Geerarsaa: A Multifaceted Genre of the Oromoo Oral Art
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Full Length
Research Paper
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Abstract
Geerarsaa, is an Oromoo
folksong, a repository for different kinds of emotionally charged messages,
sung on different occasions to address different issues. Based on the
representative samples obtained from manuscripts, the author’s recollection and
other sources, this study attempts to reveal the lyrical nature of geerarsaa, its major communicational
purposes and features, and the messages it conveys pertaining to praise (faaruu), ridicule (ciigoo); resentment (roorroo),
delight (gammachuu); humorous (qoosaa) or non-humorous (fardii).The study employs a
descriptive and analytical approach to reveal the overriding purposes of geerarsaa and the social and historical
factors that shapes its purposes and its features. The analytical approach
employed in this study also reveals the therapeutic role geerarsaa played in the life of the Oromoo; victims of historical
trauma due to the subjugation they suffered in the hands of armed settlers from
the north; as historical documents indicate. In addition the study reveals the
types of the poetic sound devices involved in the lyrical composition of geerarsaa.
Keywords: Geerarsaa, oral art, genre, historical trauma, praise songs,
rite of passage
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Axareeraa
Geerarsi ogina afoolaa Oromoo keessatti weedduu miirrimaddee ergaa bifa
adda-addaa dabarsuuf guyyaa adda-addaatti weeddifamu dha; ykn geejaba ergaa
miirri madde kana isa weeddisurraa gara isa dhageeffatuutti dabarsuun
tajajila.Qormaati kun raagaalee adda addaa kan kitaabota, yaadannoo
barreesichaa akkasumas maddilee biraarraa argamanirratti hundaawwuun, geerarsi
ergaalee faarsaa, ciigoo, roorroo, gammachuu, akkasumas qoosaa fi fardii
calaqqisan akka uddeellatu muldhisuu kaayyeefata. Qormaati kun xurree xinxaalaa
fi ifaatii fuulefachuun dhimmoota jaboo geerarsi tamsaasuu fi taateewwan seenaa
fi haala hawaasaa keessaa kan dhalachuu dhimmoota kanaaf akkasumas uumama
bifootsaa kanaaf sababoota ta’an muldhisuu yaala. Qormaati kun xurree xinxaala
fuuleffate kanaan rifaatii seenaa (historical trauma) harka qubatootaa qawwee
hidhatanii kaabaa itti duulanii Oromoo isa bar tokko bilisa ture irraan
gahanirraa akka dandamatu shoora geerasi xabate xinxaala. Dabalees qormaati
kun, geerarsi meesshaa qunnamtii ta’uun beekumsaa seenaa fi aadaa, safuu fi
seera akkasumas argaa dhageetti Oromoo; odeeffannoo dadammaqsoo ta’an saba
Oromoo hireesaa fi mirgasa mirkaneefachuuf qabsaawa tureen gahuu keessatti qooda
qabaachaa turuusaa muldhisa.
Jechoota Ijoo:
Geerarsaa, ogina
afoolaa,qomoo oginaa, rifaatii seenaa, faaruu, ayyaana ceumsaa
1. Introduction
1.1 Rationale of the study
One of the Oromo folksongs that constitutes a
genre of its own, and usually sang by Oromoo men is known as Geerarsaa. As a
term it represents both the poem and the melody combined. It has many
themes and features depending on the historical and social circumstances, as
well as the mood and emotion the singer is in.
Addisu Tolesa in his pioneering research on
the subject introduces geerarsa as “a
type of folksong, a medium of artistic expression firmly embedded in Oromo
social life in Oromia and Ethiopia, as well as in diaspora.” Further, he states
that geerarsa “consists of life
experience stories about the social positions of individuals, the geerarsa singers, based on their
achievements. It is sung or recited usually by men, often in a call and
response manner (Tolesa, 1999).”
Its main function is to serve as a vehicle for
delivering messages pertaining to different issues; such as grievance that
arise from political, social as well as economic circumstances. In addition, geerarsaa serves as a medium for
conveying praise to different bodies. Praises for one’s family, and self-praise
for heroic achievement and success in economic and social endeavour; praise for
value of property (gun, cattle and beasts of burden for instance), are
expressed in geerarsaa. Heroic deeds
and gains during conflict or battle, and from hunting big games (lions,
elephant, buffalo etc.) are also praised, while cowards and unsuccessful
hunters are ridiculed and berated. Misfortunes, hopes and wishes, aspirations,
remorse, warnings and even humour are other themes manifested in geerarsaa. The pivotal role it played as
an archaic tool of instruction during the informal training and acculturation
of children at the initial phase of the Gadaa
stages has also been observed by researchers (Melaku in Hinew, 2012).
1.2 Geerarsaa as a Lyric Poetry
Approaching the classification of geerarsaa poems especially by resorting
to the Goethean generic classification method might pose some fundamental questions.
Could a classification method that arose from Western studies of literature,
nurtured by Western field research, and above all,
designed particularly for written literature employed for the purpose of
classifying a folksong like geerarsaa?
Is there a boundary between oral and written poetry that hinders the
application of one classification method for both? According to two prominent
scholars of the field, Ruth Finnegan and Carl Lindahl, there seems no significant difference between the two.
Ruth Finnegan notes that: “…there is no
clear cut line between ‘oral’ and ‘written’ literature, and when one tries to
differentiate between them – as has often been attempted – it becomes clear
that there are constant overlaps (1977, 2).” Carl Lindahl remarks that the opposing views on the artistic merit of oral literature has been one of the
major causes of scholarly “warfare” between specialists of both fields of
studies i.e., literature and folklore. As he further notes, however: “Since
the late nineteenth century, growing numbers of folklorists have recognized
that oral performances are artistic events
which draw on the talents of gifted individuals.” Finally, for those who
established and follow the formula “Literature-minus-Art
is-equal-to-Folklore”, and for other sceptics he affirms that “Folklore is
anything but art” (1978, 94, 96).
According to these assertions, regardless
of their medium of presentation, they both are the literary product of creative
individuals; above all, their artistic traits could equally be meritorious or
immeritorious; depending on the style, technic and talent of the producer. It is based on these assertions that I
yielded to the tempting task of taking an amateurish glance at geerarsaa through a classifying lens
designed for written literature. I hope it is as inciting for the scholars of
the field to come up with a convincing study, as it is tempting for me. My effort is, to identify an appropriate class out of the
three Goethean classification methods - (the narrative or epic, the lyric, and the dramatic), - that better accommodates geerarsa; the rationale being that these
classes known as the three “natural forms of poetry”, have been accepted as the
standard for literature classification tool. They were suggested in 1819 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)and became an ‘undisputed basis for
most generic classifications of literature’ with ‘an almost world-wide
relevance (William Desmond, 2020).
Of all the three natural forms of poetry, the lyric; its definition, its
function, the subjectivity of its expression and the universality of its appeal
seems to better accommodate geerarsaa. The lyric of today in the Western literary
tradition was once a poem spoken or sang by an individual accompanied by the
musical instrument known as “lyre:” hence, the name lyric. According to Stephen Burt’s
citations of different researchers:“lyric is the genre of personal
expression,” “a genre of song,” “by definition musical” (Robert von Hallberg);
poems that can be sung; poems that resemble song; “the voicing of one moment’s
state of feeling” (Mark Booth); “any fairly short, non-narrative poem
presenting a single speaker who expresses a state of mind or a process of
thought and feeling” (M. H. Abrams); work that is “personal, subjective, short,
meditative, emotive, private, musical” (Dean Rader), (2016, 423-425). I think it
is safe to say, in the Western literary culture, lyric today is perceived as a
poem read or spoken by an individual, while geerarsaa
as a lyric poem sang by an individual Oromoo performer. It is also safe to say
that, his performance expresses his own personal emotions to which members of
the community relate to because of its universal appeal. Hence, the lyricist,
according to Jonathan Culler deals with “a repertoire of discursive
possibilities: complaint, praise, hope, and suffering relating inner and outer
worlds (2015, 21.” So does, the geeraraa; or the geerarsaa performer.
So far all the evidences seem to indicate that, in
spite of occasional generic blurs and overlaps that might be caused “as poets weave lyrical language into narrative poems (Craven, 2019)”, it seems safe to categorise geerarsaa poems under the lyric class of poetry. Nevertheless, it
does not mean that there is no relation between the lyrical and the narrative
forms. As research data indicates, in recent years this issue has become a
subject of scrutiny under the lens of theoreticians and has yielded the
following proposal:
"As for poetry, such a transgeneric recourse to narratology is apt to demonstrate that narrative texts and lyric poems, in spite of their apparent differences in form, technique and function, share essential constituents and that narratological categories can, therefore, profitably be applied to poetry in the expectation that the more comprehensive scope and highly developed status of narratology as well as the discriminatory capacity of narratological terminology will both offer a fresh impetus to the theory of poetry and suggest new practical methods for the analysis of poems(Peter Hühn, 2005,19).”
In fact, the proposal does not deny the existence of
apparent differences in “form, technique and function.” These apparent
differences between narrative and lyrical poetry are: while the former “has
plot, characters, setting that presents a series of events, often including
action and dialogue,” all by one speaker; the latter, as have been discussed
above is a subjective observation and feeling expressed by a presenter (Craven, 2019). Craven further notes that “While lyric poems emphasize self-expression, narrative poems emphasize plot.”
The attempt made so far suffice as to shed light on
the nature of lyric and narrative forms of poetry and to find to which class geerarsaa could belong. In the following
pages we shall examine its content features. Among others, geerarsaa contains uncensored
and unadulterated messages of grievances, contemplation as well as awareness-raising
propaganda dissemination; directly and artistically transmitted by a creative
individual to the members of his community and beyond. Its role as a vehicle
for delivering awakening messages is tremendous; for, like other African oral
traditions, it possesses, what Harold Scheub, one of the world's leading scholars of African folktales, observes as an “extraordinary potential for eliciting
emotional responses (1985:1).” The composition of geerarsaa lyrics, like the other Oromoo oral art (proverbs, riddles,
blessings, lullaby etc.) involves features of different poetic sound devices,
at different levels; i.e., at phonological level, (alliteration, consonance,
assonance, onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme etc.) at semantic level (personification,
imagery, simile and metaphor) at the syntactic level; (parallelism, anaphora
etc.)and other figure of speeches.
Consequently, in order to display the thematic
diversities, features and poetic sound devicesthe study provides a variety of
samples of geerarsaa lyrics and their
English translation. Each sample
shall be preceded by a brief introductory remark on its historical or social
background, and the emotional mood that precipitates the songs.
