Thread by @yegogotekmegeno

Ancient existence of Christian Semitic speaking societies in South/Central Ethiopia

The case of the almost extinct Galila people of Lake Wenchi #Thread

Christian Semitic speaking presence in Ethiopia is well established of going back since ancient times. However in modern days, it has often been described as being historically culturally limited to just the Northern Amhara & Tigrayan "Abyssinian" groups.

Although there are pockets of Semitic enclaves in the central/southern parts (Gurage, Silte), their antiquity has been regarded by some as only being descendants of military colonies from the north/east. One discovery however potentially could significantly change these theories

The Soddo Kistane (literally "Christian"), amongst the Gurage are known for their Ancient Christian heritage since early times, being the site of many old religious sites such as Midre Kebd & Adadi Mariam. The area which they presently inhabit is located 80 Km S of Addis Abeba

But many academics believe that they, along with other Gurages and groups such as the Harari and Zay, used to inhabit a much wider territory. The most visible proof of this is the existence of a dying community located hundreds of miles away.

Linguistically, Soddo is the sole major representative of Northern Gurage, along with Dobi, and at times Meskan and Muher. It is known that Gafat language, who is presently extinct, is closest to Soddo.

However, a few linguists have noted the presence of a possible dialect of Sodo spoken much further away from present area they live, and has been sometimes listed as a dialect. This is referred to as the Galila.

Other than its linguistic existence, there is Extremely sparse research about the Galila. What is known about Galila it is spoken in the islands of Lake Wenchi, about 90 Km W of AA near Ambo. What is significant about this is that they are 100s of Km away from other Gurages

The Galila were first disovered by French Explorer D'abbadie in 1840. While he was in Gojjam, he met two young priests who had been ordained in Gonder on their way back to Wenchi. He details his conversation with them, as they describe their people and land. (Translation below)

They described to him that they identify themselves as "Kistane" and that their leader, was Abegaz (A Gurage title) Wolde-Medhin. They note that speak Guragigna, but were separated & isolated from the rest of the Gurages by the Oromo & were at constant war with them.

They list that their boundary was the Walga river (Walga is also the name of a district in Abshge, W Gurage) and that the Wenchi Lake contained two ancient monestries, Qirqos and Giyorgis. When D'Abbadie asked if they recognized the Sodo districts of Damu, they didn't.

One of these Churches is pictures here, Qidus Qirqos Monastery

He also notes that near Galila was a place known as Wele, (present day Weliso) which was the home of the Chebo people. He states the Chebo are related to them and that they sat on the Dandi Volcano massifs, but originally referred to themselves as “Kurchase”

The German Researcher Eike Haberland intrigued by D'abbadie's discoveries, went to Wenchi to study the Galila further,writing a paper on his findings there called "Bemerkungen Zur Kultur Und Sprache Der Galila Im Wonci-See" (Notes on the Culture & Language of the Galila in Wonci)

Haberland writes the Oromo invasions resulted in the "extermination" & assimilation of much of the central & southern natives of the country, & that isolation that it brought meant the formerly Christianized & incorporated Enarya, Janjero, & Kaffa people reverted into Paganism.

Haberland writes that ancient semitic speaking communities also existed within the East Gurage family, most notably the Zay, who are thought to have inhabited much wider of territory than they presently inhabit and were pushed to the Islands by the Arsi.

The Zay also have oral traditions of relations with Sodo Kistane in addition to their strong Orthodox faith, such as common descent clans. Some clans of Zay are believed to have descended from Aymellel (historical name for Sodo) who fled there during the Oromo and Gragn invasions

More significantly however, Haberland asserts that these also extended to the Sodo Gurage, stating they too had land that stretched much wider territory. He notes the linguistic similarities between Galila and Sodo Kistane

Like D'Abbardie Haberland also notes the similarities between the Galila and Kurchase, who live near adjacent areas. He notes that the Chebo were indigenous to the area known as Wele (present day Weliso). The Oromo referred to both the Kurchase and Galila as "Chebo".

The Chebo are almost completely assimilated into the Oromo identity. But Haberland notes that the Oromo still refer to them as “Amhara” (Christian) or “Gabaro” (Slaves), and disinct them and other assimilated Gabaro/Garba from the original Oromo (Borana).

D'Abbardie also notes the Chebo in the 19th century sat as refugees in the Dandii mountains. Cerulli noted that the Chebo/Korchase was the ruling people in the Ambo area prior. This is attested the names of Tall grove trees being monikered by local Oromos as "Bete Kristian".

An example of a well Chebo is Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis Dingade

Haberland notes however that the Galila, unlike the Chebo were able to preserve their linguistic & cultural identity due to their isolation in the Islands & high mountainous massifs of Wenchi. However, he states Galilas are also in danger of being absorbed by the Oromo

This is attested by the fact that the landscape in these foothills are completely filled by Ensete, a staple of the Gurage disliked by both Oromos & Amharas. The Gafat, too were also noted to have cultivated Enset, as documented by Emperor Sertse Dengil's chronicle.

The Gafat, like the Gurage, were a Semitic speaking ethnic group which historically inhabited W Shewa & the Kingdom of Damot (present Welega) but became extinct upon the advent of the Oromo invasions. Linguistically however, they are closest to the Sodo Kistane.

Haberland cites Wolf Leslau's statement of Soddo being an "extension" of Gafat, & believes that their relationship debunks the long-dated theory of Gurage and related Semitic peoples of only being colonies from the north and that they had a wide geographic span which were related

This was not limited to the West. According to Ulrich Braukamper, the Sodo or other related Gurage people originally lived in the area known as Waj (present day Arsi), strengthened by the presence of relics of Churches & Emperor Zera Yaqob's residence near Mt. Chilalo.

To summarize, the existence of the Galila and their linguistic & shared identical religo-ethnic "Kistane" identification with other Soddo Gurage kinsmen 100s of kilometers away, along with the linguistic relationship with the extinct Gafat people, the Zay, & assimilated Chebo-

Indicates as the researchers mentioned above stated, that there was not only a Semitic speaking , but a strong Christian indigenous antiquity that spawned from Welega in the West, to as far east as Arsi and rift valley (not counting the existence of the Muslim Harari)

& that the languages & people who lived in these areas had an organic linguistic & ethnic relationship with each other prior to the Gragn & Oromo invasions, which resulted in most of these peoples either to disappear (i.e. Gafat), assimilated (Chebo) or isolated (Galila, Zay)

The Soddo-Galila-Gafat can be established as having lived in a much wider territory.

The ethnic identity and language of the Galila, as well as Zay also needs to be protected and preserved, as already in the 1960s both Cerulli and Haberland noted they were in danger of being assimilated as the Chebo had already been.

The historicity of the other South Ethio-Semitic speaking people in Ethiopia needs much more research beyond linguistic parameters and they may potentially completely alter  the historical discourse about the issue of indigeneity (i.e. South) or Ethiopian history as a whole.