DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0176
160
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
Hadi, 6 Abbo, 7 Abba Gilcia, son of Abbo, 8 Abba Dulla, 9 Abba Giubir, son of Abba
Dulla.1 First of all one must notice that these genealogies of the Galla dynasties given by
Cecchi are, in general, not without inaccuracies, due especially to the slight knowledge of
the Galla language on the part of whoever gathered the information. Mistakes are not
lacking, especially in the part which refers to the more ancient period of the history of
these reigns: for example, in the case of the kingdoms of Gfmma and Giera, Cecchi mixes
the genealogy of the Mayca Galla with that of the ruling dynasty, making an error
afterwards in relating the genealogy of the tribes, which he confuses, thus causing to figure
among the ancestors of the Giera dynasty a “ Guraghe ” 2 (Gurage), not a person but the
well-known Semitic population of southern Ethiopia. At other times, Cecchi, so I am as-
sured by Loransiyos, to whom I have read the genealogies, has confused the names of kings
with the names of dignitaries of the court or vassals. In this list of kings of Guma, there
figures, for example, Dale Abba Balo. But is Dale a proper name? I do not know of
such a name among the Galla. Or is not rather this king of Cecchi’s a phrase, dale Abba
Bald, that is, “Abba Balo begot? ” 3 The two rulers that follow are not known to Loran-
siyos, who thinks they are two warriors, and, certainly, they could not have been forgotten
by him in reciting the chronicle, in which the names of the kings are each of them followed
by the name of the father. The fifth king in Cecchi’s list might be Gilca or some of his
successors designated by his name; but Nagesso (Nagesso) is not a Galla name, and an-
other Abba Gilcia reappears as seventh ruler in Cecchi’s list. The sixth king of Cecchi,
Abbo, whose cruelties are narrated, might correspond to Onco of the chronicle. But is
Abbo an abbreviated form of Abba Balo? I do not know that the Galla abbreviate the
war-names; in boasting of warlike deeds, it is customary, on the contrary, to abbreviate
only the personal name and have it followed by the war-name in full. Abbo, moreover, is
the name under which the Galla venerate the saint, Gabra Manfas Qeddus. The eighth
king of Cecchi’s list, Abba Dulla, is not a king but the title that all the kings of Guma
bore. The title of Abba Dula, according to the constitution of the Galla tribe, was given
to the distinguished man who was chosen to command the army; when the change was
made from the republican to the monarchical regime, these offices of the tribes were in
general retained. Loransiyos tells me that at Gfmma, even the Abba Bokku were elected.
The king, however, had absolute power, so that practically the republican offices were a
decoration without political value. The kings of Guma had reserved for themselves the
title of Abba Dula, head of the army, imperator.
The Storia del Medea translated by Guidi gives Adam as the first king and cites among
his descendants, Abba Balo, whose cruelties he narrates. Of these accounts, two corre-
spond to similar accounts of the chronicle; but of them, the first (swimming in hydromel)
1 Op. cit., p. 541-542. 2 Op. cit., p. 266.
3 In the same way Cecchi, (ibid.), speaks of the daughter of Raja, who “ married Maccia Raco Calle.” Now the
name of the husband is doubtless Ma<j?a, the ancestor of the tribes of similar name, and Maccia Raed Calle is not a
name, but signifies “ Mai$a married,” literally, “ Ma^a made the sacrifice ” of the rdko (see song 118).
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
Hadi, 6 Abbo, 7 Abba Gilcia, son of Abbo, 8 Abba Dulla, 9 Abba Giubir, son of Abba
Dulla.1 First of all one must notice that these genealogies of the Galla dynasties given by
Cecchi are, in general, not without inaccuracies, due especially to the slight knowledge of
the Galla language on the part of whoever gathered the information. Mistakes are not
lacking, especially in the part which refers to the more ancient period of the history of
these reigns: for example, in the case of the kingdoms of Gfmma and Giera, Cecchi mixes
the genealogy of the Mayca Galla with that of the ruling dynasty, making an error
afterwards in relating the genealogy of the tribes, which he confuses, thus causing to figure
among the ancestors of the Giera dynasty a “ Guraghe ” 2 (Gurage), not a person but the
well-known Semitic population of southern Ethiopia. At other times, Cecchi, so I am as-
sured by Loransiyos, to whom I have read the genealogies, has confused the names of kings
with the names of dignitaries of the court or vassals. In this list of kings of Guma, there
figures, for example, Dale Abba Balo. But is Dale a proper name? I do not know of
such a name among the Galla. Or is not rather this king of Cecchi’s a phrase, dale Abba
Bald, that is, “Abba Balo begot? ” 3 The two rulers that follow are not known to Loran-
siyos, who thinks they are two warriors, and, certainly, they could not have been forgotten
by him in reciting the chronicle, in which the names of the kings are each of them followed
by the name of the father. The fifth king in Cecchi’s list might be Gilca or some of his
successors designated by his name; but Nagesso (Nagesso) is not a Galla name, and an-
other Abba Gilcia reappears as seventh ruler in Cecchi’s list. The sixth king of Cecchi,
Abbo, whose cruelties are narrated, might correspond to Onco of the chronicle. But is
Abbo an abbreviated form of Abba Balo? I do not know that the Galla abbreviate the
war-names; in boasting of warlike deeds, it is customary, on the contrary, to abbreviate
only the personal name and have it followed by the war-name in full. Abbo, moreover, is
the name under which the Galla venerate the saint, Gabra Manfas Qeddus. The eighth
king of Cecchi’s list, Abba Dulla, is not a king but the title that all the kings of Guma
bore. The title of Abba Dula, according to the constitution of the Galla tribe, was given
to the distinguished man who was chosen to command the army; when the change was
made from the republican to the monarchical regime, these offices of the tribes were in
general retained. Loransiyos tells me that at Gfmma, even the Abba Bokku were elected.
The king, however, had absolute power, so that practically the republican offices were a
decoration without political value. The kings of Guma had reserved for themselves the
title of Abba Dula, head of the army, imperator.
The Storia del Medea translated by Guidi gives Adam as the first king and cites among
his descendants, Abba Balo, whose cruelties he narrates. Of these accounts, two corre-
spond to similar accounts of the chronicle; but of them, the first (swimming in hydromel)
1 Op. cit., p. 541-542. 2 Op. cit., p. 266.
3 In the same way Cecchi, (ibid.), speaks of the daughter of Raja, who “ married Maccia Raco Calle.” Now the
name of the husband is doubtless Ma<j?a, the ancestor of the tribes of similar name, and Maccia Raed Calle is not a
name, but signifies “ Mai$a married,” literally, “ Ma^a made the sacrifice ” of the rdko (see song 118).