BY DIRRIBA TESHOME
Ethiopia is the homeland of original knowledge hidden in the culture of over 83 ethnicities in the nation. And Oromo is among the ancient people, frequently considered the indigenous people of the Horn of Africa, in Ethiopia; they are the single largest national group in Africa and speak a language called Afaan Oromo, which is the East Cushitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language group, according to Megersa Regassa, Lecturer at Jimma University, in the Department of Oromo Folklore and Literature.
The Oromo constitute the largest population of Ethiopia. They have a rich cultural heritage and democratic political system called Gadaa System under which political, economic, social and cultural activities operate.
Proverbial literature is part of the “Gadaa historical account and social criticism and calls for a proper way of human relations and is a crying need for sanity and democratic conduct,” as Eshete Gemeda says.
Like other African traditional societies, Oromo mainly stress problems in relation to social and moral issues in proverbs. The Oromo defined proverb in different ways, expressing its importance as “A stew without salt…a speech without a proverb is tasteless”.
Oromo cultural values are based on collectivism rather than egoism. There are Oromo proverbs displaying social unity and cooperation in triumph plus in misery, trouble and disparity.
“A stranger on the day of celebration, a relative on the day of suffering,” is a relevant proverb to this point. It compares two sorts: outsiders and families implying that anyone will be friendly when there are no difficulties, but when problems arrive you can only rely on your relatives. Therefore, it is used to advise conflicting parties to unite and seek help and to stand with one another in adversity.
Likewise, the other proverb used to show the importance of family is “Even though he/she behaves poorly, one’s relative is one’s own companion.” It shows that no one should push away a relative in times of difficulty, suggesting that family variances should be put aside when settling any case of conflict with one’s relatives.
Equally, the proverb: “Through unity, fibers can tie an elephant,” advises the importance of social unity by accentuating the outlook of collectivism. A single fiber or thread is very weak and can easily be broken. However, when many threads are added together, they become a strong rope that can tie even an elephant, implying that unity is strength.
The other proverb: “Ants cross a river through cooperation,” also counsels unity and cooperation, stressing that unity is strength. This implies that the same is true for human beings. Elders use it to give advice to conflicting parties that they should unite to their advantage.
Another Oromo proverb used to advise submission to the petition of the majority is, “It is better if a mountain falls onto an individual than society falls onto him/her.” In this, society falling onto the individual is a reference to being under social sanction or being prohibited from receiving help from the community. No one is able to survive under such conditions, because life is communal and interdependent; social cooperation is essential.
The importance of peaceful neighborly relations is also coined in the proverb: “To have a neighbor is to have a cloth,” implying that, in the same way that cloth covers the human body, neighbors also support one in tackling problems.
Oromo proverbs also advise about tolerance. For instance, if there is a conflict between brothers and sisters who are economically dependent on their parents, the following Oromo proverb can advise the disputants: “When the ficussur tree does not complain, birds fight with each other over the ficussur fruit.”
The ficussur tree has plentiful fruit, enough for the birds, yet they still fight with each other. The proverb encourages conflicting parties, or society at large, to take a lesson from birds and equally share their communal natural resources given by God to share.
Similarly, the proverb: “People who build one house do not clash over grass covering the house” talks about the need for tolerance and cooperation among people who share the same goal.
Because the grass is being used to construct a house that everyone will reside in, a quarrel over the grass would be senseless. This shows that to achieve success when determined for a common goal, unity and understanding are essential.
At last, there is an Oromo proverb that emphasizes lessons of tolerance among close relatives and friends. “Even if one’s finger is wounded, one cannot cut it off,” is one. The elders use it to advise conflicting parties to show compassion to each other.
It means, if someone’s finger is wounded, he/she should not cut it off but rather heals it. The wounded finger symbolizes the person who is misbehaving, and the proverb is used to advise one of the conflicting parties to show compassion for the wrongdoer rather than chasing revenge.
To sum up, unity, patience and tolerance are indigenous and unshakeable for Ethiopia and Ethiopians. Life is communal and interdependent; social cooperation is essential.
The Ethiopian Herald March 19/2021