1.2 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to
explore the overriding range of functions of geerarsaa performance, and
to identify the historical and socio-economic factors that influence them. In
addition the study aims at achieving a well translated documentation of geerarsaa in which not only the meaning
and context of the original Oromoo is conveyed to the target language
(English), but the cultural nuances and feelings and emotions, the humorous and
the non-humorous elements are incorporated as naturally as possible.
Specific objectives:
-
To demonstrate geerarsaa genre’s multiplicity of
function by providing as much lyric samples as possible. The samples or data
are from published literature sources, and from the author’s recollection; hence,
the study employs secondary data collection method.
- In every geerarsaa
a story is told. In telling the stories literary devices are utilised by the
story teller. Consequently, the study attempts to conduct a general stylistic
analysis of some the geerarsaa
samples.
1.3 Delimitation of the study
This
article is subject to some limitations. First of all, geerarsaa is not limited to one
region of the Oromoo population. It is national folksong performed in different
parts of Oromiya with a slight variation in forms and melodic styles; to fulfill
the same objective of conveying different messages. While, this variation should have been
covered by conducting an all-inclusive field research, unfortunately, due to
the lack of prior research data from other regions of Oromiya the scope of the
study is narrowed as to focus only on some already published data from the
Maccaa branch of the Oromoo society, as well as from the author’s recollection.
Secondly, the study was not financially or materially backed by any academic
institution. Hence, due to financial constraints planning an extensive field
research and data collecting was unthinkable. However, the author believes
that, the current study, regardless of all its limitation would serve as an
inciting prelude for students and researchers of Oromoo folksongs, as to conduct
an all covering scholarly research.
1.1 Geerarsaa as a coping mechanism
for historical trauma
It is natural that, to adapt to their new
situation, the least a people who went through a traumatic incident could do to
vent suppressed feelings and frustration is to share them with others through
mediums of verbal expression such as gossip, songs, poetry and riddles.
Concerning the role of songs and singing in decreasing stress, results from
some studies show that venting oneself through singing makes a significant
decrease in stress levels, (Lopez, 2018, 1) while song writing has been
recognised as an effective method of coping with depression (Levihn-Coon:
2015,1).
Hence, in modern
times, as studies indicate, music and songs have been employed as a therapeutic
tool to help those who suffer exposure
to trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Landis-Shack et. al, for
instance noted that employing music to cultivate resilience and facilitate
healing in the aftermath of violence and oppression is a long and rich
tradition (2017). The rationale behind this idea of prescribing music as a
therapeutic tool is based on the fact that it increases “the release of endorphins to the brain” there by
“boosting positive feelings while reducing fear, self-awareness, and sadness,
improving one’s overall emotional state (ibid).”
While those advanced societies might rely only on the clinically
proven methods of therapy to deal with trauma, the fact that every culture has its own way of dealing with traumatic
experiences have been granted recognition by international organisations such
as UNICEF. In this regard, though
the Oromoo singer might not be conscious of the therapeutic value and
importance of songs, nonetheless, geerarsaa,
has been a traditional therapeutic tool for decreasing stress. As Geerarsaa
lyrics presented under this sub title indicate, the songs are sang for no other
reason than to cop up with the aftermath of social conflicts; especially the
distress and trauma that came in the wake of the war of subjugation waged on
them between 1876 and 1909.To
say the least, the songs have served as an outlet to release supressed anger,
disappointment, and frustration that otherwise would have turned into a
built-up negative energy that could have inflicted serious damage.
1.2 Trauma and Incidents that
precipitate it
From a psychophysical
point of view trauma is defined as “an experience which within a short period
of time presents the mind with an increase of stimulus too powerful to be dealt
with or worked off in the normal way, and this must result in permanent
disturbances of the manner in which the energy operates (Freud in Leys 2000,
23).” Contributing agents for the said increase
of stimulus or trauma obviously are natural and man-made. Among incidents
that are known to cause traumatic events among a group of people are those that
are man- made or natural disasters and war and conflicts can mentioned. Rape,
domestic abuse, witnessing death, drug addiction etc. could be dubbed as
traumatic events on individual level. (Winmalawansa, 2013, 3)
The psychophysical effect of the increase of
the stimulus (trauma) on the individual, as well as on group of people is long
lasting and debilitating. U.S Department of Health and Human Services for
instance, notes that “Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of
circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally
harmful or threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s
functioning and physical, social, emotional, or spiritual wellbeing.” On the
other hand, on mass or group level, certain historical phenomenon are blamed as
agents that trigger a trauma of a long lasting effect; that destructs the
social, economic and cultural fabric of a people; and hence the name “historical trauma.” Michele Andrasik, a psychologist, defines historical trauma as follows:
"Historical trauma is an event, or a set of events, that happen to a group of people who share a specific identity. That identity could be based in nationality, tribal affiliation, ethnicity, race and/or religious affiliation. The events are often done with genocidal or ethnocidal intent, and result in annihilation or disruption of traditional ways of life, culture and/or identity. Each individual event is profoundly traumatic and when you look at events as a whole, they represent a history of sustained cultural disruption and community destruction (Andrasik, 2018)."
If Andrasik’s
definition of historical trauma is valid, the question that comes to
mind obviously is whether the Oromoo has experienced, “a history of sustained cultural disruption and community destruction.”
The answer, according historical documents written by both foreign and domestic
historians, is affirmative. For instance, as Alexander Bulatovich notes,
what initially started as a cross border raid by Abyssinian soldiers with
purpose of looting “as much livestock and as many prisoners” finally grew into
a full-fledged war of territorial annexation that entailed serfdom to the
Oromoo mass who were free prior to the subjugation. Those who waged the war or
the Abyssinian soldiers were armed with modern European weapons against people
who had no firearms but traditional weapons such as spears and shields. The
war, in addition to the destruction of property and large scale looting, also
brought about the dreadful annihilation of half of the Oromo population
(Bulatovich in Bulcha, 2011; 364, 279)
The magnitude of the destruction on human
life, and devastation of property and natural resources, the very manner in
which the conquest and occupation was orchestrated was another factor that
might have made the trauma debilitating and long lasting. Oromo freedom as
Professor Mohammed Hassen remarks was shattered, “abruptly and rudely” there by
depriving them not only “of their sovereignty but also of their
history” (Hassen: 1990:1). As Bulcha, referring to a historian comments the
aftermath of the conquest in addition to the trauma and the lack of modern
firearms made the Oromo a helpless victim incapable of revolting against the
Abyssinian rule for a long time. (Hodson in Bulcha, 2011: 364).
One might pose a question concerning the type
of independence the Oromo enjoyed and their perception of freedom prior to the
conquest and subjugation that provoked the historical trauma that in turn
instigated the indignant geerarsaa discussed below. This could be made
clear if one takes a look at the Oromo disposition of and perspective on the
notion of independence and freedom, and the way it is incorporated in their
life. Alexander Bulatovich’s keen observation and eyewitness account sheds
light on Oromoo outlook vis-à-vis the concept of independence in the following
manner:
"The main character trait of the Oromo is love of complete independence and freedom … The Oromo does not want to acknowledge authority of anyone except his personal will. The former governmental system (gadaa) was the embodiment of this basic trait of their character… side by side of such independence, the Oromo has preserved a great respect for the head of the family, for the elders of the tribe, and the customs, but only insofar as they do not restrain him too much. (Bulatovich in Bulcha, 2011, 268)"
As can be observed from the lyrics of the geerarsaa presented below, the anonymous singer (geeraraa) who might have been a free man, once master of his
destiny seems to be in an utter disbelief when he suddenly finds himself and
his society in a humiliating and depressing condition. To say that the
dispossession of his land and the servile status to which his family were
reduced to as the unpaid labourers of an armed settler and his wife,
disgruntled him is an understatement of no proportion. In general the mayhem
the armed settler’s invasion created and the social and economic consequence
that it entailed had put the Oromo in a traumatic situation. Hence, out of his
frustration and his utter bewilderment he makes a diagnostic query asking
himself and the world around him what brought upon him and upon his people the
disgrace and destitution which they are experiencing today. He wails about what
made him a dresser of tattered clothes;
a destitute who rakes cabbage; a
simpleton that anybody could whip
regardless of his heroic and noble past. He
laments about being viewed as an
ignoramus moron and how he is disgraced
by everyone. He asks himself and the world: “Akkam taanee akkas taane?” or “How did we come to what we are?” and
sings his inquisitive geerarsaa thusly:
1.2.1
1. Akkam taanee akkas taane? How did we come to what we are
today?
2. Akkamiin akkas taane? How
did we come to this, pray?
3. Goommanaaf raafuu taane Wilt
and weak like a cabbage for some
4. Dhala abbaan raatuu taane Ignoramus,
children of a stupid, bum
5. Hunduu nutti xaphatte A
ball to kick in every game;
6. Muka nuugii taane kaa; We
became a nigger-plant’s stem;
7. Hunduu nu bobeeffatte Everybody’s
fire-shrub to burn
8. Dhala luujii taane kaa Children of a crawling worm
9. Hunduu nu odeeffattee; Gossiping
mouth’s victim;
10. Handaqii moofaa
taane
We became an old marsh-grass cloak
11. Hundumtu nu
uffatte
That anybody could
dress
12. Gad deebii doofaa
taane
We became a worthless ignorant folk
13. Hundumtu nu
tuffatte
That everyone spurns and disgrace.
The singer relies
on metaphor to better describe the impact of that historical event on the life
of his people. He draws similarity between two things that are naturally
dissimilar. He makes an explicit comparison
between incomparable things, to show how a people who were once free were
dehumanized and brought down. He describes the situation of the entire Oromoo
society in terms of things known to be of lesser values in the eye of the
society. Cabbage, ignorance, shrubs,
dim-wit, moron; are employed as indicators
of how low the new social system has made the Oromo sink in social as well as
economic status. Furthermore, the singer puts a strong emphasis on the
usage of poetic sound devices namely: parallelism (raafuu, raatuu), repetition (taanee, taanee), rhyme (bobeeffattee,
odeeffattee), alliteration (akkam akkas) consonance (bobeeffattee,
odeeffattee), and assonance (moofaa,
doofaa) etc. that makes lyrics resonant and enjoyable and have a reverberating long lasting life in the
memory of the audience.
