Galamso


Galamso, 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 . 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.

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, 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 religion of the Oromos, we may wonder why the mosque was called so. The Oromo elders explain the case as follows.
The Ittu Oromo 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 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.. 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. 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, and Usso denotes the owner of the house. 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, 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.. 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 . 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. 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 are Muslims. And Orthodox Christianity is the second significant religious domination.
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. 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.
  • 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,, and its counting vary by successive units of two. For example, at Gelemso, the Ethiopian five cents coin is called niira lama, the ten cents called niiraa afur, and 20 cents called . On the other hand, the Ethiopian birr is called and the ten birr note is known as .
  • The residents dine three times a day. The breakfast is called , the lunch is known as either or and the dinner is called,, or . The meals include items of traditional Oromo styles like ,,,, etc... dishes of the Arabian origin like,,, and the traditional Harari dish called.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Milad Al Nabi or Mawlid is the most notable festival celebrated in mass. The main festival lasts for 3 consecutive days, and it is held chiefly at the Hadra of Sheikh Omar. Professor Braukamper witnessed that when he visited the Hadra in 1973, the attendants of the feast number in 10,000s.
  • Khat is chewed in the town by multiple people of different age groups. A variety of superior quality of khat is called qarti and it originates mostly around a rural zone called Chaffe Afanani. Other varieties are known by such names as urata, qudaa, chabbbala, tachero, walaha etc...

    Locations of interest

Locations of interest around Gelemso include the followings.

Natural wonders

  • Karra Torban Gelemso or the Seven Natural Gates of Gelemso: in ancient times, the town is said to have seven natural gates called with different names. Most of those ancient names are still on use. The seven gates are ፡
  • *Karra Bantii / also called Karra Qoree - found in the northern direction.
  • *Karra Bubbee : found in the north-western direction
  • *Karra Gobeensaa /also called Karra Hardiim/-found in the western direction.
  • *Karra Beeraa or Karra Balballeettii : found in the south-west direction.
  • *Karra Cifraa or Karra Sheekh Husseen -found in the southern direction
  • *Karra Weenne or Karra Bookee - found in the south-east direction
  • *Karra Caffee : found in the north east direction.
  • Haroo Carcar : 10 km east of Gelemso, a lake that varies in its area coverage from time to time. Currently, it is the largest natural lake in eastern Ethiopia. The lake will become as large as 4 km with a breadth of 2 km at its peak. But some times it is mistaken for another temporal lake which appears at its vicinity during heavy rainfall season. This latter body of water is called by the peasants Sal Malee meaning a place where everybody washes his body without being shy.
  • Natural Caves: The natural caves around Gelemso have become important sites of geological and anthropological studies. The most famous three — named Hachare-Aynage, Rukiessa and Barro — are located near Mechara town, 40 km south of Gelemso. The first study of them was undertaken in 1996 by a team from University of Huddersfield.
  • Dindin Forest and Wild Life Sanctuary : found 35 km west of Gelemso. It is one of the properly protected forest areas in Ethiopia, and extends to the Arba Gugu mountains of northern Arsi. Currently, the forest is a home of multiple species of animals, including the endemic Mountain Nyala.