Abyssinia had long maintained her glory unsullied under an ancient line
of emperors, until, in the sixteenth century, the ambitious and
formidable Graan, at the head of a whole nation of Moslem barbarians,
burst over the frontier, and dashed into atoms the structure of two
thousand five hundred years. Defended by hireling swords, which, in a
series of sanguinary conflicts, wrested the victorious wreath from the
brow of the invader, and since supported rather by the memory of
departed greatness than by actual strength, small portions of the once
vast empire have struggled on, the shadow only of imperial dignity. But
the glory had departed from the house of Ethiop, her power had been
prostrated before the mighty conqueror, and his wild band; and the Galla
hordes, pouring into the richest provinces, from southern central
Africa, re-erected heathen shrines during the reign of anarchy, and rose
and flourished on her ruins.
The history of these African Tartars is, however, veiled in the deepest
obscurity. Under the title of Oroma, they trace their origin to three
sisters, daughters of Jerusalem, to whom are applied traditions similar
to the Scriptural chronicle of the descendants of Lot. In their own
language, the word "Galla" signifies _ingressi_; and of themselves they
affirm that Wollaboo, their father, came from beyond Bargamo, "the great
water;" and that his children were nine--Aroosi, Karaiyo, Jille,
Abitchu, Ghelan, Woberi, Metta, Gumbitchu, and Betcho-Fugook--from whose
loins have sprung the innumerable clans or houses which now people the
greater portion of intra-tropical Africa. But by the Moslem bigots, who
form the chief curse of Ethiopia, it is said that the term by which the
nation is recognised was applied to the Ilma Oroma, or seed of Oroma, by
the Prophet himself, who, on sending to summon Wollaboo to become a
proselyte to the true faith, received a direct refusal. "Gal La," "he
said No," reported the unsuccessful messenger on his return. "Let this
then be the denomination of the infidels in future," exclaimed the arch
impostor, "since they will not receive the celestial revelations made to
me through the angel Gabriel."
But whatever may be the origin of the heathen invaders, it is certain
that, as a martial people, they have greatly degenerated from their
ancestors. Under one head, they overran the fairest provinces of
Ethiopia; and had they remained united, they might, with equal ease,
have completed the conquest of the greater portion of the African
continent. Relaxing, however, in their common cause against the
Christians, the tribes soon began to contest among each other for the
possession of the newly-acquired territory. Intestine feuds and
dissensions neutralised their giant power; and the weakness and
disorganisation by which the majority are now characterised is to be
ascribed to the fact of there being no paramount chief.
Roving in his native pastures, where his manners are unadulterated by
the semi-civilisation of Abyssinia, the equestrian Galla is an object
worthy the pencil of Carle Vernet or Pinelli. Tall and athletic, his
manly figure is enveloped in a toga, such as graced the sons of ancient
Rome, and his savage, wild, and fiery features, are rendered still more
ferocious by thick bushy hair arranged either in large lotus-leaved
compartments, or streaming over the shoulders in long raven plaits. But
grease and filth form his delight; and he sparkles under a liberal coat
of the much-loved butter, which is unsparingly applied when proceeding
to the perpetration of the most dastardly and inhuman deeds. Accoutred
with spear, sword, and buckler, and wedded to the rude saddle, whereof
he would seem to form a part, the Pagan scours fearlessly over the
grassy savannas which he has usurped from the Christian, and is engaged
in perpetual desultory strife with all his border neighbours.
Possessing the finest breed of horses in Ethiopia, and wealthy both in
flocks and herds, which roam over boundless meadows smiling with clover,
trefoil, and buttercups, this pastoral people devote their time equally
to agricultural pursuits, and herein they are aided by a delightful
climate, and by a luxuriant, well-watered soil. Whilst the women tend
the sheep and oxen in the field, and manage the hives of bees, the men
plough, sow, and reap, presenting in this respect a striking contrast to
their indolent lowland neighbours, the Adaiel, whom they rival in
barbarous ferocity, in treachery, and in savage propensities. Rich and
verdant valleys, the glory of the mountains, and the pride of the
proprietors, flourish with the most luxuriant crops, which are but too
frequently swept from off the land by the sudden burst of war. Often is
the cup of hope dashed from the lips when the enjoyment of the contents
is deemed most certain; and the mangled corse of the husbandman is left
on the borders of the very field of which he was garnering in the ripe
corn.
Nor are the female portion of the Galla population less eminent in the
equestrian art than their warlike lords, whose steeds it is their
business to tend and saddle for the foray. Distinguished for their
beauty among the dark daughters of Africa, their fine figures are
slenderly attired in a short leathern petticoat, embroidered with a
flounce of white cowrie shells, and clasped around the waist by a zone
of coloured beads. A flowing cotton robe completes the toilet of the
wealthy; and the time of all is equally devoted to the braiding an
infinity of minute tresses, which fall over the shoulders after the
manner of the ancient Egyptians. But their garments and their persons
are unsparingly anointed with lard and butter; and the romance that
might otherwise attach to their native charms cannot fail to be
dispelled on near approach.