The collection of stanzas presented above
narrates more about a physically and spiritually worn out, disgraced man. It is
evaluative in its approach. It tells about some of the adverse effect of the
implementation of the new mode of social system (serfdom) brought about on the
general wellbeing of the subjugated Oromoo. Not only the dispossession of their
natural wealth, but dismantlement of their culture, language and their general
social fabric. The result as the lyrics displays is a dehumanized, disgraced,
and dishonoured population that struggles to survive with smeared reputation.
Based on these historical evidence, it could
be argued that the abrupt end of independence and freedom enjoyed earlier,
witnessing or/and hearing about the massacre of one’s own kinfolk,
dispossession of national resources and confiscation of property, imprisonment
and enslavement, disorganization of their social and cultural fabric are more
than enough to put a people in a state of debilitating and long lasting trauma.
Moreover, the imposition of subservience on the subjugated people compelled
them to survive contrary to their values, social norms and convictions, their
ethos and aspirations. They were compelled to call a character or a phenomenon
by a name that it does not deserve; for instance addressing a coward a hero, a
whore a lady, a bum and a nobody as “sir”, or your “lordship”, in order to
survive a day or two more. The reason is calling things by their correct name
is risky. To give respect and adulation for those who do not deserve and
kowtowing to them became the order of the day. Gone is the day when they were
free to describe situations by their true colour. And the geeraraa seems to blame his fate for being born in thesetopsy-turvy of ages as the following lines tell us:
1.2.2
1. Ulee
shimala mixoo A bamboo-shrub cane in the hand
2. gonfa
keessa qabanne From the ferrule’s end we grabbed.
3.
Jabana gilaabixoo In these topsy-turvy of
ages
4. Kana
keessa dhalanne We
were born, how sad.
5.
Sataatteen distii jenne We said a small pot is a big
cooker
6.
Bashqaaxxeen giiftii jenne We
called a hooker a lady, a lady a hooker
7. Okkoteen gomboo jenne We said a pot is a clay jar
8.
Foldeen obbo jenne “Master!” we called an
ass-hole boar
9. Lama ittiin bullaa jennee; So that we could live
two days more.
10. Ameessaan booqaa jenne A dairy cow we misnamed blaze
11. Dhama ittiin dhugnaa jennee So
that we could drink whey
12. Dabeessaan gooftaa jenne We
called a coward a hero, what a daze
13. Lama ittiin bullaa jenne So that we could live two more day
Once again, the major poetic sound devices are employed to capture the mood of his audience and emphasize emotional influence. Rhyming sounds are noticeable, occurring at the end of lines1 and 3, 2 and 4; or right before the last word of each line, like distii, giiftii (5, and 6), obboo, gomboo (7 and 8); booqaa, gooftaa (10 and 12). The word “jennee” (which literally means “we said”, but in this usage implies admittance under pressure, or accepting the unacceptable); is an emulative recurrence that seems to mimic the recurrence of his real life tribulation. The semantic inversion in the lyric suggests the employment of antiphrastic literary style, but not in a humorous way. It rather emphasizes the fact that his effort to adapt to the alien legal code and coercive institutions of governance put in place by the armed settlers is not to his liking. Above all, the system has compelled him to misname “a coward a hero”, “an ass-hole boar a master” “a hooker a lady, a lady a hooker” all at the risk of negating his own norms and social values in order to survive few days more.
The geeraraa
or the singer of this piece sounds an existentialist; for the more he attempts to survive the more the
unfriendly environment squeezes him body and soul. Even time seems to
have plotted against him. As he expresses in the following six lines the geeraraa complains about stagnation of
time; and the stagnation is personal. He seems to complain of living in a
strange state of situational ossification. Though the calendar, and the
mechanistic time, all the way down to its unit of measurement, is in perfect
working order; and is ticking, nevertheless, for him, time is at a standstill.
The problem is with the actual time,
that unit of measurement for human progress; it became motionless. It does not
bring anything new or change that could abate his predicament. It is a paradox
that there is no difference between last year, the year before last, or this
year. He sings about a vicious circle in which his life is wallowing. He says
that every era, including the past, the present and the future has become so
identical such that time became a motionless construct that has neither brought
achievement and satisfaction in his life, nor promise and hope to live for. So,
he sings:
1.2.3
1. Bar’dheengaddaan
baranaa The year before last is this year
2.
Barannoo bara egeree This year is the coming year
3.
Barroo barumaan dhufaa A year comes every year
4.
Barroo barumaan darbaa A
year passes every year
5. Anoo
barumaan kanaa I am the same every year
6. Maali
hoodi akkanaa? What a conundrum to bear?
As you can see, one of the poetic sound
devices – an aphora or repetition of a word or a phrase at the beginning of succeeding
lines is in operation. In this case the word bara (year or era) with its different forms and usages is employed
at the beginnings of lines 1, 2, 3, and 4; with the intention to intensifying
the message and increase its memorability. In addition assonance (dhufaa,
darbaa,
lines 3 and 4); and rhyme (kanaa,
akkanaa, lines 5 and 6) can also be noticed.
What is expressed in the following lyrics is
how the imposition of a strange culture not only disarmed him of his cumulative
knowledge but painted him as a complete ignorant. He is mischaracterised and
misrepresented. Above all, he vents his spleen on the system that kicks him
around with no regard, neither to his ancestors’ bravery and heroic past, nor
to his present manliness. He is robbed of his heroic virtue at a gun point. He
feels disgraced and brought down so low in the social status that anybody could whip him. The
dispossession of his cattle, - his cash
in the kraal, if you may, made his dining table devoid of the regular diet
he and his family are accustomed to - meat, milk, butter and cottage cheese;
and made him a destitute who rakes
cabbage with a spoon. Above all the lack draft animals to farm with
strongly affected his annual income from agriculture. His sings thusly:
1.2.4.
1. Akkam taanee akkas taanee? How did we end up such a goon?
2. Faldhaanaan raafuu haane That rakes cabbage with a spoon.
3. Utuu akka-akkashee beeknuu While knowing how it is done
4. Wallaalaa raatuu taane We became dim-wit and moron
5. Mukarbaa duufte taane We became a leaning elephant-tree
6. Kan abbaan arge yaabu That anybody climbs with glee
7. Dhala abbaan yuuyyee taane Offspring of a mongrel’s courtship
8. Kan abbaan arge dhaanu. That anybody could beat
and whip.
In the above presented
stanza, the word taanee which means “we
became” is riptide several times to create emphasise and rhythmic sound.
Especially its consecutive
repetition in lines 4 and 5 demonstrates how geerarsaa
lyric relies on a poetic sound device termed as epiphora or epsitrophe;
known as a rhythm enhancer.
The scenario the singer draws in the following
lyric is a sort of a conundrum. He finds himself and his kin in a dream like
situation wherein it is possible to be a wealthy poor, a wise ignorant, healthy
sick all at the same time. After identifying the general condition he is in, he
finally starts contemplating what the solution could be and asks himself and
the rest of his kin how to get out of this rut. He calls for deliverance to
show him the route to freedom’s land and the means to get him there, so that he
could get out of this quagmire.
1.2.5
1. Akkam taanee akkas taanee? How did we turn so, how come?
2. Moofa uffattuu taane Dressers in tattered cloth
3. Doofa of gattuu taane Self-disgusting ignorant of no worth
4. Fayyaa dhukubsatu taane Healthy-sick,
we became, O Lord!
5. Beekaa wallaalaa taane Full of wisdom but dim-wit and uninformed
6. Otoo qabnuu deegaa taane; We
are haves, yet impoverished:
7. Attam taanee taanuree? How can we be what we ought to be?
8.
Eessaan itti baanuree? Which
path to take to arrive there?
9. Akkam goonee taanuree? Deliverance, where is
the magic wand?
10. Kam goorree jalaa baanuree? Which
route to take to freedom’s land?
As most of the lyric composition presented earlier,
the above shown lines are also relying on the poetic sound devices. The rhyming
phrases moofaa uffattuu, doofaa ofgattu in lines 2 and 3, taanuree, baanuree in lines 7, 8, and 9, the consecutively entered
word taane at the end every line from
1 to 6, as we have already discussed in geerarsaa 1.2.4,
is of course the poetic sound called epiphora; employed to enhance rhythm and
create an evocative mental image of the
situation.
The audiences’ response to such evocative geerarsaa that addresses a common
problem of the community is usually a sympathetic chant. Here is one such chant
that remorsefully addresses one of the contributing factors towards their
suffering, i.e. the absence of unity among the kinfolks:
1. Utuu saree qabaannee If only we have
a dog
2. Saree rimaa qabaannee A
dog that is pregnant
3. Hoolaa bineensi hin nyaatu; Beasts
wouldn’t have eaten sheep;
4. Utuu gamataa qabaannee If
only we have unity
5. Gamtaa firaa qabaannee The
unity of kinfolks
6.
Diinni nutti hin
hammaattu The enemy wouldn’t be as harmful.
The reader is advised to notice the anaphora (qabaannee ) at the end of lines 1 and 2,
4 and 5 and the rhyming sound captured at the end of line 3 (nyaatu) and line 6 (hammaattu). Even though there seems a sense of incompatibility
between the two unrelated stories of having
a dog, and having unity, nonetheless there exists a harmonious poetic and
contextual affinity between the two bodies of narration presented in lines 1-3
and 4-6.
In general, the inquisitive geerarsaa seems to have assessed and
gave an insight into the bewildering situation the Oromo society found itself
in at the time. Even though geerarsaa
is a personal venting, however, it does not mean that a problem common to
majority of the members of the society are not addressed. The song indeed
reflects the very problem the Oromo people had suffered in common; but not
everybody could articulate and display a tormenting feelings in a soothing,
touching and thought-provoking artistic way. It is obvious that only few in the
society are endowed with the natural talent and suitable voice to a deliver a
message wrapped in a captivating and evocative melody and strike many emotional
cords. In fact, the geerarsaa lyric,
as such similar lyrics are known to be, end up becoming orally disseminated
propaganda material that plays significant role in sharpening a people’s
awareness. Regarding this point Finnegan has the following contention:
"It has been well said that
oral poetry takes the place of newspapers among non-literate peoples. Songs can
be used to report and comment on current affairs, for political pressure, for
propaganda, and to reflect and mould public opinion. (1970: 265)."
Based on such assertions, it could be argued
that the role of geerarsaa as a
medium of information disseminating tool, for the then pre-literary Oromo man
was of a substantial communicational value. It is natural that the first phase
of a search for solution to any problem, be it physical or spiritual,
individual or societal, starts with identification of the problem itself. In
this regard, the geeraraa has played
the role of presenting questions and providing explanations for the situation
he and his fellow men found themselves in but does not pinpoint the route to be
taken to the solution, i.e., breaking the yoke of servitude that he implicitly
indicated. But he has raised enough
awareness that prepares the society to take the next action, which probably
could be giving a warning to the perpetrators of the crime.
