underscore that generally the natural environment is well protected in Roobalee and Horataa owing to the existence of rain. Some individuals plant trees. War and famine cause deforestation in Michillee and Duuloo. In short, the analysis of the history of Gadaa cycles may help us to construct the environmental history of a particular area.
On the other hand, time reckoning experts in Oromiya predict future events. This is known as Dhaya Ilaaluu in Ambo. Time reckoning experts examine the relative position of the moon and Jeyii (the seven sisters near the constellation Orion) after twenty-eight days, and determine the day and the month astronomically for different purposes. Each day has some divine element in it that makes it good or bad. Individuals who were born on one of these days will be affected by the fate of this day. The following saying conveys this. "Namni Ayyaana saree dhalate otoo qabuu kadhata"--"One born with the spirit of a dog always looks for others hand although she or he has of his or her own.(sic)" The Oromo do not promote a fatalistic conception of events. They say that what happens in the present is in no way fated by what has happened in the past. The Oromo people want to build a new future after reflecting on their past experience.Hunger and misfortunes, which dominate one season, are not taken as eternal. The people strive to prevent the recurrence of these events in the future. The Oromo believe that they can influence the actions of Waaqa. When parents of individuals born on bad days perform traditional ceremonies and pray to Waaqa, the status of the concerned individuals will improve. If a poor person works hard and leads his or her life in accordance with the order of Waaqa, he or she can be rich. On the contrary, when a rich person is full of conceit, and despises Waaqa and the poor, Waaqa will punish him or her. In this case, then, Waaqa can change the destiny of human beings.
Time reckoning experts are capable of determining propitious days for social, economic, and religious activities. They have special names for the first twenty-seven days. The first day of the month is known as Inikkaa. It is believed to be the day of lightning. According to oral tradition, Waaqa quarreled with a devil and wrongly struck a human being with lightning. Sorsa is characterized by poverty. Alkajima is associated with war. One born with the star of Alkajima will go to war and destroy his enemy. He can only beget one child. A person born with a star Arba is worthless. If s/he constructs a house, it will be demolished soon. Awalakka is a star of buffalo. A woman who marries a man on this day will be a slut. If a boy is married to a woman on Basa, his spouse would be dirty, and likely to weep all the time. Her house will leak throughout her life. A person born with the star Coora would become a hero. He is the father of war. Coora is supposed to be good for crops and marriage. Dureettii is supposed to be a good day. The star Dullattii is believed to be good for marriage. Three consecutive days are called Salbaana. If one marries on one of these days, his spouse, and his brothers and sisters will quarrel and kill one another. Salbaana is supposed to be characterized by evil. The star Gardaadummaa is unfavorable to a horse. A horse will die suddenly with its beautiful saddle. The star Wata is favorable to a snake. The spirit of a woman married to a man on this day is believed to be dangerous for her spouse. Her first three spouses are expected to die. Her spirit can only accept the fourth husband. The star Rumruma is favorable to a hyena. A hyena does not go hungry on this day. Lumaasa is conceived as the star of a lion. People eat meat on this day. As a result, cattle cannot breed well. Gidaada is the day of Gadaa and blessing. A girl married to a man on Gidaada likes song. Ruda is the spirit of sheep. A girl married to a boy on Ruda is believed to be dirty but rich. A girl married to a boy on Areerii is believed to be neither rich nor poor. She will have milk. Aduula is the star of a thief. No one can put a thief under control. Three consecutive days are known as Garba. The first Garba is believed to be movable, the middle Garba is immovable and the last Garba is cool. If a boy marries a girl on one of these days, the family of the latter is likely to be destroyed, whereas the family of the former will flourish. Bita is the star of small gazelle. A girl married on this day will only give birth to one child. The twenty-eighth day does not have a special name. In Oromo calendar, the days move backward. If the first day Inikkaa starts on Monday this month, it will be Sunday the coming month. Not every Oromo can be a time reckoning expert. Specific clans or individuals who are blessed by Waaqa and for whom the law is beaten at Bokkuu Cittuu can only understand the position of the moon. If the time reckoning experts fail to follow the necessary procedures, they can not determine the days. The informants state that Dhaya is the most reliable means of predicting the future (Infs: Blanta; Midhakssa).
