Divided into endless houses, the majority of the independent Oromo
tribes, to the south of Shoa, are governed by hereditary chieftains; and
it is only where the Moslem slave-dealer has successfully commenced the
work of conversion to the creed promulgated by the Prophet, that this
wild heathen race have been brought to bow the neck to the yoke of
kings. Of this Enarea affords a most striking example, for there
one-half of the entire population have abandoned idolatry, whilst
despotism has taken root, and flourishes under a line of Mohammadan
rulers.
Surrounded on all sides by lofty mountains, this kingdom embraces an
extensive table-land, which separates the waters to the north and south,
and ranks among the most elevated regions of Africa. Menchilla,
stretching from east to north-west, is the principal range, and a spur
to the south-west is described as joining the so called Mountains of the
Moon. Saka, the capital, contains from ten to twelve thousand
inhabitants, mixed Pagans and Mohammadans, who inhabit houses of a
circular form, somewhat better constructed than those of the Amhara.
Saeed was the son of Ascari, a Mohammadan, and his sister Elikkee
wedding a Galla, bore a son, Teso, who was brought up in idolatry, and
conquered Enarea. His son Boko also died a Pagan; but Bofo, "the
serpent," who succeeded on the death of his father, was converted to
Islamism by Mootar, his uncle, the nephew of Elikkee. Abba Bokibo, the
present and fourth monarch, is represented to be just and merciful, but
his ancestors were monstrous and relentless tyrants, who "caused rivers
of blood to flow, and slew the people like cows." Arrayed in a black
mantle of goat's hair, His Majesty dispenses justice in the
market-place, sitting on the trunk of a tree with a bullock's hide
spread beneath his feet. Saka contains upwards of one thousand
_moolahs_; but in the absence of mosques, prayers are held at the tomb
of Bofo, the first convert to the faith. Twice during each year, great
military expeditions are undertaken, which rarely extend beyond eight or
ten days. Every soldier carries a small supply of bread, and trusts for
further subsistence to pillage and plunder. Many bloody battles are
annually fought with the surrounding tribes, and wide tracts of country
thus annexed to the royal possessions.
The Agallo, Yelloo, Betcho, Sudecha, Chora, and Nono, are all subject to
the Suppera, or king, of Enarea, whose sway extends to the Soddo, Metta,
and Maleema Galla, about the sources of the Hawash, which rises in
Adda-Berga. Limmoo, whereof the capital is Sobitcha, is a province
annexed of old to Enarea; and Abba Bokibo, desirous of subjugating
Gooderoo, and the countries to the north as far as the Nile, sent to
propose an alliance with Dedjasmach Goshoo, the ruler of Gojam. "You
sell slaves," was the reply of the Christian potentate, "and are a
Mohammadan to boot. It cannot be." One hundred horns of civet and
fifty female slaves which had been sent by the Suppera, were
nevertheless accepted, and thirty matchlocks, with persons versed in the
use of firearms, were forwarded in return.
Little sickness of any sort prevails, and mendicants, the pest of
Abyssinia, are said to be unknown in the land. The wild vine
flourishes, and bears abundance of grapes. The "gosso" tree, which
attains a vast height, is covered during the season with delicious
berries, and is ascended by means of the tendrils of the vine bound
around the stem. Coffee grows wild in every wood, to the height of
eight and ten feet, and bends under the load of fruit. A large skin
full is purchased for twopence-halfpenny sterling, and the decoction,
prepared as in Europe, is invariably presented to the stranger, as is an
infusion of the "chaat," a coarse species of the tea-plant, which there
flourishes spontaneously, and is cultivated in Shoa.
The civet cat is a native of Enarea, and being caught in gins, is kept
in the house and fed on meat and boiled maize. The cages are daily
placed before the fire preparatory to the operation of removing the
secretion, which is performed with a wooden spoon. A lump about the
size of a small filbert is yielded at each baking, and it forms a
considerable article of export. Myrrh and frankincense are also
produced in great quantities, and are employed in religious ceremonies,
burnt sacrifices of incense being made to the guardian genius.