1.3 Geerarsaa as a medium of conveying warning
As the struggle to break the yoke of servitude
gathered momentum, and the consciousness level of the subjugated mass
increased, the content and message of contemporary geerarsaa showed significant change in objectivity and
determination. Geerarsaa which usually
follows the lyric poetry style, as the following poem indicates, resorted to
historically significant messages which are strongly laden with metaphoric
construction and conveyed warning to the landlords. As can be observed in the
following stanza, warning against extortion, and even prognosticating the
inevitable demise of the system of serfdom imposed on the mass became a popular
song that seemingly played a role in ushering in the land to the tiller slogan of the 1960s, echoed by Ethiopian
students uprising; and the coup d'état attempt
that shook the foundation of the monarchy. Here is one stanza that I heard as a
young man and that still lingers in my memory.
1.3.1
1. Lakkii, lakkii birillee[1]
dhikki-dhikkikee dhiisi[2]
2. Mormikee sirraa citee foollee bishaanii taataa.
3. Lakkii, lakkii yaa qawwee, qacci-qaccii kee dhiisi
4. Qaataankee sirraa citee qonyee fi maarashaa taataa.
5. Lakkii, lakki abbaa lafaa, as fidi-as fidiikee dhiisi
6. Gabbaariin biyyaa badee atuu gabbaarii taataa.
I warn you the
narrow-necked flask, stop that cling-clung,
For, you shall lose
your neck, and become a water-ladle
I warn you musket;
stop your click and squeak,
For, you shall lose
your trigger and become a hook and ploughshare.
I warn you Mr.
Landlord; stop your “bring; bring more!” stern
For, soon servitude
shall vanish and you become a serf in your turn.
The two self-repeating
words dhikki-dhikki and qacci-qaccii in lines 1and 2, are two
ofthe poetic sound devices known as onomatopoeia employed by the geeraraa. They are words that mimic the
natural sound of things or events. In this case the self-repeating words dhikki-dhikki and qacci-qaccii are representation of the natural sound that is
produced by the personified narrow-necked flask when honey-mead is poured out
of it, and the natural sound that the personified gun gives when loaded or
unloaded. The literary device onomatopoeia is thus often used by poets to help
the reader, in this case the audience, to sense a visual/audio scene of an
event.
The narrow-necked
flask in which honey mead is served, the musket that helped impose serfdom on
the Oromo masses, were not taken as mere utensil and tools, but metaphorically
taken as material symbols of the landlord’s domination which deserve to be
warned equally of their future demise; unless they stop making that unpleasant
voice. A slightly different version of the same geerarsaa has been presented by Addisu Tolesa (1999:189).
1.4. Geerarsaa as an expression of resentment (roorroo)
As mentioned earlier, the
thematic diversity of geerarsaa
varies from addressing communal issues to individual problems. Individual loss
of social and economic status and the prestige that goes with it; or in other
terms, suffering downward social mobility
might lead to mood fluctuation or even mental depression that could make the
individual susceptible to trauma. Comparing one’s social/economic position with
that of a successful member of the society and feeling sorry for oneself could
be the first step towards self-destruction. Blaming the situation on the times
or on one’s fate could be one form of rationalizing and coping up with reality.
Here is a geerarsaa from an anonymous singer who believes that he
deserves better but whiles the time away wallowing in self-pity instead of taking
adversity head-on.
1.4.1
1.
Inni abbaankoo guddise[3] The one my father
brought up
2.
Kaballaan na kuffise Brought me down with a slap.
3.
Inni abbaakoo tii gadii. The
one lower than my father, in everyway
4.
Hardha gaangeensaa sadii. Owns
three mules today.[4]
5.
Gaangeen biyyaaf barcuma Mule,
a cushioned-stool for all
6.
Ani hin yaabne takkumaa. I
haven’t mounted one at all.
7. Kaabbortaan raroo taatee The over-coat, a
skin-mat for every man
8.
Na geessee rakkoo taatee. But
for me so troublesome to have one.
***
The geerarsaa
performer who sings such pitiful songs usually receives a sympathetic and a
comforting response of chants from the audience. Here are few:
.1. Gindiin yoo dhiitan malee Ploughshare, unless kick-pressed
2. Didee daarii kabala Would slap the plot’s edge;
3. Dubbii yoo dhiisaan malee Squabble, unless ignored
4. Didee aarii dabala. Would bring more rage.
Or
1. Moqorqoraan alaada The metal-pot is a quarter
2. Jira gabaa kaleessaa It was in yesterday’s market
3. Hinbitanneef maleessaa Though I did not buy it;
4. Inni Garaa kee keessaa What is in your belly/thought
5. Jira garaakoos keessa Is in my
belly/thought as well
6. Hinhimanneef maleessaa Though I didn’t tell.
Interrelated ideas of the
ploughshare slapping the plot’s age unless kick-pressed and the squabble
bringing more rage unless ignored are the parallelism deployed in the lyric
above, sang as an advice by the responders. The parallelism is more in the
balancing of the two unrelated messages contained in the four lines, emphasised
by the perfectly rhyming last words kabala, dabala (2,4) and the incurrence of malee (1,3). The second stanza follows
similar deployment pattern of rhetorical device as the first one.
The content of the next geerarsaa is quite the opposite of the above presented expression
of a self-pitying, despondent fellow. Unlike the previous geeraraa who seems to slowly sink in a state of negative mood and
depression, he approaches the matter from a positive angle.
He
attempts to identify and state the general impact of destitution on a fellow
man and subscribes a solution. He maintains the view that one can only become
victorious over destitution by setting rules and restrictions, exercise
abstinence from indulging in leisurely affairs; such as avoiding flirtation
with girls regardless of their enticing beauty; until one has triumphed over
poverty. The singer, seemingly a merchant who frequently travels from one
distant market to the other; his merchandise loaded on donkeys’ back; rises
clouds of dust during the dry season and tramples the mud during the rainy
season to break out of the grip of destitution. So, he sings:
1.4.2
1. Si’a bonaa… In the summer…
2. yoo kuttoo kaasan malee Unless one rises the dust,
3. Si’a gannaa… In the winter…
4. yoo dhoqqee dhiitan malee Unless one tramples the mud
5. Magaalaan oodan malee Stops flirting with the dark maiden
6. Dimtuun boqqoran malee And shun the brown maiden with a
smile
7. Deegni nama hin lakkisu Poverty will never leave one for a while.
8. Deegi maggaanyaa korma Poverty is a bull of
a disease;
9. Luqqeettuu nama lixa The sides, it penetrates
10. Lummee nama jallisaa The vertebrae, it bends,
11. Moofaa namatti huwwisa In rags it dresses,
12. Doofaa nama taasisa With stupidity it blesses;
13. Geeccaa garaatti hambisa All desires it suffocates,
14. Nama dheeraa gabaabsa It shortens the tall
man
15. Gabaabaa badduu baasa It dwarfs the short
one
16. Haati deesse hin jaallattu The mother who
delivered loves no more
17. Abbaan uume hin leellisu. And the father who
sired abhor.
Like the hard working merchant, an
industrious farmer also attempts to identify and state the general impact of
destitution on a fellow man and puts forward what he thinks the solution could
be. He maintains the view that one can only become victorious over destitution
by all means available; first and foremost however; by doubling the farm oxen
and plough the virgin land, (go talk to
the soil, as he puts it); by hanging it on some of the characters the
society deems unworthy; by kick-breaking its knee; even by running away from it
if need be; and all these not with self-pity but with spirit of exhilaration
and strong will power. It reads thusly:
1.4.3
1.
Deeggayii lafti awaaraa[5] In Deeggaa the land is dusty
2. Mee baala bunaa ilaalaa May you see the coffee
leaves
3. Deegaa allaattitu awaala It is the vultures that
bury a destitute
4. Mee gaafa du’aa ilaalaa May you see on the day
he departs.
5. Surree jilbarraan dhumtee A trousers torn on the knees
6. Abbaatu waraannataa The owner himself darns as he should
7. Deega ijoollummaan dhuftee Poverty that came in younghood
8. Abbaatu tattaafataa The victim himself must strive as he
could;
9. Deega koo baga dhuftee O, my poverty; its good that you
came
10. Erga dhufuun kee hin oollee Since, from coming you do not
refrain
11. Baga ijoollummaan dhuftee Good that in young hood you showed
up
12. Akkan kufee ka`uttii When I can fall down and get up
13. Akkan bu`ee bahuttii. When I can move down and move up.
According to that farmer, poverty is better
fought against when one is young and vibrant. The geeraraa is transmitting this message to the members of the new and
up-coming generation of the farming community. For him the only way to get
wealth or to get out of the grip of poverty is to talk to the virgin land to work and toil, and even to hang it to
the symbols of poverty such as a
father-cursed son, a lazy girl that cannot spin cotton yarn, and a branch-less tree that could be a good
symbolical representation of poverty.
***
1.4.4
1. Akkamiin horii horuu? How
can one earn wealth?
2. Bajjii buqqisan
malee Unless
one digs the virgin earth
3. Hojii hojjetan
malee Unless one works and toil
4. Deega balleessan
malee Destroy destitution and
foil
5. Beela balleessan
malee Destroys starvation and its spoil
1. Deegakoo yaa farrisaa O
my poverty, the evil-wisher
2. Turi ammaan si fannisa Just
wait and see when I hang you there
3. Mukarbaa daraaretti On
a blossoming elephant-tree
4. Ilma abbaan abaaretti On
a father-cursed son
5. Durba jirbii hinfooetti. On
a girl who can’t spin cotton yarn
6. Niitii dhirsi hindhaannetti On a woman whose husband can’t
control.
7. Deegakoo yaa laashoftuu O my poverty, my crippling poverty
8. Lamuu natti hin haasoftu Never again shall you torment me
9. Fiigeen si baqqa malee From
you I would rather flee
10. Dhiiteen si cabsa malee Or I shall kick-break your knee.
11. Deega koo yaa farrisaa My poverty, the evil-wisher
12. Tur amman si fannisaa Wait
and see when I hang you
13. Muka damee hin qabnettoo On a branchless
tree
14. Akka baddee hin gallettoo So that you can’t escape away free
15. Deegni nama
salphisaa Poverty
humiliates one
16. Isa guddaa
xiqqeessaa It
makes a big man a small man
17. Gadi nama deebisaa It
lowers down one
18. Sanyii namaa
rakkisaa It
makes the human race indigent
19. Kana maalan
callisaa About
this matter I can’t remain silent
20. Dhaqeen lafatti
odeessaa I
shall go and talk to the soil
21. Qotiyyoo cimdii
godhee I
shall make the draft animal double
22. Ofirraa si
balleessaa. And lay waste to my trouble.
