The Argobba are an ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia. A Muslim community, they are spread out through isolated village networks and towns in the north-eastern and eastern parts of the country. Group members have typically been astute traders and merchants, and have adjusted to the economic trends in their area. These factors have led to a decline in usage of the Argobba language.[3][4] Argobba are considered endangered today due to exogamy and destitution.[5]
According to scholars, the Kingdom of Aksum's army moved south beyond Angot, encountering a nomadic people named Gebal in eastern Shewa, who are supposedly the precursors to Argobba.[6] Gebal would develop into settlers of Hararghe known as Argobba after their conversion to Islam and having significant ties to the Muslim world, dominated trade in Zeila and Harar. Modern Argobba claim they originate from the Arabian Peninsula through Zeila in what is now Somaliland and first settled in the Harar plateau.[7] Argobba people consider the inhabitants of Doba their ancestors.[8]
The Argobba and the Harla people seem to have relied on each other in the Islamic period.[11] A power struggle erupted between the Abadir dynasty of Harari and the Walashma dynasty of Argobba throughout the Islamic period until Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi took control of Adal Sultanate by executing the Walashma sultan Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad in the 16th century.[12][13][14][15]
In the late sixteenth century, Argobba were involved in several conflicts with the Oromo during the Oromo migrations, and due to the withdrawal of Adal from Ethiopia, came partially under Ethiopian Empire rule losing land rights.[16][17] During this period of incorporation, large sections of the local Argobba population embraced Christianity.[18]
In the nineteenth century, Emperor Yohannes IV ordered the forced displacement of Argobba for refusing to convert to Christianity.[19][20] Many Argobba were forcibly baptized in Shewa by Menelik II.[21] Due to expansions from two dominant ethnic groups, many Argobba speak either Amharic or Oromo in Wollo Province; however, those who self-identify as originally Argobba are substantial in the region. The last remaining villages of a once larger Argobba-speaking territory are Šonke and Ṭollaḥa.[22]
Argobba are exclusive adherents to the Muslim faith.[25] They are also widely believed to be the first to accept Islam collectively, in the Horn of Africa and vanguards for early Islamic expansion.[26] The Shonke Argobba reportedly forbid their children from attending school due to the possible unislamic influence it might have on them.[27]
Language
The Argobba traditionally speak Argobba, an Ethiopian Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. According to Getahun Amare, Argobba is not a dialect of Amharic as previous linguists believed, but a separate language.[28] Argobba language evolved from proto Amharic and Argobba.[29] In other areas, the people have shifted to neighboring languages for economic reasons. At this time there are only a few areas left where the Argobba are not at least bilingual in Amharic, Oromo or Afar.[4][dead link]
^"Census 2007" March 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, first draft, Table 5.
^Joireman, Sandra F. (1997). Institutional Change in the Horn of Africa: The Allocation of Property Rights and Implications for Development. Universal-Publishers. p. 1. ISBN1581120001. The Horn of Africa encompasses the countries of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. These countries share similar peoples, languages, and geographical endowments.
^"Argobba of Ethiopia". Ethnic people profile. Joshua Project. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
^ abLeyew, Zelealem and Ralph Siebert. (2001) "Sociolinguistic survey report of the Argobba language of Ethiopia", SIL International (accessed 25 May 2009)
^Olson, James (1996). The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 37. ISBN9780313279188.
^Asfaw, Aklilu. A short History of the Argobba. Annales d'Éthiopie. p. 179.
^Kifleyesus, Abbebe (2006). Tradition and Transformation: The Argobba of Ethiopia. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 84. ISBN978-3-447-05341-9.
^Mohammed, Abdul Kader Saleh (2013). The Saho of Eritrea: Ethnic Identity and National Consciousness. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 174. ISBN978-3-643-90332-7.
^Braukämper, Ulrich (1977). "Islamic Principalities in Southeast Ethiopia Between the Thirteenth and Sixteenth Centuries (Part 1)". Ethiopianist Notes. 1 (1): 27. JSTOR 42731359.
^Begashaw, Kassaye. (PDF). Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03.
^History of Harar and Hararis(PDF). Harar Tourism. p. 48.
^Hassen, Mohammed. The Oromo of Ethiopia(PDF). University of London. p. 27.
^Shack, William A. (2017). The Central Ethiopians, Amhara, Tigriňa and Related Peoples: North Eastern Africa Part IV. Taylor & Francis. p. 224. ISBN978-1-315-30769-5.
^Vernacular Architecture of Argobba, Ethiopia. p. 41.
^Enyew, Mehari. vernacular Architecture of Argobba, Ethiopia: The Case of Shonke Amba. Addis Ababa University. p. 43.
^Pankhurst, Richard (1997). The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century. The Red Sea Press. p. 115. ISBN978-0-932415-19-6. large sections of the local Amhara , Argobba and Afar population embraced Christianity
^Ancel, Stephane. A Muslim Prophecy Justifying the Conversion of Ethiopian Muslims to Christianity during Yoḥannəs IV's Reign. A Text Found in a Manuscript in Eastern Tigray. p. 328.