The conically thatched cabins of the Galla are grouped in rural
clusters, and uniformly surrounded by a stone wall as a precaution
against surprise. The hamlet is often concealed by a dark forest of
juniper overhanging the deep ravine, whose ever foaming torrent
fertilises the adjacent pastures. Bees form a portion of the wealth of
every family, and the flower-clothed meads, fostered by an Italian sky,
are covered with them. The same whimsical customs which have been
generally practised since the days of Virgil are here extant. The same
confused clamour is raised to induce the swarm to alight; and the
cylindrical hive having been rubbed inside with the leaves of
odoriferous herbs to entice the wild insects to remain, it is suspended
under the eaves of the hut, and twice during the year robbed of the
honey.
To the performance of the religious rites of the Pagan, a tree is
indispensable, his devotions and his sacrifices being invariably
performed under the shadow of its boughs. On the interment of a priest,
a sycamore, or a coffee tree, is planted over the grave, and held sacred
for ever; whilst on the banks of the Hawash stands the venerable Woda
Nuwee, [_Ficus sycamorus_, the wild fig. It is called _worka_, "the
golden," by the Amhara, and attains a vast size] to which the tribes
flock from far and wide to make vows and propitiatory offerings, and to
recount their exploits in war. Paying adoration only to stocks and
stones, and bending the knee to none but idols and serpents, they here
make oblations of butter and honey to secure the favour of the deity--
hang upon the spreading branches the trophies taken from their enemies;
and performing incantations to _Sar_, the prince of the demons, bind
around their necks the entrails of the slaughtered victim which has
yielded auspicious omens.
Two great annual sacrifices are made to the deities Ogli and Ateti, the
former between June and July, the latter in the beginning of September.
A number of goats having been slain, the Lubah, or priest, wearing a
tuft of long hair on his crown, proceeds with a bell in his hand, and
his brows encircled by a fillet of copper, to divine from the fat, caul,
and entrails, whether or not success will attend the warriors in battle.
This point determined, the assembled multitude, howling and screaming
like demons, continue to surfeit themselves with raw meat, to swallow
beer, and to inhale smoke to intoxication until midnight--invoking
_Wak_, the Supreme Being, to grant numerous progeny, lengthened years,
and abundant crops, as well as to cause their Spears to prevail over
those of their foes; and when sacrificing to Ateti, the goddess of
fecundity, exclaiming frequently, "Lady, we commit ourselves unto thee;
stay thou with us always."
The Kalicha is the Galla wizard, conjurer, and physician. With the
putrefying intestines of a goat hung about his neck, and armed with a
bell and a copper whip, his skill in the expulsion of the devil is
rarely known to fail. Adoration having been paid to a serpent, the
patient is rubbed with butter, fumigated with potent herbs, and
exorcised with frantic howls, a few strokes of the lash being
administered until the cure is perfected. No Amhara will slay either a
Lubah or a Kalicha under any circumstances, from a superstitious dread
of his dying curse; and Galla sorceresses are frequently called in by
the Christians of Shoa, to transfer sickness, or to rid the house of
evil spirits, by cabalistic incantations, performed with the blood of
ginger-coloured hens, and red he-goats.
But among the Galla sorcerers and soothsayers, the Wato, already
mentioned as inhabiting the mountain Dalacha, towards the sources of the
Hawash, are the most universally celebrated. Neither Pagan nor
Christian will molest this tribe, from the same superstitious
apprehension of their malediction, and still more from a desire to
obtain their blessing; whilst he who receives the protection of a Wato
may travel with perfect security over every part of the country
inhabited by the Galla. Subsisting entirely by the chase, they wander
from lake to lake and from river to river, destroying the hippopotamus,
upon the flesh of which animal they chiefly live--whereas no other
heathen will touch it. Feared and respected, and claiming to themselves
to be the original stock of the Oromo nation, they deem all other clans
unclean from having mixed with Mohammadans and Christians; and refusing
on this account to intermarry, remain to this day a separate and
distinct people.
All barbarians are orators; and the euphonical language of the Galla,
which unfortunately can boast of no written character, is admirably
adapted to embellish their eloquent and impressive delivery. Cradled in
the unexplored heights of Ethiopia, many of the customs of these fierce
illiterate idolaters are closely and remarkably allied to those of the
more civilised nations of antiquity. Seeking presages, like the Romans
and Etrurians, in the flight of birds, and in the entrails of
slaughtered sacrifices; wearing the hair braided like the ancient
Egyptians, and, like them, sleeping with the head supported by a wooden
crutch--wedding the relict of a deceased brother, according to the
Mosaic law, and bowing the knee to the old serpent, whom they regard as
the father of all mankind--an acquaintance with these wild invaders
suggests curious speculations on their origin, when referred to a common
parent; and these are rendered still more interesting by the existence
of a prophecy, that their hordes are one day to quit the highlands of
their usurpation, and march to the east and to the north, "that they may
conquer the inheritance of their Jewish ancestors."
Volume 3, Chapter VIII.