***
1.4.5
1. Maal nan goone deegni koo?[6] What
is there that my poverty hasn’t done to me
2. Raafuu na kadhachiise A
cabbage scrounger it made me
3. Raatuu na kabalchiise It
made a retard slap me
4. Deegni koo deega korma Mine is a bull of poverty that deject
5. Ijaajjee naati morma It
opposes me standing erect.
6. Deegakoo yaa farrisa O
my poverty, my ill wisher
7. Tur ammaan si fannisa Just
wait until I hang you
8. Laga Sakko sanatti At the yonder side of Sakko river
9. Lafa rakkoo sanatti Where tribulation spew
10. Muka baala hinqanetti On a
leaf-less tree
11. Ilma yaada hinqabnetti On
a son with no worry
12. Muka damee hinqanetti On a branch-less tree
13. Akka baddee hingalletti So that you can’t escape free
The impact of destitution on a social standing
of a member, as the geeraraa wails
becomes insignificant. The moment he touches the lower step of the economic
ladder the wife is no more invited to festivities with respect, but summoned to
work on the preparation of the home-made beverage; and her husband to carry
chairs and help with the sitting arrangements. And no one cares to serve him
with what the other are served, he is rudely given a turbid drink, or left-over,
for his does not bother them; provided
others are satisfied.
1.4.6
1. Deeggayi lafti awwaara In Deggaa, the land is dusty
2. Utuman deemuun dhufe I
arrived here walking
3. Deegaa allaattiitu awwaala A destitute
is buried by vultures
4. Utuman beekuun dhufe I
arrived here knowing
5. Niitii nama deegaa dhaa The wife of a destitute
6. Farso dhimbiibbaa waamu Is summoned to filter cottage beer
7. Namicha deegaa sana That
destitute fellow
8. Barcuma fuudhaaf waamu Is summoned to carry chair
9. “Kan kee nun dhibu” jedhu “Yours
does not bother us,” he is told
10. “Boruu dhufittaa” jedhu “May you come tomorrow,” he is told
11. “Booruu dhugittaa” jedhu “May you
drink turbid,” he is asked
12. Kanaafan boobee tumee That is why sorghum I threshed
13. Kanaafan booyee du’ee That is why to death I cried.
A clean dress, with a large white shawl on top
of the shoulders is an indicator of the economic status of a farmer. On the
other hand a tattered, brownish in colour reveals how desperately poor the
individual is. Such an individual attains neither the customary respect of
being called “Obbo” by young boys, nor sister- in-law’s avoidance of his birth
name.
1.4.7
1. Deeggaa marga diimessaa In Deeggaa the grass is brownish
2. Deegni wayyaa diimessaa So is a poor man’s cloth
3. Nama wayyaan diimate A
man with a brown cloth
4. Ijoolleen obbo hinjettu Children
do not call him brother
5. Waarsaan maqaa hinlagattu Sister-in-law
doesn’t avoid his birth name
6. Kanaafan boobee tumee That
is why sorghum I thrashed
7.Kanaafan booyee du’ee That
is why to death I cried.
1.5 Geerarsaa for expression of wish
To Hope and to wish are two different things
that many people usually take one for the other. Margaret Wehreberg, (2017), characterises hope as a “positive
emotion” that could be realised provided the circumstances are
favourable. And there is a possibility of influencing the circumstances and
make the hope realised. “The positive emotions build the strength, and give us
the desire, to continue working toward a future, even when we may feel it is
hard to do.” Wishing on the other hand is unrealistic and unattainable desire that
might cause harm to the wisher by diverting his focus. In the following few lines the geeraraa or the performer express some unattainable
wishes
1.5.1
Hawweekaa, hawwe, hawwee O I wished, I wished! O, I wished!
Anoo waan baay’een hawwee A lot of things I desire
Wannumtin hawwee dhabee What I wished for but could not find however,
Sa’a waatiirraa hin guunee Is a not drying cow that feeds her calf
forever
Hadha ilmoorraa hin duune An
undying mother, one who lives for her child.
Saani waatiirraa hin guune A not drying cow that feeds her calf forever
Bara hongeef qorichaa Is essential for the time of drought
Haati ilmoorraa hin duunee An undying mother One who lives for her
child,
Gaafa qoonqoof qorichaa Is
crucial when hunger breaks out
Kanaafan hawwee dhabe I wished for but couldn’t find.
The geeraraawishes for an undying mother,and for a never drying dairy
cow; something that is naturally unattaibale. Mothers are not only known for
pamparing their children but are a source
of kindness, love, phyisical affection and above all security. No wonder the geeraraa
wishes for an undying
mother, eve though it is against the natural order of things. On the other
hand the following is an
attainable wish that could be achieved provided the wisher works for it.
1.5.2
Hawwe kaa hawwe hawee, O I wished, I
wished! I just desire! Alas!
Wannumtin hawwee dhabee What
I couldn’t get, but wished indeed
Kombolcha caffee keessaa Kombolchaa
tree in a morass
Odolcha fardeen keessaa A black horse with white stripes
in a grazing field.
Kombolchi caffee keessaa Kombolchaa
tree in a morass
Bara aduuf qorichaa Is essential for a day of parching heat
Odolchi fardeen keessaa A black horse with white stripes
among horses
Gaafa gugsiif qarichaa Is crucial during a horse
racing feat
Kanaafan hawwee dhabee I wished for, but couldn’t find.
He also sings about partially attainable and partially unattainable
wishes:
1.5.3
Hawwe kaa hawwe hawwee O I wish, and I wish, I just desire
Wannumtin hawwee dhabee What
I desired but couldn’t get
Koodee wal bira jirtuu Is a friend that is always
there
Qawwee saaxinii keessaa A gun that is in a box kept
Abbaa nama irraa hin duunee An undying father who is so adept.
Koodeen wal bira jirtuu Friends that are together
Gaafa giixiif qorichaa Are crucial during mutual
labour
Qawween saaxinii keessaa, A
gun that is kept in a box
Gaafa xiiqiif qorichaa, Is essential for a day of
spite
Abbaan namarraa hin duunee An undying father who is adept
Gaafa roorroof qorichaa Is vital for a day of harassment
Kanaafan hawwee dhabee. I wished for but
couldn’t find.
Finally, it would be
interesting to conclude this topic with a fantasy a performer who proposes in
his desire to bring about ethnic equality by making Amharas Oromoo and Oromoos
Amhara interchangeably, and administrate one another peacefully, and solve the
existing ethnic conflict for once and for all. The wish is not unattainable per se, if all the stake holders of the
country come together and sit around a table and find a lasting solution for
the problem that has been and still ravaging the country. He sings his proposal
thusly:
1.5.4
Utuu akka garaa kootii As to my heart’s desire
Dhidheessa nooraa goonaa On
Dhidheessaa we build a bridge
Bonaa fi ganna irra ceenaa And commute on it
winter and summer
Hiyyeessa gooftaa goona We make a poor man a rich man
Amaara gaallaa goonaa We make Amaaraa a Gaallaa
Gaallaas Amaara goonaa A Gaallaa an Amaaraa
Tara taraa wal moonaa. Turn-by-turn conquer one
another.
Bigotry, arrogance, blind patriotism and chauvinistic attitudes etc.
could be dubbed as few of the stumbling blocks to harmonious and peaceful unity
and coexistence of peoples. Aggressiveness,
egotism and notoriety are serious impediment to
dialogue and compromise that could ultimately open the door for war and
conflicts. The geeraraa’s desire or kind of proposal, if you may, seems
to have been based on peace, one of Oromoo’s vital belief system, he wishes if
only we could look at things from on one another’s shoe, or if we play you
be me and I be you turn by turn by exchanging ethnicity, and hand over the mace
peacefully to one another, and willingly conquer one another, our
country would have been a better place to live in.
1.6
Geerarsaa for praise, and for rite of passage
Preliterate Oromoo society used to recognize or attest the achievement
of members who successfully fulfilled their social and cultural duties in
accordance with the values and norms set by the society, by adulation through
songs sung on festivities and other public gatherings. The songs are performed
by girls, asmaaries (amateur singers)
and Geerarsaa singers. The melodies
and some of the lyrics of these praise songs, especially that of geerarsaa has been inherited by the
present generation of singers and is sometimes made to blend with modern songs,
or at times on their own. As the following geerarsaa
shows bravery, wisdom, and generosity are regarded as the highest virtues in
the Oromoo society. To make an analogy, the performer crosses boundary to the
field of botany and mentions three types of trees he deems as high ranking
among the plant world that he graduates as kingly
trees, on the merit of the service they render to his society and their
symbolic value. Thus he makes a comparison between the three Oromoo virtues and
the three high ranking trees. As the following geerarsaa lyric shows, the analogy thus is between what he calls three kingly trees among the plant world
and the three kingly behaviours among
the Oromoo society. He presents both in the following manner:
1.6.1
1. Mootiin mukaa waa sadii Kingly
trees are of three types[1]
2. Gofaa firri bulfatu One that a family pampers and
protects
3. Odaa jilli dhaabbatu One is a sycamore that a pilgrim plants
4. Tokko muka yaa’iiti And the other is the public assembly
tree
5. Kaan qancareetti mukaa ti The
rest are stunted, midgets, and scum
6. Qottoon maa xaph hingoone Who cares; if the axe ravages them.
1. Mootiin ilmaa waa sadii Kingly sons are of three types
2. Tokko jagnatu dhalata One is
born a hero
3. Tokko gmanatu dhalata One
is born a wise
4. Tokko arjaatu dhalata One
is born a generous
5. Kaan qancareettii lugnaa The rest are stunted,
cowards of no shame
6. Golfaan maa xaph hingoone Who
cares; if the plague ravages them!
Songs of praise
are not limited to heroes only, but it is also customary to praise one’s parents. Mother's beauty and
home management skills; father’s manliness and his wisdom, and wealth are
subjects of praise. Like most geerarsaa performances,
the praise song is usually delivered
during social gatherings, such as festivities or rite of passage, to underline
the significance of one’s heroic achievement. Here also, geerarsaa plays an important role, especially during the
celebration of the rite of passage of a successful hunter.