The Oromo also believe that when something such as a scarp coil round the sun, a rich person will die soon. The songs of children are also believed to indicate what will happen in the future. It is believed that songs are first introduced by devils (Inf: Takele).
As I have argued elsewhere (1997a), the Oromo use the flowering and fruiting trees and voice of birds to anticipate the behavior of the natural environment and the weather conditions. The Oromo have realized that when Agamsa fruits well, xaafii will sprout well. When Angooxoo, Mi'essaa, Biitee, Harbuu and Goraa fruit well, wheat, sorghum, barley, bean, pea, and other grains will grow well in fall. When Xuuxoo (Caanarina eminii) sprouts well, there will be flowers the coming season. If these trees do not fruit well, the Ambo Oromo expect famine and other problems, and do everything possible to avert these problems (Infs: Angassa; Dhabassa; Duresso; Fufa; Galata; Lelissa; Nagara Fite). The Oromo peasants do not expect honey in the future, when trees and grasses fail to blossom on time. When Bamboo trees unexpectedly sprout, and the coqorsa grass changes its colour from green to white within a short period of time, the existing government is likely to be replaced by a new government (Infs: Lelissa; Ragassa). When Heexoo tree sprouts well, the coming season is believed to be characterized by prostitution. When Caraanaa plant sprouts well, famine is expected in the future. The growth of Garbii trees, however, implies happiness and prosperity (Infs: Erko; Fitale; Tirfessa).
The informants also state that heavy rainfall for a long period of time can lead to crop failure and famine; crops will rot and be overgrown by weeds. When human beings and animals frequently drown in the river, because of unexpected heavy rainfall, war and famine will be expected in the future (Infs: Abdissa; Berta; Bekele; Dabala; Galato). The delay of rain can also result in crop failure. When cabbage needs more water than usual to be boiled, the coming season is believed to be full of happiness and wealth (Inf: Dhabassa).
According to informants, individuals make short-term decisions on the basis of the voice of various birds, particularly faroo birds. Some individuals are able to understand the meaning of the voice of birds. By hearing the voice of a flock of birds, the Oromo can suspect that the birds saw a snake, wild animals, or other things, and take all the necessary measures to avoid danger. According to my informants, when birds make sounds like kifkifo and tintifo, rain will come soon. The roar of EMU and Aa'ee heralds the coming of rain. EMU and Aa'ee will eat earthworm thanks to the rain (Infs: Abdissa; Ragassa; Taressa). When birds make sound like hinqucuciin and kokoko, they understand that their day is full of happiness. The voice of birds, according to informants, can convey any other message (Infs: Dabala; Dinagde).
Moreover, Tumsa (white birds) move to the war front in order to eat corpses. When they move to the north or the south, it is believed that the war is going in that particular direction. The Ambo Oromo also confirmed that the movement of a group of butterflies implies migration. When they move northwards or southwards, a military confrontation between opposing forces will be expected. For instance, in 1991, the Ambo Oromo observed that a group of butterflies migrated to west (Wollaga), the place where the military government and rebels were involved in war. After three months, these butterflies returned to the north, with the forces of Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the dominant member of the present Ethiopian government (Infs: Erko; Gudeta; Nagassa; Tirfessa).
When animals turn their nose to the direction of the wind and sniff, rain is expected. When a hyena howls twice, four times or ten times in a strange way, somebody is expected to die soon (Infs: Duresso; Erko; Fitale). It is believed that when dogs come and bark facing skywards, someone will die soon. When dogs roll on the ground, a domestic animal is expected to die (Inf: Gonfa).