Notwithstanding the conversion to Mohammadanism of so large a portion of
the population, sacrifices are still made to "Wak" on the festival of
Hedar Michael, which, together with the Sabbath, is strictly observed by
all the Galla tribes. The Woda tree is at Betcho; no woman is suffered
to come near it; and under its sacred shade all priests are ordained--
even the followers of the Prophet placing blood upon it as a
superstitious oblation. Thousands upon thousands of the heathen having
assembled, the Lubah sprinkles over the crowd, first beer, then an
amalgamation of unroasted coffee and butter, and lastly, flour and
butter mixed in a separate mess. A white bull is then slaughtered, and
its blood scattered abroad to complete the ceremonies, which are
followed by eating, drinking, and drunkenness.
Zingero, which is visible from the high land of Enarea, was, until
within the last two years, at constant war with the Galla states. Jimma
and Limmoo uniting, then overran the country; and having dethroned Amno
Zermud, the occupant of the throne, annexed the ancient kingdom to the
dominions of Abba Bokibo. It is bounded on the south by a great river
called the Gochob. Anger, the capital, is situated on the summit of a
very high mountain; and the whole country, which sinks to a much lower
level, is rich and fertile.
In days of yore, fourteen kingdoms are said to have been tributary to
the sovereign of Zingero. The succession to the throne was determined
from amongst the nobles, who, at the demise of the monarch, were wont to
assemble in an open field, when he over whose head a bee or a vulture
first chanced to fly was elected by the unanimous voice of the people.
Although no portion of the population professes the Christianity of
Ethiopia, and none of its fasts are observed, the rite of circumcision
is universal, and the Sabbath is respected, together with the Abyssinian
festivals of Kidana Meherat and Saint Michael.
Prior to the conquest of Zingero, no male slave was ever sold,--a
practice which is said to have originated in the conduct of one of the
daughters of the land. A certain king of old commanded a man of rank to
slaughter his wife, her flesh having been prescribed by the sorcerers as
the only cure for a malady wherewith His Majesty was grievously
afflicted. Returning to his house for the purpose of executing the
royal mandate, the noble found his fair partner sleeping, and her beauty
so disarmed him, that his hand refused to perpetrate the murderous deed.
Hereat the despot waxing wroth, directed the lady to slay her husband,
which she did without any remorse or hesitation, and thus brought odium
upon the whole sex, who have since been considered fit only to become
slaves and drudges.
Immediately upon the birth of a male child the mammae are amputated,
from a belief that no warrior can possibly be brave who possesses them,
and that they should belong only to women. This fact is fully
corroborated in the persons of the few prisoners of war who reach the
kingdom of Shoa. Since the overthrow of the ancient dynasty, the
country has been ravaged for slaves by all the surrounding states, but
few will deign to survive the loss of liberty; and suicide is so
frequent in captivity, that the males are hardly considered worth the
trouble of exporting.
Human sacrifices have ever been, and still are, frightfully common in
Zingero. When carrying off slaves from that country, the merchant
invariably throws the handsomest female captive into lake Umo, in form
of a tribute or propitiatory offering to the genius of the water. It is
the duty of a large portion of the population to bring their first-born
as a sacrifice to the deity, a custom which tradition assigns to the
advice of the sorcerers. In days of yore it is said that the seasons
became jumbled. There was neither summer nor winter, and the fruits of
the earth came not to maturity. Having assembled the magicians, the
king commanded them to show how this state of things might best be
rectified, and the rebellious seasons be reduced to order. The wise men
counselled the cutting down of a certain great pillar of iron which
stood before the gate of the capital, and the stock whereof remains to
the present time. This had the effect desired; but in order to prevent
a relapse into the former chaos of confusion, the Magi directed that the
pillar, as well as the footstool of the throne, might be annually bathed
in human blood; in obedience to which a tribute was levied upon the
first-born, who are immolated upon the spot.