At this point, giving a short introduction to
the term
rite of passage and the concept it embodies seems necessary. The term rite of passage is known to have been
coined as an analytical concept in
1909 by the French folklorist
and social anthropologist;
Arnold Van Gennep (1873-1957). Van Gennep, in his famous work entitled The Rite of Passage (1960), likens the
human society to a house divided into rooms and corridors, of which the texture
of their partitions depends on the level of the society’s stage of
civilization. He asserts that the higher the level of a society’s development
the thinner the partition, the wider and more open the doors are, and the easier
the communication is. On the other hand, he remarks that in a semi-developed
society because of the tightness of the sections and the isolation of each
social group, transition from one group to another must be made through
formalities and ceremonies. (van Gennep 1960: 26).
The formalities and ceremonies or rites of passages are the social events
carried out to mark or celebrate the transition of individuals or groups from
one social status or situation to another; thereby starting a new membership in
a social category and ending the previous one. Van Gennep includes social
events such as birth, social puberty, marriage, fatherhood, advancement to
higher class, occupational specialization, and death as examples of rite of
passage. From the social events listed we shall only deal with traditional
Oromo marriage and advancement to higher class. It is also interesting to
mention that the other important aspect of rite of passage is the three phases
it constitutes, namely: the
rites of separation, the rites of transition, and the rites of incorporation. (ibid.3)
Let us now take a look at the three phases
mentioned by Van Gennep from Oromo cultural perspective; mainly how hunting
game animals for trophy was used as advancement to higher social class; until
of course trophy hunting became illegal. In earlier times, an Oromoo young man
who did not kill a game animal was classified in a social group called gurgudduu. In order to pass to the
higher social group called qondaala or
hero group; he had to kill a game animal. He had to participate in a battle or
in a hunt and bring home a trophy or faachaa.
The period he is away to a distant low land with his fellow group members
according to Van Gennep’s theory is the period of separation from his family and his community. The period after his
arrival with his trophy and the time he isolates himself from public eye to pay
homage to and reconcile with the sprite of the killed animal is segregation; while emerging as a new man
with a new identity and finding his place in the new group is incorporation. Hence, for a hunter a trophy acquired from the
hunting ground becomes a special attribute that significantly transforms him from what in Oromoo
was known as Gurgudduu[9] to
a new social status called Qondaalaa[10].
As Finnegan (1970:111) notes,
“praise poetry often plays an essential part in rites of passage.” In the past,
celebration of the successful Oromoo trophy hunter’s rite of passage starts with self-praise songs that he sings. The
hunter, upon arrival from the
hunting grounds, displays his trophy singing boisterous geerarsaa reciting his adventure. He is greeted and received by his
female relatives singing some goading and humorous songs that challenge him to
sing more and recite more about his feats and prove the authenticity of the
trophy he is boasting about; i.e. whether it is really from a living animal
that he had killed as he claims, or if he had picked it up from a carcass. The
women act sceptical and humorously downplay his gains and his adventure as can be
seen in the following lyric. The first and the third line of the lyric are not
substantially related to other lines, except to create tonal and rhyming
parallelism with the second and the fourth lines. It goes as follows:
1.6.2
1. Elemookee ya Dilaalaa Your milking gourd, O Dilaalaa
2. Fidi eebookee nan ilaalaa Bring
your lance, let me check it
3. Gabaa Guutee, ya Morodaa Guutee
market, OMorodaa
4. Lafaa fuutee na sossobda You
picked from the ground and deceiving me
This humorous song touches his ego; for doubting
the authenticity of his trophy is similar to doubting his manliness, and that
spurs him to prove himself. He becomes emotionally charged and sings his hearts
out to narrate the authenticity of his trophy. He dramatizes the physical
appearance of the big game when it was hit by that bullet. Here is a kind of
song of triumph or epinicion:
1.6.3
1. Alaameen kitit godhe[11] I aimed and sent it
2. Rukuteen bittim godhe I hit and scattered it
3. Rukuteen gadlsaasise I hit and sent it sprawling
4. Faachoosheen facaasise Its tail scattering
5. Irraangadee kuffiseen I brought it downwards
6. Irraan ooleen quncise And skinned it upwards
7. Irraangadee kuffiseen I brought it downwards
8. Huuba qoonqo muldhise. I exposed its uvula.
The lyricist
or the geeraraa employs in the following some of the
known literary tools – metaphor, imagery, simile, and onomatopoeia - and tries to paint the hunting scene so vividly
that the sceptics could almost feel as though they were participants in the
action or the hunt. By using the preposition “akka” or “like” he draws similarities of his action with the
behaviours and actions locally known to his audience. That he squatted like
dog, fed it like a husband pampering wife, finally, that he leapt and mounted
it like one who thatches a tukul, are all metaphorical explanations of his
action, and intensification of his heroic deeds. The usage of another onomatopoeic term “quruph”[12] - (the sound and
action of prancing) - explains how much he was over taken by bliss such that
when the buffalo was brought down he bounced like a prancing gazelle or bovine
and hopped on top of it. Here is a good example of visual imagery that
describes how the successful hunter brought down the game animal and the
excitement that possessed him:
1.6.4
1. Quphaneen dura taa’e[13] I squatted in front of it
2. Akka kajeeltuu saree Like a dog with crave and rouse
3. Tokko tokkoon itti erge I sent it one by one
4. Akka galchii kanniisaa Like the bees home coming
5. Laaffiseen afaan kaa’ee I softened and mouth fed it
6. Akka soortuu abbaa warraa. Like a husband pampering spouse.
7. Dib godheen lafaan dhaye I brought it down to the ground
8. Akka ba’aa qalqalaa Like a leather-sack load of mash
9. Naannayeen itti sirbe I circle-danced around
10. Akka daaraa masqalaa. Like the Masqala[14] bonfire
ash.
11. Quruph jedheen yaabbadhe I pranced and mounted it with a strut
12. Akka ijjeertuu manaa Like one who thatches a hut.
13. Duph jedheen irraa bu’e I hoped off and dismounted
14. Akka siree ganamaa Like an early morning bed
15. Hankaasee itti dhaabbanne I used no supporting lance
16. Yoo irreekooti malee Except, my arm’s muscle
17. Addaanyii ittiitt waammanne Nor did I call for a hunter’s assistance
18. Yoo ijakooti malee Just my own eye vision, no hustle.
According to Harold Scheub (ibid: 7) both
lyric poetry and panegyric are built from diversity of images that are
intricately tied to one another. This makes the poem’s central subject and the
lyricism share common character with proverbs and riddles which is “a regularly
repeated pattern with alterations.” In the following few lines, the value of
the trophy is explained; paralleled with images of wealth transfer or lose
through sharing, inheritance and confiscation. The geeraraa sings that these are all unlikely to happen until death
parts him from his trophy and the sycamore tree[15] inherits it. Until that time, he and his trophy will frolic
together. Starting each line with “kan”
or “that” he creates a parallel structure to emphasise the untouchable nature
of that wealth he gained – his trophy.
1.6.5
1. Horii dhuunfaan horadhe I gained me a private wealth
2. Kan niitiin fuutee hin baane That a wife can’t share in divorce
3. Kan obboleessi hin dhaalle That a brother can’t inherit
4. Kan daanyaan hin warasne That a judge can’t confiscat
5. Kan baraan hin rakasne That age can’t devaluate
6. Maaltu dhaala mirgakoo? Who dare inherits my gain?
7. Dambii gurraacha malee Except the black sycamore tree
8. Wajjin burraaqna malee. We frolic together with glee.
Lakoff and Mark
(2003:8) in their book Metaphors we live by remark that “The essence of metaphor is under-standing and experiencing one kind of
thing in terms of another” (Italics theirs). The geeraraa portrays to his audience the aspect of his father’s and mother’s
dominating character and social standing, the character of their integrity,
wisdom, and respect they enjoy in the society, which he equates to dominating
natural phenomena that exist and known in his surrounding, such as, big river (Birbir; that he calls Birboo), or tallest tree (millettia).
His effort is an implicit way of making known to the sceptics that in his veins
runs the same blood too, or “An apple does not fall far from the tree”; as
Finnish proverb goes. However, the lyric does not carry any exaggeration or
pomposity; it rather paints an image of a wise, modest, responsible family man
of a father.
1.6.6
1. Birbirsa
mootii mukaa Millettia king of trees,
2. Riqaa
malee hin yaabani; Without ladder can’t be climbed,
3.. Birboo mootii galaanaa Birboo[16] king of rivers3.
4.. Daakaa malee hin ce’ani; Without swimming can’t be crossed.
5.
Abbaan ofii mootii dha One’s father is a king
6.
Harmeen ofis giiftii dha One’s
mother is a queen
7.
Mirga malee hin waamani. Without a trophy can’t be seen.
8.
Kanaafuun boobe tume That
is why sorghum I threshed
9.
Kanaafan booye du’e. That’s why to death I cried
10.
Qumxaa machallaa godhe Rolling
up my trouser
11.
Balasiin abbaa goddheen Making
Balas my father
12. Isheen
yaade nan goddhe I fulfilled my desire.
13. Hoddhemoo
nan barreesse? Did I sew or did
I write?
14. Tolche
moo nan balleese? Did I err or did I right?
1.6.7
1.
Abbaakoo yaa abbaakoo My father, O my father!
2.
Wayyaakee kuula maru They
ornament your cloth’s fringe
3.
Natu kuula marsiise It
was I who got it hemmed with furbelow
4.
Maqaakee duulli haabaru May your name be known to every warrior
5. Natu duula barsiise. I made it known to every hunting fellow
6.
Qoteen baase maqaakee I
dug out your hidden name
7.
Akka guboo dinnichaa Like
a long-buried spud
8.
Hordeen dhaabe maqaakee And
I planted it strong and deep
9.
Akka muka birbirsaa. Like
a millettia tree to stand.
10.
Abbaakoo ani jedhu kuni This man I call my
father
11.
Sooressa guutuu miti Is
not a wealthy, filthy rich
12.
Hiyyeessa duutuus miti Nor is he a poor snitch
13.
Gamna itti himatan miti He is not a weather-wise
guru
14.
Raatuu ifatan miti Nor
is he a stupid to berate, it’s true;
15.
Hinqotata maasisaa He
has a field to cultivate
16.
Hingorfata maatii ‘saa Has
a family to guide and protect
17.
Hingodhata maayiisaa; Has a business to attend to and operate,
18.