It is interesting that there are some persons who are believed to read Moora (entrails) and predict future events in a person's life. According to tradition, Waaqa gave a book to the Oromo. Unfortunately, a cow ate this book. Waaqa then gave entrails to the Oromo to use it for predicting future events (Inf: Lelissa). Entrails have a tendril of life, offspring, wealth, umbilical cord and other features. I have been informed that individuals who can read entrails died some time ago. In fact, there is one person named Obboo Disassa Waktole in Maaruuf Peasants Association. This practice is common among Boran Oromo. The Boran reads the lines of the entrails. When the entrails appear as a hole, it indicates that someone will die soon. A hole is a symbolic representation of a grave. When the lines of entrails come together, war is expected in the future. The Boran Oromo used to slaughter a calf that has never grazed grass, and read its entrails. The Hayyuu is required to slaughter a calf and ask experts to read the entrails. For the Boran Oromo, this is a reliable method of prediction (Inf: Dagaga Cuche).
The light from the torch of Masqala (new year ritual in mid-September) is believed to convey a message. If the light looks dark or red, there will be rain in fall whereas, if the light looks white there will be no rain. If rain extinguishes the torch, prosperity is expected in the future. The people also believe that if they light the torch in moon light, thieves will disappear in the future from their locality in day light (Infs: Basura; Fufa; Gonfa; Nagara).
Some individuals claim to have the power to make the Ekeraa (the spirit of a dead person) speak with relatives of the former. They are known as eker dubbiftuu. According to tradition, individuals exist in the form of a spirit called the Ekeraa. A person is required to pray to and to give offering by slaughtering an animal every so often to one's parents' ekeraa. My informants, however, did not talk about suffering after death. I have been informed that the spirit of a dead person can speak about how the person died, why did s/he die, his/her unfinished plans, and his/her misdeeds. The spirit can ask the relatives of a dead person to pay his/her debts and to perform any other task. Many Oromo believe that this is true. The following concrete case is worth considering:
One day a certain person forgot his purse with gold in one of Guder's hotel. A bed attendant, who refused to admit I,t stole his purse. The person prayed to Waaqa and left Guder. The bed attendant died after one year. Then his mother approached Eker Dubbiftuu, and communicated with the ekeraa of her son. The spirit informed her that her son died because he stole some one's purse and failed to tell the truth. The spirit asked the mother to pay the money and return the gold to the owner. However, his mother could not find the owner. She realized that he passed away in Negele Borana. Consequently, she went to Bokkuu Cittuu and asked Gadaa officials for advice on 29 November 1998. The latter advised her to be ready for traditional rituals (Infs: Gutama Mitafa; Urgessa Bayissa).
Some peasants doubt the role of Eker Dubbiftuu. They said it is impossible for the spirit of a dead person to speak (Infs: Gamtessa; Ragassa). Obboo Ragassa reported that he approached Eker Dubbiftuu and they tried to deceive him.
Unfortunately, Eker Dubbiftuu is non-existent in the study sites. My attempt to interview Obbo Garomssa, a well-known Eker Dubbiftuu in Gatiro locality in Dandi district, was not successful, for he was sick during my fieldwork. As some peasants stated, I am not sure whether I can accept the claims of Eker Dubbiftuu. Further research should be undertaken to understand the real nature of Eker Dubbiftuu.
Although it is very difficult to defend the soundness of their belief, some peasants also report that the dreams of some individuals are reliable. They dream about the problems that will come to a person, and how to avoid life crisis (Inf: Gamtessa).
There are rainmakers in Ambo, whom society reaches out to propitiate Waaqa and the spirits who are believed to be the guardians of the environment. Obboo Dhabassa, a one time Caamsituu, (a person who can drive rain away), told me that he failed to follow the rules and lost his knowledge. Caamsituu is forbidden to eat flax, intestines, lamb, chicken, and egg, and is forbidden to drink water. When he performs his duty, he cannot bathe. In other words, water should not touch his body. The Maallima is a person who is supposed to bring rain. During the absence of rain, people engage in supplication for rain. The Ambo Oromo carry necklace of beads and pray to Waaqa at Bokkuu Cittuu. The ritual is intended to reconcile the environment and Waaqa. The rainmakers are from specific clans and are supported by Gadaa officials.
In general, the Oromo people use different indicators so as to have a positive relationship with the natural environment in the future. They take the necessary measures to avert famines and other crises. They try to respond to both natural and historical processes.