Of the independent Galla tribes lying immediately contiguous to Enarea,
Goma, under Abba Rebo, is the principal. This king is also a convert to
Mohammadanism; and the life of his father having been saved by a
vulture, which, according to the legend, plucked out the eyes of a host
of Gentiles by whom the royal person was assailed, he retains a
domesticated bird, which, with a tinkling bell around its neck,
invariably accompanies the army on all predatory expeditions. At the
termination of the first march, Abba Rebo, with his own royal hands,
slays a white bull, and if the wild vultures of the air join the trained
bird in the repast, the omens are esteemed to be fortunate.
The Mohammadan Galla tribes, those on the border especially, are
uniformly the most savage and barbarous. The Alaba are dire monsters,
and more dreaded than the wild beasts, whom they far exceed in ferocity.
The cruelties practised by the chief of the Goma are almost incredible.
Offenders are deprived of hands, nose, and ears; and their eyes having
been seared with a hot iron, the mutilated victims are paraded through
the market-place for the edification of the populace. The sight of all
prisoners taken in war is similarly destroyed; and a stone having been
tied about the neck, they are thrown by hundreds into a river formerly
styled Daama, but now denominated the Chuba, from a belief that its
waters are composed solely of human blood. It rises in Utter Gudder,
where is a tributary tribe called Mergo, subsisting entirely upon the
chase of the elephant and wild buffalo. In Goma the Moslem faith is
universal. Every man is a warrior; and retaining a number of Shankela
slaves to cultivate the ground, remains idle himself, unless when
engaged in war or in the chase.
The Boono are a republican tribe of Pagans, bordering on Enarea, and
who, acknowledging no king, are governed by a council of the elders.
Inhabiting lofty mountains to which there is only one accessible road,
strongly fortified by nature as well as art, none venture to invade this
commonwealth, whilst the Boono make war with impunity upon all the
surrounding clans; and, from their signal prowess in the field, are said
to be propitiated even by the King of Enarea.
Jimma and Mancho are independent Galla tribes under Saana, surnamed Abba
Juffar, from the title of his war-horse, which in Ethiopia is usually
assumed by the chieftain. From Saka, a southerly course through these
provinces leads, by fifteen or twenty easy stages, directly to the
Gochob, above the cataracts of Dumbaro, the neighbourhood of which is
infested by banditti, who lie in ambush to kidnap the unwary. The river
is crossed by means of rafts belonging to the Queen of Caffa. They are
capable each of containing from thirty to forty persons, and are formed
of the trunks of large trees lashed together with strips of raw hide,
and surrounded by high gunwales of the same construction--the helm being
a moveable spar, unaided by oars or other propelling power.
Caffa is the mountainous peninsula formed by the junction of the Omo
with the Gochob. It is an independent country of mixed Pagans and
Christians, over whom presides Balee, the relict of King Hullaloo. She
is represented to be a young woman of extraordinary energy and ability,
very hospitable to the rovers who visit her with blue calico, beads, and
trinkets, in return for which she gives cloth and other produce of the
country. On the demise of her husband she assembled all the governors
of the different provinces, and having caused them to be put in irons,
proclaimed herself queen. Her only son Gomarra, "the hippopotamus,"
still a youth, leads the army into the field; but she often proceeds
with the troops in person, and invariably plans the expedition.
Whensoever she moves abroad, her subjects are bound to spread the way
with their raiment; and as well during the administration of justice
from behind a screen with a small aperture, as during the public
banquet, drums, fiddles, and flutes play incessantly.
Nyhur, Moyey, Ziggahan, Boora, and Alera, are the principal towns of
Caffa; and the entire rugged and mountainous country is covered with
thick forests, which also clothe the banks of the Gochob, affording
shelter to the elephant, the buffalo, the rhinoceros, and other wild
beasts, in extraordinary numbers. The river is said to take its source
in the distant provinces of Bedee Yedee and Goma, and below the
cataracts abounds in hippopotami, which are much hunted by the natives.