^Hailu, Tesfaye. History and culture of the Argobba : recent investigations. p. 197.
^Gnamo, Abbas (2014). Conquest and Resistance in the Ethiopian Empire, 1880 - 1974: The Case of the Arsi Oromo. BRILL. p. 180. ISBN978-90-04-26548-6.
^Wetter, Andreas. Two Argobba manuscripts from Wällo. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. p. 297.
^Alemu, Getnet; Yoseph, Getachew (2007). Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy. Ethiopian Economic Association. ISBN978-99944-54-03-7.
^"Argobba: A language of Ethiopia", Ethnologue website (accessed 25 May 2009)
^Naim, Abdullah (11 October 2002). Islamic Family Law in A Changing World: A Global Resource Book. Zed Books. p. 71. ISBN9781842770931.
^Begashaw, Kassaye. The Archaeology of Islam in North East Shoa(PDF). p. 15.
^Sociolinguistic Survey Report of the Argobba Language of Ethiopia(PDF). SIL International. pp. 30–31.
^Amare, Getahun (2017). Argobba and Amharic: Putting a Stop to a Quandary. Addis Ababa University.
^Hudson, Grover. Reviewed Work: Ethiopic Documents: Argobba Grammar and Dictionary by Wolf Leslau. Trustees of Indiana University. p. 406.
External links
Aklilu Asfaw, "A short History of the Argobba", Annales d'Éthiopie, 16 (2000), pp. 173–183.
Further reading
Abebe Kifleyesus, Tradition and Transformation: The Argobba of Ethiopia. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006. ISBN978-3-447-05341-9
Richard Wilding, The Arla, the Argobba and Links between the Coast and the Highlands. A Preliminary Archeological Survey. Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Arts, 1975
May 05, 2023
argobba, people, argobba, ethnic, group, inhabiting, ethiopia, muslim, community, they, spread, through, isolated, village, networks, towns, north, eastern, eastern, parts, country, group, members, have, typically, been, astute, traders, merchants, have, adjus. The Argobba are an ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia A Muslim community they are spread out through isolated village networks and towns in the north eastern and eastern parts of the country Group members have typically been astute traders and merchants and have adjusted to the economic trends in their area These factors have led to a decline in usage of the Argobba language 3 4 Argobba are considered endangered today due to exogamy and destitution 5 ArgobbaTotal population140 134 2007 census 1 Regions with significant populationsEthiopiaLanguagesArgobba Oromo Amharic Harari Arabic and Saho AfarReligionSunni IslamRelated ethnic groupsAgaw Amhara Beta Israel Gurage Harari Tigrayans Tigrinya Zay other Habesha peoples 2 Contents 1 History 2 Distribution 3 Religion 4 Language 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 8 Further readingHistory EditAccording to scholars the Kingdom of Aksum s army moved south beyond Angot encountering a nomadic people named Gebal in eastern Shewa who are supposedly the precursors to Argobba 6 Gebal would develop into settlers of Hararghe known as Argobba after their conversion to Islam and having significant ties to the Muslim world dominated trade in Zeila and Harar Modern Argobba claim they originate from the Arabian Peninsula through Zeila in what is now Somaliland and first settled in the Harar plateau 7 Argobba people consider the inhabitants of Doba their ancestors 8 In the 13th century Argobba are associated with the Walashma dynasty of Ifat which would become leaders of the Sultanate of Ifat and Adal Sultanate 9 10 The Argobba and the Harla people seem to have relied on each other in the Islamic period 11 A power struggle erupted between the Abadir dynasty of Harari and the Walashma dynasty of Argobba throughout the Islamic period until Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al Ghazi took control of Adal Sultanate by executing the Walashma sultan Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad in the 16th century 12 13 14 15 In the late sixteenth century Argobba were involved in several conflicts with the Oromo during the Oromo migrations and due to the withdrawal of Adal from Ethiopia came partially under Ethiopian Empire rule losing land rights 16 17 During this period of incorporation large sections of the local Argobba population embraced Christianity 18 In the nineteenth century Emperor Yohannes IV ordered the forced displacement of Argobba for refusing to convert to Christianity 19 20 Many Argobba were forcibly baptized in Shewa by Menelik II 21 Due to expansions from two dominant ethnic groups many Argobba speak either Amharic or Oromo in Wollo Province however those who self identify as originally Argobba are substantial in the region The last remaining villages of a once larger Argobba speaking territory are Sonke and Ṭollaḥa 22 Under the new government of Ethiopia the Ethiopian People s Revolutionary Democratic Front ushered in the early 90s the Argobba obtained regional political power after launching Argoba Nationality Democratic Organization 23 Distribution EditArgobba communities can be found in the Afar Harari Amhara and Oromia Regions in and along the Great Rift Valley They include