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Concept
Oromo Invasions
Summary
The Oromo Invasions were a series of expansions in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Boorana starting from 48-64 kilometers east of Lake Abaya and around the Bale Mountains. Over the centuries due to many factors, mostly the wars against foreign forces and internal conflicts which preoccupied Ethiopia, would further encourage the numerous Oromo tribes to expand towards central Ethiopia.
Because the Oromo did not keep a written record of the expansion, this article must refer to Ethiopian, Portuguese and Arabic sources for the reasons behind the expansion. In particular, a 16th-century Ethiopian monk, named Bahrey, is the foremost source on the expansion. Written in Ge'ez, his book was called the History of the Galla (Ge'ez: ዜናሁ ፡ ለጋላ zēnahu legalla), "Galla" being an older name by which the Abyssinians and Portuguese and Italians referred to Oromos, but it is now considered as pejorative. The book was written in 1593 and detailed the expansions from 1522 to his age.
Further information can be gleaned from other contemporaries such as the Ethiopian monk Abba Paulos, Shihab ed-Din's Futuh al-Habasha "Conquest of Abyssinia", João Bermudes, Francisco de Almeida, Jerónimo Lobo,l and various Abyssinian royal chronicles (e.g. those of Gelawdewos, Sarsa Dengel and Susenyos I though that of Sarsa Dengel may have been written by Bahrey).
Gudifecha adoption tradition also lead to massive diversification within Oromo populations as they expanded during the 16th century.
The legend of Liqimssa is an ancient legend stemming from the Borana sect of the Oromo peoples that is credited as having been one of the main motivations for the beginning of the Oromo expansions. The Liqimssa roughly translates to "The Swallower" and was told to be a beast that consumed people one by one until there was nobody left to fight against it. It is meant to embody "hunger", and the story represents how a powerful entity will consume all there is around it until the "land of plenty" (in reference to the Borana homeland) is left barren and empty.
Official source
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