Dumbaro, Wurretta, and Tufftee, as also the Golda negroes, who go
perfectly naked, are tributary to Balee, and pay chiefly in gold
obtained from the hot valleys. The inhabitants of Caffa reverence
Friday and Sunday, as do the Galla, and like them celebrate the festival
of Saint Michael by a great feast; but their language, which is common
to Gobo, Tufftee, and Dumbaro, is quite distinct from that spoken by the
Galla nation.
A considerable trade exists with Enarea in slaves and cotton cloths,
which latter are to be purchased for a piece of salt value
twopence-halfpenny sterling. Coffee is produced in immense quantities,
of the finest quality, and tradition points to this country as the first
residence of the plant. It was spread by the civet cat over the
mountains of the Ittoo and Aroosi Galla, where it has flourished for
ages in wild profusion, and is thence said to have been transported five
hundred years ago by an enterprising trader from the opposite coast of
Arabia.
Beyond the extensive wilderness which bounds Caffa on the south, are the
Doko, an exceedingly wild race, not much exceeding four feet in height,
of a dark olive complexion, and in habits even more closely approximated
to "the beasts that perish" than the bushmen of Southern Africa. They
have neither idols, nor temples, nor sacred trees; but possess a
glimmering idea of a Supreme Being, to whom in misfortune--such as any
of their relatives being slain by the kidnapper--they pray with their
feet resting against a tree: "_Yere_, if indeed thou art, why dost thou
suffer us to be killed? We are only eating ants, and ask neither food
nor raiment. Thou hast raised us up. Why dost thou cast us down?"
Many natives of Caffa and Enarea, who for evil purposes have visited the
country inhabited by this people, describe the road to it from the
former kingdom to pass through forests and mountains, for the most part
without population, and swarming with wild beasts, the elephant and
buffalo especially. From Bonga, distant about fifty or sixty miles, it
is ten days journey to Tufftee, the Omo river being crossed midway by a
rude wooden bridge, sixty yards in length. Seven easy stages beyond
Tufftee is Kooloo, whence the Doko may be reached in one day. Their
climate is warm and the seasons extremely wet, the rains commencing in
May, and continuing with occasional intermission until February.
The wilderness is principally clothed with a dense forest of bamboo, in
the depths of which the natives construct their rude wigwams of bent
canes and grass. They have no king, no laws, no arts, no arms; possess
neither flocks nor herds; are not hunters, do not cultivate the soil,
but subsist entirely upon fruits, roots, mice, reptiles, ants, and
honey. They beguile serpents by whistling in a certain note, and having
torn them piecemeal with their long nails, devour them raw; but although
the forests abound to such an extent with elephants, buffaloes, lions,
and leopards, they have no means of destroying or entrapping them. A
large tree called Loko is found, amongst many other species, attaining
an extraordinary height, the roots of which, when scraped, are red, and
serve for food. The _yebo_ and _meytee_ are the principal fruits; and
to obtain these, women as well as men ascend the trees in numbers, and
in their quarrels and scrambles not unfrequently throw each other down
from the branches.
Both sexes go perfectly naked, and have thick pouting lips, diminutive
eyes, and flat noses. The hair is not woolly, and in the females
reaches to the shoulders. The men have no beard. The nails, never
pared, grow both on the hands and feet like eagles' talons, and are
employed in digging for ants. The Doko are ignorant of the use of fire.
They perforate the ears in infancy with a pointed bamboo, so as to
leave nothing save the external cartilage, but they neither tattoo nor
pierce the nose; and the only ornament worn is a necklace composed of
the spinal bones of a serpent.
