DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0046
30
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
Verses 19-20 reproach Abba Digga because he considered worthy of belief the prating
of the Guma women about Tufa and G^nne Qanatu. On the cdmsitu keeping back the
rain, see song 7.
Lion (in Galla, Izenta) was the name of Tufa’s horse. Verses 32-35 allude to Dannb
Bibra. It was said that he changed his officers very frequently. The verses 36-39 allude to
Garbf Gilo, chief of Lieqa Billo (see song 2). A very valiant warrior, he was so jealous of
his renown that he preferred to give the high offices of his court to persons who could not
push him into the shadow. The verses 40-44 allude to the bad reputation of the girls of
Gimma Abba Gifar among the Galla. Abba Gifar Sana (verse 41) was the first king of
Gimma.1 Verses 45-51 relate to the customs of Kaff a, which appear very strange to the
Galla. The Kaffa used to wear on their heads the gomfo, that is, a kind of cap made of
monkey’s hair and adorned by ostrich feathers or by feathers of the red bird called by the
Galla guti&i.2 The houses in Kaffa are often surrounded by coffee trees which they utilize
to hide and protect their houses. The coffee in these countries grows so high that it forms
small woods (see song 14). Gallitto Kamo (verse 46) was the king of Kaffa, the last king
but one before the Amara conquest. He was born of the Busase dynasty which claims to
be derived from the Portuguese. In fact, the kings of this dynasty are of a lighter color
than the natives, and to keep this characteristic, they do not marry women who are not
born of the same stock.3 Verses 55-56 allude to the tradition current in Guma that
Tufa was about to be sentenced to exile or slavery.
With verse 61 begins the glorification of Tufa’s ancestors. First, Tufa sings about his
father, Roba, who left tracks of the blood of his slain enemies everywhere he went, as a
wounded elephant leaves blood tracks that guide the hunter to him. Then the poet sings
about his step-mother, Robe Roba, who was said to have been a freed slave (v. 67-74).
Last (v. 45), Tufa begins the oratio pro domo sua, vaunting his own enterprises. The Galla
used to grant to the warrior who had killed five men, five buffaloes and five lions, an
armlet called maldd. The maldd was awarded by the Abba Gucci during the feast, butta,
after the reckoning of the spoils. The number of the victims necessary to obtain the
armlet was the aforesaid, but it was calculated according to a kind of computation table
known by heart by the old men of the tribe. This table fixed the value of the different
victims. Here is the table which Loransiyos gave me:
one elephant = five horsemen
one panther = fourteen foot soldiers
five monkeys = one foot soldier
one lion = two horsemen
one buffalo = one horseman
In this case, Tufa had killed, beside five foot soldiers (v. 45), fifteen horsemen, that is,
five lions and five buffaloes, according to the table.4 In Guma the king was the president
1 Cf. Cecchi, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 540. ’ Ibid., p. 490.
2 Ibid., p. 497. 4 Cf. Cerulli, ‘ Canti popolari amarici,’ op. cit., p. 64.
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
Verses 19-20 reproach Abba Digga because he considered worthy of belief the prating
of the Guma women about Tufa and G^nne Qanatu. On the cdmsitu keeping back the
rain, see song 7.
Lion (in Galla, Izenta) was the name of Tufa’s horse. Verses 32-35 allude to Dannb
Bibra. It was said that he changed his officers very frequently. The verses 36-39 allude to
Garbf Gilo, chief of Lieqa Billo (see song 2). A very valiant warrior, he was so jealous of
his renown that he preferred to give the high offices of his court to persons who could not
push him into the shadow. The verses 40-44 allude to the bad reputation of the girls of
Gimma Abba Gifar among the Galla. Abba Gifar Sana (verse 41) was the first king of
Gimma.1 Verses 45-51 relate to the customs of Kaff a, which appear very strange to the
Galla. The Kaffa used to wear on their heads the gomfo, that is, a kind of cap made of
monkey’s hair and adorned by ostrich feathers or by feathers of the red bird called by the
Galla guti&i.2 The houses in Kaffa are often surrounded by coffee trees which they utilize
to hide and protect their houses. The coffee in these countries grows so high that it forms
small woods (see song 14). Gallitto Kamo (verse 46) was the king of Kaffa, the last king
but one before the Amara conquest. He was born of the Busase dynasty which claims to
be derived from the Portuguese. In fact, the kings of this dynasty are of a lighter color
than the natives, and to keep this characteristic, they do not marry women who are not
born of the same stock.3 Verses 55-56 allude to the tradition current in Guma that
Tufa was about to be sentenced to exile or slavery.
With verse 61 begins the glorification of Tufa’s ancestors. First, Tufa sings about his
father, Roba, who left tracks of the blood of his slain enemies everywhere he went, as a
wounded elephant leaves blood tracks that guide the hunter to him. Then the poet sings
about his step-mother, Robe Roba, who was said to have been a freed slave (v. 67-74).
Last (v. 45), Tufa begins the oratio pro domo sua, vaunting his own enterprises. The Galla
used to grant to the warrior who had killed five men, five buffaloes and five lions, an
armlet called maldd. The maldd was awarded by the Abba Gucci during the feast, butta,
after the reckoning of the spoils. The number of the victims necessary to obtain the
armlet was the aforesaid, but it was calculated according to a kind of computation table
known by heart by the old men of the tribe. This table fixed the value of the different
victims. Here is the table which Loransiyos gave me:
one elephant = five horsemen
one panther = fourteen foot soldiers
five monkeys = one foot soldier
one lion = two horsemen
one buffalo = one horseman
In this case, Tufa had killed, beside five foot soldiers (v. 45), fifteen horsemen, that is,
five lions and five buffaloes, according to the table.4 In Guma the king was the president
1 Cf. Cecchi, op. cit., vol. 2, p. 540. ’ Ibid., p. 490.
2 Ibid., p. 497. 4 Cf. Cerulli, ‘ Canti popolari amarici,’ op. cit., p. 64.