Galamso (also spelled Gelemso, and in Oromo Galamsoo), is a town in West Haraghe of Oromia Region, Ethiopia, Gelemso is located in eastern Ethiopian and is far from country capital by 301 km and second way 413 km in the western periphery of the highly networked mountain chain referred to by the natives as Fugug and by geographers as the Ahmar Mountains. Most people say that it is the city of love locally [Biyyaa Jaalala].አዲስ አድማስ ጋዜጣ፣ ሰኔ 20፣ 2001፣ ‹‹ፉጉግና የሐረርጌ ኦሮሞ›› The marvelous networking of the Fugug Mountains and the ethnography of the indigenous Oromo of Harerghe were extensively described in this June 27/ 2009 (ሰኔ 20/2001 in Gee'z calendar) edition of the Amharic Weekly Newspaper called Addis Admass. For full citation, visit this website Gelemso on 2013 EC became separate woreda in the West Hararghe Zone of the Oromia Regional State, it has a latitude and longitude of . Gelemso is the origin of a variety of Jimaa called by the same name (Gelemso).
Etymology
Oral history says the name Galamso came from the Oromo phrase Galma Usso, meaning the Hall of Usso or House of Usso, a mosque named for a man who came to preach Islam to the Ittu Oromos in the 13th century,Oromia Culture and Tourism Commission, History of the Oromo People up to 16th Century, Adama, 2004, p. 94 called by his followers Aw Seid, and by the Oromos with his given name Usso after he was made ilma gossa or the adopted son of the Warra Qallu clan of the Ittu Oromo . As galma usually refers to the worship house under the traditional (Waqefanna) religion of the Oromos, we may wonder why the mosque was called so. The Oromo elders explain the case as follows.
The Ittu OromoMohammed Hassen: Menelik’s Conquest of Harar, 1887, and Its Effect on Political Organization of the Surrounding Oromos Up to 1900, in Working Papers of Society and History in Imperial Ethiopia: The Southern Periphery from 1800s to 1974, edited by P.L. Donham and Wendy James, African Studies Centre, Cambridge University, 1980, p. 227-246, in this essay, Mohammed Hassen beautifully described the settlements of the three major bodies of the Eastern Oromo. For ethnography and especially for the history of the Eastern Oromos, the works of Mohammed Hassen are awesome. who are usually mentioned as the native Oromo group of the Chercher highlands, says Aw Seid was the first person to start an Islamization campaign in their land. His real name was Seid Ali and according to the oral history of the Ittu Oromo, he was a Sharif (i.e. descendant of Muhammad)Ulrich Braukämper: Islamic History and Culture in Southern Ethiopia. Collected Essays, Göttinger Studien zur Ethnologie 9, 2003, , p. 138, 118& 122, 166, 135, (16-19, 23, 28, 36, 102, 107, 109, 120, 136), (16-19, 23, 28, 36, 102, 107, 109, 120, 136), 117-122, 116, 118, 119, 119, 119, 116-117, (16-19, 23, 28, 36, 102, 107, 109, 120, 136), 131, 118, 70-76, 116-120,- Professor Urlich Braukamper is one of the leading authorities in the study of Islamic History and Culture in Ethiopia. He was so considerate man that while his study was concerned on the Hadiya people of southern Ethiopia, he traveled as far as Gelemso to know the ancient links of the Hadiya with other people. His book is an advisable work to read It was in latter periods that his followers who believed in his sainthood added a prefix Aw to his name, in the manner of the Harari and the Somali who call their saints and national heroes so. (Aw meaning father in Harari language, and male saints are usually called with this title.).Camilla Gibb: In the City of Saints: Religion, Politics, and Culture in Harar, Ethiopia, PhD Thesis, University of Toronto, 1996, p. 70 & 276, 279,156-160, 73, 70&319 Since then, Seid Ali has been called Aw Seid.
Local history tellers say that in order to achieve his target, Aw Seid had to seek a means that enables him live in the land of the Oromos with full citizenship rights, which could be accessed under the tradition of the Oromo people at that time.Oromia Culture and Tourism Commission, History of the Oromo People up to 16th Century, Adama, 2004, p. 94-99 Accordingly, he became ilma gosa or the adopted son of the Warra Qallu sub-group within the Ittu Oromo division of the Eastern Oromo, and on his adoption ceremony, the Oromos named him Usso.
When Aw Seid built his mosque in the southern part of the current site of Galamso town, the Oromo started to call it galma Usso. Here, as elders say, galma stands to notify the spiritual significance of the newly built structure, (even though galma originally refers to the worshiping house of the traditional Oromo religion, the Oromos used to call the worshiping house of any faith by this name) and Usso denotes the owner of the house (in this case Aw Seid). The name Galma Usso was introduced in this way, and in the long period of time, it evolved to Galamso.
This story is not documented, while the Islamization effort of Aw Seid has been discussed by different scholars. However, as the name Galamso can never be found at any other place in the Oromo lands (in the whole of Ethiopia and the world either), and as it has no exact meaning in Oromo or any other language, it might be sound to conclude the ancient Galma Usso gave rise to the current Galamso, the name of the town.