Great annual slave hunts are undertaken from Dumbaro, Caffa, and Kooloo;
and the dense forests of bamboo, the creaking of which is represented to
be loud and incessant, often prove the scene of fierce and bloody
struggles between rival tribes. Wide tracts having been encircled, the
band of rovers, converging, impel the denizens to the centre. Holding a
gay cloth before their persons, they dance and sing in a peculiar
manner; and the defenceless negroes, aware from sad experience that all
who attempt to escape will be ruthlessly hunted down, and perhaps slain,
tamely approach, and suffer themselves to be blindfolded. One hundred
merchants can thus kidnap a thousand Doko; and although long prone to
their old habits of digging for ants, and searching for mice, serpents,
or lizards, the captives rarely attempt to escape. Their docility and
usefulness, added to very limited wants, rendering them in high demand,
none are ever sold out of the countries bordering on the Gochob, and
none therefore find their way to Shoa.
Nothing that is related of these people, whether as respects stature or
habits, would seem to be preposterous or unworthy of credit, the
descriptions given of them differing in no very material points from
what is known of the Bushmen of Southern Africa, amongst whom I have
travelled. Agreeing in every respect with the type of Herodotus, they
are unquestionably the pygmies of the ancients, who describe them as
found in tropical Africa; and it is a fact, well worthy of observation,
that the natives of Caffa represent their forefather _Boogazee_ to have
issued from a cave in a forest--a tradition which cannot fail to call to
mind the Troglodytes, who are also mentioned by the father of history as
being inhabitants of this portion of the African continent.
It would be beside my purpose to collect and introduce here all that the
ancients and modems have written to render probable the existence of a
diminutive race of men; but it may be worth observing, in addition to
what has been adduced above, that Aristotle, in his History of Animals
[Book eight chapter 12] professes his belief in the existence of such a
race, which he supposes to have inhabited the marshes about the sources
of the Nile, and to have dwelt, like the Troglodytes, in caverns. It
would appear from this, that some report of the Doko had reached Greece.
The great naturalist does not fix the stature of the small men of whom
he speaks, though he adopts the popular name of Pygmies, because he is
led to speak of them while noticing the Homeric fable respecting their
battles with the Cranes. Homer [Iliad, iii 3, onwards], however,
himself, places them near the ocean, where, according to the accounts I
received, they are really found. Strabo [Geography xvii 2], who had
already imbibed something of the spirit of modern philosophy, thought it
better to sneer than to inquire, and rejected the whole story; though he
did not hesitate to believe, contrary to experience, that all the
animals of Upper Egypt were of diminutive size. Pliny [Natural History
vi 35], whose faith was of boundless expansion, could discover no
absurdity in the supposition, that there existed a race of men
twenty-seven inches high, probably because he may have seen individual
dwarfs who were no larger. He makes, however, one remark which may be
worth notice,--namely, that the small race had scarcely any nose at all,
but instead, two spiracles above the mouth, which served them in lieu of
nostrils.
But laying aside all these legends, I can discover no absurdity in what
is related concerning the stature of the Doko. They are, it is said,
about four feet high, in which they resemble the Laplanders, the
Samoyedes, and, as I have already observed, the Bushmen. The
Naturalist, Commerson [Camus, Notes sur l'Histoire des Animaux
d'Aristot, page 405] had heard of a similar people, called Quimos, in
the opposite island of Madagascar, though Rochon, and other modern
travellers, say they could obtain no information respecting them. Some
naturalists, in this as in most other cases, easily elude the difficulty
by a bold profession of incredulity. [Virey, Histoire Naturelle du
Genre Humain, volume ii page 240, onwards.] It would, perhaps, be more
philosophical to investigate and inquire. Great differences we know
exist in the stature of different nations, and it has possibly not been
yet ascertained what is the smallest or the largest size to which the
human body can attain. That no specimens of the Doko race should reach
Shoa is remarkable, and may be deemed suspicious; but the reasons given
are not altogether destitute of plausibility; and, at all events, the
rumours in circulation throughout that part of Africa deserve to be
reported, in order that, as discovery advances, they who are destined to
achieve it may be prompted to careful examination.
Volume 3, Chapter IX.