Jaarsa dallaan waleensuu Just an old man with waleensuu[17]
fence
19.
Isa didaa qajeelchu One
who tames disobedience,
20.
Yaa isa kan coome qalu One who slaughters fatty
cattle
21. Isa kan doofeef faluu. One who wises up a fool’s prattle.
Praised is also the gun the successful hunter
may have used for hunting. His gun or Minishiri
as it is locally known is not simply a weapon for hunting, but a lifelong
animated friend that he promises to take to every heroes’ gathering.
1.6.8
1. Minishiri ulullee, O,
Minishiri, the flute
2. Yaa buttuu akka culullee Like
a hawk you snatch, you loot
3. Miniskirt yaa
abbaa xeensaa O, Minishiri; diarrhoea you cause
4. Manni
abbaa keetii eessaa? Where is your maker’s house?
5. Haftuu
birrii keen geessaa. So I would take him your
remaining price.
6. Aduu,
barii Jimaataa In the sun of Friday morning
7. Gadi
jettee biluu dhugde You
drank blood bowing
8. Akka
waan dheebuun duute; As if of thirst you were dying;
9. Ol
jettee natti irkatte Then you leaned on me rising up
10. Akka
waan dugdaa cittee. As
if your back got a sudden snap.
11. Namni
minishirii tume The one who made Minishiri
12. Dheeraamoo
gabaabaa dhaa? Is he a short or a tall man?
13. Namumti
si gurgure The one who sold you away, in fact
14. Beekaamoo
wallaalaa dhaa? Is he wise or an ignoramus arrant?
15. Ani
du’ulle sin gurguru I
shall never sell you away, for my part,
16. Gurmuu
gootaan si baadha I shall carry you to all heroes’
domain and strife
17. Lubbuu
koorran si jaaldha Above
all, I love you more than my life.
For the women who anointed him with purified
and spiced butter, and for the cows that made the provision, he sings the
following geerarsaa that Pastor
Fiixee Birri of Qellem, West Oromiya documented:
1.6.9
1. Hori, hori yaa saawwaa Reproduce, reproduce, O cattle!
2. Abbaa si horeef hori Reproduce for the one who breeds you
3. Hormaata hiddii ta’i May you be as abundant as thorn-apple fruit
4. Budaadhaaf hirmii ta’i May you be unsavoury to the evil-eye
5. Giiftiin mataakoo dibde You, lady who anointed my head
6. Dhukkubsattee hin ciisini May you never fall ill and take to bed,
7. Yoo ilma, ilma malee Except boy and boy, again
8. Waan ulfaatu hin baatini May you not carry a heavy load.
9. Qoraan hin falaxini May you not split firewood
10. Yoo qoraasumaa malee Except calabash fumigating wood
11. Adeemtee hin fagaatini May you not walk afar
12. Gorba dachaasuu malee Except to herd calves together.
Being anointed with purified and scented
butter symbolises his induction into the new social rank, i.e., from gurgudduu to qondaalaa. The transition involves a change in body appearance too.
He now wears an earring on his right earlobe and grows his hair; in a style
which was known as goofaree; and
later Afro-style. However, the anointment does not bestow on him social power
and authority except fame, praise, and respect the society gives to the rank he
joined. Nevertheless, not every member of the community accepts this business
of killing a wild animal and anointing oneself with butter as heroic
performance. The rejection comes from two sources: from those hard-working and
productive farmers who value their harvest highly than fame gained from hunting
big game and from those who for one reason or the other could not make it to
the hunting fields. It could be that they don’t dare to travel long distance to
a wilderness where the big games are found and stay away from home.
Both the hard working and the apologist
contend that that ceremony is a worthless, unproductive commotion when compared
to the importance of the cereals that they harvest to save life or resurrects from death; - if you don’t
mind the hyperbolic expression. As the following two short poems tell, the
producer of coffee beans, maize and xaafii
claims to be more heroic than the one who killed a game animal. He vents
his objection and sends an explicit message of superiority and attempts to
exposes the new hero to public derision and laughter, thereby questioning and
threatening his new status:
1.6.10
1. Anoo xaafiin afarsaa[18] I am busy winnowing xaafii
2. Maalan godha gafarsa? What would I do with buffalo ?
Or:
1.6.11
1. Dhadhaa garaattii nyaatu Butter is what the stomach is fed
2. Gowwaan mataatti habaatu May the fool carry it on his head
3. Gurree du’aa fannisu A dead buffalo they hang
4. Bunaaf boqqolloo qonna But we farm coffee and maize
5. Isa du’aa fayyisu. That resurrects from death.
Since the majority of the Oromo society lives
in the rural areas, agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, while hunting
wild beast is an adventurous endeavour undertaken to earn oneself a name and
social prestige. Holcomb observes the social status both enjoy in the following
manner:
“Farming is considered to be the most
honourable activity in everyone’s opinion. The fascinating tales the old men
tell, however, are not about farmers and the virtues of grain, but rather of
strong Oromo men who rode horses, killed wild animals with spears, and lived by
eating meat (1973,109).”
However, such laughter
engendering humour is not to the liking of the hero, as humour based on
superiority stances are often unpleasant and cause hurtful feelings and even
aggressive and combatant reactions from those subjected to such exposure. The
successful farmer, while aiming at reducing the new social status of the
successful killer, at the same time attempts to raise his own. It is likely
that this provocation instigates the hero to react and hit back with one of his
own, probably with one similar to the contentious interrogative geerarsaa
delivered by an offended hero presented below. The successful trophy hunter
looks down disdainfully, maybe at an ordinary farmer who has not seen a hunting
party; and not even seen, let alone killed a buffalo and grill its meat. For
him his heroic achievement seems to be of paramount importance:
1.6.12
1. Gojjolaa
nyaateettaaree?[19] Have you ever tasted buffalo grill
2. Yoo foon taskaaraa malee Except,
with taskaara[20] meat your belly to
fill,
3. Gujii agarteettaaree? Have you ever seen a company of
hunters?
4. Gabaa Jimaataa malee Except, Friday market
customers,
5. Boora agarteettaaree? Have you ever seen a live buffalo?
6. Sangaa magaala malee Except, that brown ox to pull your
plough,
7. Dhiiga agarteettaaree? Have you ever seen blood?
8. Dhiqaa fagaaraa malee! Except
vaginal douching flood!
The crassness of the
form of expression read in the last line of the lyric is probably a residue
from the teenage vulgar verbal insult discussed earlier. Carss or not, two
things are expected to happen to the proud farmer: If this abusive geerarsaa does not instigate or goad him
to make the necessary preparation for going to the distant low land and bring
home a trophy, nothing would. Or if this vulgar insult does not silence him for
the rest of his life, nothing would.
As far as the
successful hunter is concerned, the following geerarsaa indicates that,
since he has proved his manliness, something the society values high, there
seems nothing much left for him to worry about except pursuing a peaceful and
happy farmer’s life.
1.6.13
1.
Ameessa maalan godhaa? What would I do with a
dairy cow?
2.
Yeennaa borillee gu’e For
tomorrow it will dry
3.
Si’achi maalfaan godhaa? What is there for me to do
from now on
4.
Yeennaan borillee du’e. Even
if tomorrow I die.
5.
Moosisnaan korma ta’e Groomed,
it became a leading bull
6.
Tumnaan qotiyyoo ta’e Castrated,
it became an ox to pull;
7.
Gurgurraan dhibba bite Sold,
it brought in hundred cash
8. Gunfureen dhimma fixe. I am virile now with no worry
or rush.
9.
Si’achi maalan yaadaree? What would worry me now?
10.
Bajjii qotachuu malee Except
to cultivate and plough
11.
Qalbii horachuu malee To
live wisely and slow
12.
Goodarree dhaabuu malee. except
planting eddo.
13.
Dhoobamee taa’u malee Like a fat, cool pumpkin, I sit
14.
Dhoobee dibachuu malee With butter, my hair I
anoint.
15.
Ulee qaldhoo qabachuu With a stick so slim in my hand
16.
Biyya abbaakoo taphachu. I rejoice, in my father’s land.
Unlike a lance the slim stick symbolises
peace. In the following few lines, the hunter sings about the fame, prestige,
and respect that comes with the trophy; and what it means from the society’s
point of view.
1.6.14
1.
Yoo ajjeesan mucaa ta’u When
one kills one becomes a child,
2.
Mucaa kurkuraa ta’u; A toddling child full of bliss;
3.
Hundatu nama dhungata. Everybody
smothers one with a kiss.
4.
Yoo dhaban budaa ta’u But
if one loses, one becomes an eye-biter,
5.
Budaa furgummaa ta’u; An
accursed man-eater;
6. Hundatu nama tuffata. One is despised and given the shoulder.
1.7
Geerarsaa
as a medium of fantasy and humour
A supposition could be
made that what elevates the successful hunter to a folk hero status is not the
fact that he killed a game animal per se;
his bravery lies rather in his endurance of several
weeks of journey; the physically and mentally demanding ordeal and tribulations
he claims to have gone through in a faraway strange land to bring home the
trophy. Even if by some chance he kills a game animal that came to his locality
the trophy is not equated to that which is gained from a distant hunting
ground. In addition, on the hunting scale a lion’s trophy is higher than that
of a buffalo; so is the prestige the hunter who killed a lion enjoys. The
following two stanzas are an exchange of geerarsaa
between two hunters, one who killed a lion not far away from his domicile and brought
a prestigious trophy and one who travelled to a distant hunting ground (Baqqoo) and brought home a less
prestigious buffalo trophy. The one with that prestigious trophy is said to
have found a lion somewhere in his locality (Donoo), while going home after
enjoying home-made beer in the neighbourhood with his friends. Since it is
customary to perform boisterous or self-praise geerarsaa on festivities the hunter with the lion’s trophy begins
by singing a provocative geerarsa that degrades
the trophy others that killed buffalo thusly:
1.7.1*
1. Daaleekoon gad baafadhaa Let me bring out my tawny (the colour of the
lion)
2.
Loon keessan dachaafadhaa You better
look after your cattle.