Basic statistics
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency, the result of the third Ethiopian census shows that Galamso has total population of 210,000 of which 113,003 are male and 107,481 are female. .Central Statistical Agency (2008). Census 2007, Population of Oromia Region (PDF file) p.1636 However, this report is unacceptable to a number of people and organizations, including authorities in the departments of the district and zonal administrations. People who refuse the report demonstrate their argument simply by the sex ratio of the population (19 males/15 females) . which can not express the reality of the town. On the other hand, multiple inconsistencies of the report may induce one to reject its conclusion For example, the report says that the town of Mieso has a population of 13,339, exceeded by Galamso only with 3000 souls.Central Statistical Agency (2008). Census 2007, Population of Oromia Region (PDF file) p.1635 On the other hand, Hirna town, which is twice as large as Mieso has only 11,650, something difficult to believe.
Free viewers say that the census has defects, and the Ethiopian government admitted that. But the quest for the true figure of the population of Galamso and multiple other factors remained unanswered.
With regard to the religious affiliations, it is witnessed by some that most of the residents of the town (around 70%) are Muslims. And Orthodox Christianity is the second significant religious domination (about 25%). Oromo is the native and the dominant ethnic group in Gelemso and the surrounding areas. Amhara is the second largest ethnicity with persons from different Gurage subgroups at the third level. And a few others are persons of Somali, Argoba and Harari ethnicities. .
Language
The Oromo tongue, called by the natives Oromo, is a principal language in the town. Amharic is also widely spoken in the town. From among the languages of international significance, in Galamso town, it is Arabic that has due benefits for communication purposes. It is said that some 40 years ago, Arabic was the language of commerce in the town, a custom survived to this date.
Customs Here are some important notes on social and commercial customary features of the town. Tuesday is the principal market day in Galamso. There are two open market places in the town. One of them is called by the natives Magaalaa Salaasaa, meaning Tuesday's Market, it is where most of the trading activities of the principal market day takes place. The other one is called Magaalaa Qobbo and it is functional throughout the week. The cattle market, which is found near Qabri Lukku, is open only on the principal market day (Tuesday). Females dominate the business in the two open markets. The cattle market, however, is totally run by males. The town is one of the primary suppliers of the humped bull, popularly known as Harar Sangaa (Harar Bull). The Afan Oromo spoken in the town is the Eastern Oromo dialect. But the natives of the town and the surrounding areas of Chercher highlands retain some peculiar usages. For example, coins are usually called niiraa, (from Italian lira), and its counting vary by successive units of two. For example, at Gelemso, the Ethiopian five cents coin is called niira lama (two lira), the ten cents called niiraa afur (four lira), and 20 cents called (eight lira). On the other hand, the Ethiopian birr is called and the ten birr note is known as (from English pound). The residents dine three times a day. The breakfast is called (from Arabic ), the lunch is known as either or (from Arabic ) and the dinner is called , , or (from Harari ). The meals include items of traditional Oromo styles like (porridge), , , , etc... dishes of the Arabian origin like , , , and the traditional Harari dish called .Mohammed Hassen: The City of Harar and the Spread of Islam Among the Oromo in Hararghe, A Paper Presented on African Studies Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, November 11–14, 1999, pp. 23, 4, 3, 4, 5, 44, 44, 23-25, 52, 54-55. In this paper, Professor Mohammed Hassen notes that due to their presence in a region criss-crossed by trade routes, military conquests, and the pioneering campaigns of Islamic propagation, the Oromo in Harerghe had developed a long tradition of borrowing and adapting new lifestyles from other people, and lending their own customs to others. Accordingly, we can see many domestic terminologies of Arabian, Somali and Harari origins among the Harar Oromos, and we can look into thousands of words of Oromo origin among other peoples.
The residents who belong to the Amhara nation have the same food preparation style as that of the Amhara people who reside elsewhere in Ethiopia. However, they also share the customs of the Oromos in a number of cases. For example, the Arabian spread bread called and the Harari's is experienced by most of the Amharas too. Houses of the town are usually built with at least two rooms. One of these, known as , is a room that serves as a bed room and it is where the family keeps its most valuable materials. The other room is of big size where guests are welcomed, and important ceremonies are undertaken. Inside this room, a big sized mud-built raised platform, which serves as seat and called or , is found with Persian and Arabian rugs spread on it.
Kitchens are usually located outside the main house and called (from the Oromo phrase , roast a meet outside a house). Another most common custom in the town, which remained a noted figure to this day, is that all male residents are nicknamed. A boy is given a nickname by his friends when he is in early teens. He remains with it whether he likes it or not. But when becomes closer to the 40s, his formal name started to be used again. Eid al Fitr and Eid Al Adha are the two Islamic festivals celebrated with high honors in Gelemso. The remarkable event associated with them is the children's songs at the epoch nights of these festivals. The children also require their parents to buy eid cloths. The festivals are usually accompanied by private ceremonies.
Another important festival of Islamic origin is Ashura, which is held in the 10th day of the Muharram month of the Hijra calendar. The children's song that is sung on the night before Ashura day known as Ishaatoo, together with their gourd smashing march, remains one of the classic customs of early Islam of Eastern Ethiopia (It is not known elsewhere apart from East Ethiopia).
The Christian population usually celebrates Epiphany (called Timket in Amharic) with great honor than other Christian festivals. Its annual first takes place on the bank of Aw Seid River 1 km away from the town (in the southern direction).