Boorana

The Borana is one of the two major subgroups of the Oromo people. They live in the Borena Zone of the Oromia Region and Liben Zone of the Somali Region of Ethiopia, former Northern Frontier District of Northern Kenya,Tana River in the former coast province of Kenya and also in central Somalia. Boranas living in Kenya and Ethiopia speak a dialect of Oromo and those living in central Somalia share a dialect with Dirr communities of Somalia, a language that is closely related to both Borana Language and Somali Language. The Borana people are notable for practicing Gadaa system without interruption especially those residing in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, a larger percentage of Boranas in Liban Zone of Somali region and those in central Somalia were Muslims, where as those living in Borena Zone of Ethiopia and those in Kenya majorly practicing Christian and Islamic religion, but few still hold purely to their culture especially those in Sakhu Constituency of Marsabit County. Through Gadha system, Boranas believed to have conquered and protected their territory named, Dirre, Dirr Liban, Golbo, Wajer, Dibayu, Torban Jia (all original name) till the second world war where they were overpowered by the colonial politics. Since they were semi-nomadic, their population growth did not match with those of their neighbors both in Kenya and Ethiopia, this put them at risk to lose much of their territories. Those in Kenya and Ethiopia speak Borana language that is closely related to Oromo, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the large Afro-Asiatic language family. In the border regions of Ethiopia-Kenya and southwestern Somalia, one estimate places about 1,094,000 people as Boranas. Another estimate in 2019 suggests 874,000 Boranas in Ethiopia, 210,000 in Kenya and 10,000 in Somalia. Gadaa Borana have their own form of an overhaul system for the last 568 years that is recognized by UNESCO as a heritage that needs to be protected. The system covers political, social, economical and spiritual ways of life.