Yimlawo Gusa Shonke Berehet Khayr Amba Melka Jilo Aliyu Amba Metehara Shewa Robit and the surrounding rural villages 24 Religion EditArgobba are exclusive adherents to the Muslim faith 25 They are also widely believed to be the first to accept Islam collectively in the Horn of Africa and vanguards for early Islamic expansion 26 The Shonke Argobba reportedly forbid their children from attending school due to the possible unislamic influence it might have on them 27 Language EditThe Argobba traditionally speak Argobba an Ethiopian Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family According to Getahun Amare Argobba is not a dialect of Amharic as previous linguists believed but a separate language 28 Argobba language evolved from proto Amharic and Argobba 29 In other areas the people have shifted to neighboring languages for economic reasons At this time there are only a few areas left where the Argobba are not at least bilingual in Amharic Oromo or Afar 4 dead link See also EditDoba Argobba special woreda in the Afar Regon Argobba special woreda in the Amhara Regon Argoba Nationality Democratic OrganizationReferences Edit Census 2007 Archived March 5 2009 at the Wayback Machine first draft Table 5 Joireman Sandra F 1997 Institutional Change in the Horn of Africa The Allocation of Property Rights and Implications for Development Universal Publishers p 1 ISBN 1581120001 The Horn of Africa encompasses the countries of Ethiopia Eritrea Djibouti and Somalia These countries share similar peoples languages and geographical endowments Argobba of Ethiopia Ethnic people profile Joshua Project Retrieved 6 February 2013 a b Leyew Zelealem and Ralph Siebert 2001 Sociolinguistic survey report of the Argobba language of Ethiopia SIL International accessed 25 May 2009 Olson James 1996 The Peoples of Africa An Ethnohistorical Dictionary Greenwood Publishing Group p 37 ISBN 9780313279188 A short history on Argobba PDF p 174 A short history on Argobba PDF p 179 Asfaw Aklilu A short History of the Argobba Annales d Ethiopie p 179 Kifleyesus Abbebe 2006 Tradition and Transformation The Argobba of Ethiopia Otto Harrassowitz Verlag p 84 ISBN 978 3 447 05341 9 Mohammed Abdul Kader Saleh 2013 The Saho of Eritrea Ethnic Identity and National Consciousness LIT Verlag Munster p 174 ISBN 978 3 643 90332 7 Braukamper Ulrich 1977 Islamic Principalities in Southeast Ethiopia Between the Thirteenth and Sixteenth Centuries Part 1 Ethiopianist Notes 1 1 27 JSTOR 42731359 Begashaw Kassaye The Archaeology of Islam in North East Shoa PDF Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies p 14 Archived from the original PDF on 2016 03 03 History of Harar and Hararis PDF Harar Tourism p 48 Hassen Mohammed The Oromo of Ethiopia PDF University of London p 27 Shack William A 2017 The Central Ethiopians Amhara Tigrina and Related Peoples North Eastern Africa Part IV Taylor amp Francis p 224 ISBN 978 1 315 30769 5 Vernacular Architecture of Argobba Ethiopia p 41 Enyew Mehari vernacular Architecture of Argobba Ethiopia The Case of Shonke Amba Addis Ababa University p 43 Pankhurst Richard 1997 The Ethiopian Borderlands Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century The Red Sea Press p 115 ISBN 978 0 932415 19 6 large sections of the local Amhara Argobba and Afar population embraced Christianity Ancel Stephane A Muslim Prophecy Justifying the Conversion of Ethiopian Muslims to Christianity during Yoḥannes IV s Reign A Text Found in a Manuscript in Eastern Tigray p 328 Hailu Tesfaye History and culture of the Argobba recent investigations p 197 Gnamo Abbas 2014 Conquest and Resistance in the Ethiopian Empire 1880 1974 The Case of the Arsi Oromo BRILL p 180 ISBN 978 90 04 26548 6 Wetter Andreas Two Argobba manuscripts from Wallo Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin p 297 Alemu Getnet Yoseph Getachew 2007 Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy Ethiopian Economic Association ISBN 978 99944 54 03 7 Argobba A language of Ethiopia Ethnologue website accessed 25 May 2009 Naim Abdullah 11 October 2002 Islamic Family Law in A Changing World A Global Resource Book Zed Books p 71 ISBN 9781842770931 Begashaw Kassaye The Archaeology of Islam in North East Shoa PDF p 15 Sociolinguistic Survey Report of the Argobba Language of Ethiopia PDF SIL International pp 30 31 Amare Getahun 2017 Argobba and Amharic Putting a Stop to a Quandary Addis Ababa University Hudson Grover Reviewed Work Ethiopic Documents Argobba Grammar and Dictionary by Wolf Leslau Trustees of Indiana University p 406 External links EditAklilu Asfaw A short History of the Argobba Annales d Ethiopie 16 2000 pp 173 183 Further reading EditAbebe Kifleyesus Tradition and Transformation The Argobba of Ethiopia Wiesbaden Harrassowitz Verlag 2006 ISBN 978 3 447 05341 9 Richard Wilding The Arla the Argobba and Links between the Coast and the Highlands A Preliminary Archeological Survey Addis Ababa University Faculty of Arts 1975 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Argobba people amp oldid 1153332564, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
