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On the Oromo Civilization and the Influence of Waaqeffanna in Oromo Society

  • Writer: estadorovero
    estadorovero
  • May 8, 2024
  • 4 min read

Updated: Oct 8, 2024

All Civilizations have some form of religious expression to call thier own to denote theier interpretation of thier worldviews regarding the Immaterial World, the Abstract-Unseen: thier interpretation of the Immaterial through its agent-entity of disclosure about the Abstract, the Immaterial is through Religion (Rovero, 2024). Religion, by its nature, is a part of human experience in existence, one that seeks to explain the origins, purpose, and nature of the universe and humanity's place within it: it is existential, but not just merely existential - it is also a worldview composing of identities and beliefs held by a collective aggregate of people who experienced the world through and with the Abstract. “A faith is a necessity to a man. Woe to him who believes in nothing,” wrote Victor Hugo in Les Miserables; we believe that there is a component in our material and physical life that pervades what it is, interferes in it and is resposnible (although we cannot see it, we percieve that it is there) for our real experience, complete and whole, to the world.


To state the BBC Article entitled “Do Humans have a ‘Religion Instinct’?”, it goes to state forth: “Religion is so bound up with everything we know about our species that it seems near impossible to imagine a future human without any religious sensibilities.” (Ambrosino, 2019)


Every Civilization, indeed, has the will and capability to interpret and know the world of the Immaterial, believe in it, glean in it and know from it. Such is the World-Disclosure nature of human purpose and function with and to the world. No matter how a Civilization formulates its beliefs, whatever its essence, they will always affirm the existence of the Immaterial as a part of reality.


And the Oromo people are no exception.


The Oromo Civilization's religious tradition, known as Waaqeffanna, is a monotheistic faith that worships the supreme deity Waaq, believed to be the creator and sustainer of the universe; this central essence puts us this religious nature as Monotheistic, in the sense that there is one deity that pervades all existence. Monotheism other than the Abrahamic Group (or Phylum, as I borrowed it from Taxonomy) can emerge in other civilizations, as long as they can interpret the world and can form worldviews that can be used as a framework for experiencing existence. Adherents (Waaqis) of the Waaqeffanna religion state forward that He (Waaq) lords upon all existence, for He created the world by His immanent power, for He lords all existence itself and governs it (Duressa, 2021). The Oromo Civilization had ingrained the beliefs of thier ethnic identity despite the influence of the Christian and Islamic religions in its own civilizational identity; but Waaqeffanna has endured as a distinct and vibrant religious tradition that continues to shape the worldview and cultural identity of the Oromo people - for it remained thier traditional essence that dictated thier uniqueness to other civilizations, for they have a worldview of thier own!


Because of this belief, they are oriented towards a communal - not individualistic - society; thier system of government is based on the principles of Gadaa, a democratic system of governance that emphasizes the collective well-being of the community - a unique form of democracy by the Oromo Civilization, was strongly influenced by the Waaqeffanna worldview: the collective resposibility in the Gadaa society, through consensus of the democratic process inherent in thier political system, was influenced by the fact that Waaq made the world under order, and He wanted to maintain order in existence, so He made Humans to maintain that order by being harmonious with the world and existence, as well as cherishing that order in all aspects of Oromo life: pre-ordained Order and its protection are at the center of existential life and purpose, thus the reason why the Oromo form of consensus or direct democracy - the Gadaa - is implemented across all of Oromo society (Nagawo, 2017); (Berisso, 2018). In short, to summarize, through religion, the society finds its identity, shapes its worldview, and structures its communal life in harmony with its beliefs, as exemplified by the Oromo Civilization's Waaqeffanna faith and its influence on their collective ethos and governance.


This example, like so many other similar circumstances, prove that Religion plays an integral role in shaping the identity, worldview, and societal structure of civilizations. Across history, civilizations have developed unique religious expressions to understand the immaterial aspects of existence, such as the origin and purpose of life. This persistence of religious sensibilities throughout human history further emphasizes its fundamental nature and its importance in human existence. The case of the Oromo Civilization and their monotheistic faith, Waaqeffanna, illustrates how religion influences cultural identity and governance structures, fostering communal values and a unique form of democracy. Thus, religion serves as a guiding force that shapes civilizations, affirming the existence of the immaterial and providing a framework for understanding and organizing collective life.


Joshua Kyle T. Rovero

Estado Rovero

May 8th 2024

Ambrosino, Brandon. 2019. “Do Humans Have a ‘Religion Instinct’?” Bbc.com. BBC Future. May 30, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190529-do-humans-have-a-religion-instinct.


Duressa, Gebeyehu Temesgen. 2021. “Dhibaayyuu: An Indigenous Thanks Giving Ritual among the Borana Oromo, Southern Ethiopia.” Edited by Zhouxiang Lu. Cogent Social Sciences 8 (1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.2011540.


Nagawo, Aberra Degefa. 2017. “Beyond the Individualization of Punishment: Reflections on the Borana Oromo’s Collective Criminal Responsibility.” Haramaya Law Review 6: 29–42. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/hlr/article/view/165532.


Berisso, Taddesse. 2018. “The Oromoo Gadaa System”. Gadaa Journal 1 (1), 01-08. https://ejhs.ju.edu.et/index.php/gadaa/article/view/574.


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