In the hunter’s view the above two lines are
degrading. It is a devaluative statement that equates a domestic and docile
animal (cow) that a woman could milk and children could look after to the
buffalo, an unpredictable and temperamental wild animal that no one has attempted to
domesticate. The degrading statement deserves an equally degrading hit back
from the one that hunted that wild beast. So he hits back by unmanning the man
and equating the lion to any ordinary wildcat of the bush, and the trophy in no
way could be equated to the one from:
1.7.2
1. Namittiin farsoo quufte, The man
was satiated with cottage-beer
2. Kanaaf ilfinyii baate For,
from the guest house she appear
3. Leencattiin booyyee
quuftee The lion was full of wart-hog flesh
4. kanaaf hincinnii baate No wonder she came out of hincinni bush
5. Mirgi Baqqoo dhaa gadii, A trophy way down from Baqqoo
6. Isa Donootti sadii Is worth three of that of Donoo
The lion hunter responds by reasoning against the idea of going all the
way to a distant low land (Baqqoo),
and waste time, and risk the chance of getting infected with malaria, if one
could acquire the desired trophy right in one’s locality, in this case Donoo.
1.7.3
1. Yennaa Biilaa bitanii If you
buy from Biilaa
2. Najjotti buufatani And with a profit
sell at Najjoo
3. Maalumaaf Mandii dhaqu? Why to Mandii should one
travel?
4. Maaf karaa dabalatu? Why should
one make
the journey double?
5. Yoo manuma bahanii If you just get out of
your house
6. Doonotti ajjeesani And could
kill in Doonoo
7. Maaluimaaf Baqqoo dhaqu Why should one
go way to Baqqoo area?
8. Maaf busaa dabalatu? And
double the risk of getting malaria?
*The above presented
three geerarsaa lyrics (1.7.1, 1.7.2 and 1.7.3) are from Pastor
Olana Wayyeessa and his son Dr. Gutu Olana's recollection.
Similarly, if one kills
a wild pest (warthog, porcupine, baboon etc.) in his farm plot or in a local
forest and brag much about it, one becomes a target of ridicule. They are made
fun of and a subject
of entertainment for members of a daboo.[21]
During my stay with other
government employees among the farmers in Gobbuu Sayyoo in Eastern
Wallaggaa, I enjoyed an evening of entertainment when one of our colleagues,
who claimed to have killed a warthog and was roasted for showing excessive
excitement about his killing. The roast is in a poetic form; and the roaster begins
his roast by asking the audience: “Have you heard what Namichaa (let us call him so) said and sang for killing a warthog?”
The response was: “No; what did he say?” After getting the audience’s attention
he proceeded and sang the following poem in a geerarsaa melody:
1.7.4
1. Geeshoo jala gugadheen Dashing under the geeshoo tree, at once
2. Eeboon lama tumadhe I gored it twice, with my lance
3. Gafaan laddaaf taa’aa
waraane when I speared it in the
flank and the butt
4. Akka arbaa caraane It
trumpeted like an elephant
5. Hamma gafarsaa ga’a It
was as big as a buffalo; O man!
6. Gogaan saa afarsaa ta’a It’s hide is made into a winnowing fan;
7. Kalaadaa qacaqacee Armed with tusk that rasp
8. Qaata na bajabbaje I
thought it will slice and mess me up
9. Afaan saa kalaadaa
dha Its mouth is full of tusks to slit!
10. Amaaraaf asaamaa dha. Asaamaa;[22] the
Amharas call it.
The
lyrics are a creative work of a farmer who is trying to tease another member of
the community who might have recently killed a wild boar. However, this teasing
might also be a provocation for the one who is made fun of to consider the idea
of going hunting for a trophy.
For children the celebration of the home
coming of the successful hunter is an ample scenario out of which they create
humorous incongruity by mimicking his song. Concerning children’s mimicry, Alice
Bertha Gomme notes, “If [children] saw a custom periodically and often
practiced with some degree of ceremonial importance, they would in their own
way act in play what their elders do seriously (quoted by R.L. Zumwalt in
Sutton-Smith et. al. 1999:27).”During the celebration of the folk hero’s trophy,
what he killed, and where and how he killed are sung and talked about by
members of his community. The following is a questioner dialogue in poem format
that a shepherd creates to tease his fellow friend whom we may call Namii:
1.7.5
A: Namiin
maal ajjeesee?[23] What
did Namii kill?
B: Simbira raatuu; A
retarded bird;
A: Maal dibatee? With
what was he anointed?
B: Mimmixa daakuu! With pepper flour!
The children seem to have perceived that, from the society’s point of
view, killing a bird and a retarded one at that, and be anointed with pepper
flour is totally absurd.
Besides, it can generally be said that
children are master mimickers. Polimeni et al., (2006, 354) with reference to
anthropological findings, write about the universality of the ability of
children to mimic adults and how ridicule is more common among children than
adults. This fact can be observed in the manner Oromo children mimic a
successful hero in an absurd way and turn the song of an adult into humour
infused geerarsaa of a child. The
mimicry is performed usually around the fireplace by two boys as a mock drama in the form of idyll during the
idel hours of the evening. One boy plays the
role of a coward (Abbaa Bookaa) and the other of a hero. The performance starts
with the two children discussing about a hunting expedition to far away in a
low-land region and bring home a trophy. The coward disagrees and prefers to
stay at home; the hero goes to the hunting expedition alone and comes back with
his trophy and sings his geerarsaa:
1.7.6
1. “Abbaa Bookaa gadhitti[24] You,
Abbaa Bookaa; the coward
2. Manakee boroo taa’ii Sit in your backyard
3. Gaayyaakee huffee kaa’ii Puff
on your hubble-bubble
4. Anillee ajjeeseen galee I killed and came back home
5. Kanin ajjeesettiyyuu As for what I killed, it is
6. Qurquraa gumbii jalaa the
one that toddles by the silo
7. Dhagaa daakuu jalatti The grindstone under
8. Geemmii abidda gamatti The
fire stone-trivet yonder
9. Nama taa’u duratti; In front of people sitting
10. Siree xeephaa biratti Near the leather-strapped bed
11. Boojjitoo masas godheen I
snatched the stirring rod
12. Addasaa basaq godhe!” And
cracked its forehead.
At the background of the episode is the adult hunter’s
narrative expressed in the geerarsaa
song he sung on arrival from the hunting ground that the children may have seen
or heard about. As mentioned earlier, in the adult geerarsaa is contained many expressions about the terrible things
he encountered in the lowland forest, his ups and downs, and all the suffering
he had to tolerate in order to bring home the trophy. What makes the
child-hero’s hunting expedition incongruous and absurd is the way they model
and turn the fire-hearth and its surrounding area into a hunting ground and the
mouse into a game animal. The fireplace jungle,
the huge grinding-stone mountain, and
the three cooking-pot-supporting stone-trivets hills, are all modeled after the adult hero’s geerarsaa. The successful adult hunter had a group of hunters as a
witness for his heroic deeds, while the child hero had family members warming
themselves around the fire fireplace. Who could ever doubt or not bear witness
to his heroic deed of killing an imaginary mouse? The mock geerarsaa employed exaggeration as the main technique to produce
incongruity and absurdity which in turn provokes hilarious laughter. The child
performing this dramatic act puts the lyrics in the melody, style and voice of
the hunter’s original geerarsaa, and
pretends to be the real hunter. Even though he is mimicking an adult hero, it seems to tell us the
existence of a hidden desire in the psych of the child; that is: the desire to
follow the footsteps of the adult hero and be gratified like him.
Conclusion:
Drawing on the data collected from various sources, in
this modest article I have demonstrated the multifaceted nature of geerarsaa, particularly from the
expressive purpose assigned to it. In this regard it can be classified as a
single unique genre that fulfils the expressive needs of various individual
state of mind felt under different social situations. In Geerarsaa triumph can be expressed; so does grievance, praise and
castigation. The message it conveys ranges from emotions of individual nature
to that of national issues that might have helped ignite popular uprising of
the masses against coercive, undemocratic and authoritarian regimes. Hence, its
purpose encompasses political, social, and psychological spheres of the Oromoo.
It also encompasses both the humorous and the non-humorous aspects of Oromoo
oral art. Overall it is an authentic art form of multiple functions that our
fathers created and left us. The question is can the present generation keep
this inherited art form rich and pure while making his own lyrical contribution
towards its contextual richness and artistic purity without any adulteration
for the next generation to inherit.
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Notes
[1] Birillee: is a flask with round bottom and a narrow neck to serve honey-mead in.
[2]
Source: Anonymous
[3]Source:
[4]In the time when this geerarsa was sang, mule was a means of transportation that the haves only could afford. The over-coat also was a luxurious cloth that few could put on.
[5] Source: Beekan Gulummaa Irranaa’s, collection
[6] Source: Kumsa Boroo (2009, 411-412)
[7] Source: The lyrics are from
Addisu Tolesa’s research of 1999, page 55. (Translation mine.)
[8]Source: The four line lyrics are
from Tirfee Raagaa. (Translation mine.)
[9] Gurgudduu: One who has not gone to hunt game animals
or to a battlefield.
[10] Qondaala: One
who has hunted and brought home a trophy; or one who has been to a battlefield.
[11]Source: Pastor Fiixee Birri (2012:250)
[12].Quruphisuu (verb) means to prance. Quruph
is the sound made when gazelles and bovines jump and touch the ground.
[13]Source: Lyrics from 1.6.3 –
1.6.8, and 1.6.12. and 1.6.13 are all from Gumaa,
unpublished material by the late Aseffaa Tuucho, in the possession of the
author,
[14].For
the Oromoo Masqala is an annual
festival for seeing off the old year and ushering in the new one right after
the end of the rainy season, by burning a bonfire in public area as well as in
individual homes. Singing and dancing around the ashes of the bonfire is
customary; and that is what the geeraraa is
referring to. It is interesting to note that a similar kind of festival known
as Juhannus is celebrated here in Finland and other Nordic countries to see off
the winter and to usher in the long-awaited summer.
[15]When the hunter finally dies, a sycamore tree is planted on a busy road-side and his trophy (faachaa) is hanged on it for passer-by to see; and that particular sycamore tree would be known as a kind of a memorial or statue for him and commuters remember him by that tree that carries his faachaa.
[16]An endearment for a river called Birbir in
Western Wallaggaa
[17]Waleensuuis a kind of thorny tree that shades
its leaves during the rainy season.
[18]Source: From the author’s recollection
[19] Source:
From the author’s recollection
[20] Feast in memory of a deceased relative, customary
to followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian faith.
33 daboo: A mutual help association,
members of a farming community create during ploughing, weeding, harvesting
seasons and building houses.
[22]Asaamais an
Amaharic word for a pig or wild boar.
[23]Source: From the authors recollection
[24]Source: From the author’s recollection
Fellow colleagues,
Professor Mekuria Bulcha, via e-mail sent me his comment on the geerarasaa you just read. Here it is:
I warn
Wannum
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