Gofa People

The Gofa people are an ethnic group in SNNPR, Ethiopia.

The term Gofa is originated from ‘Gosha’s mother Goffe and the heroic king ‘Goba’ (meaning brave, strong warrior) while he was ruling Gofa region. According to the elders, there were three historical perspectives regarding the naming of the Gofa nationality. One perspective is associated with the patterns of settlement of the nationality, that is, from the ancient time the name Gofa was given to the people settled in the mountainous lands. Therefore, the name is backed by the customer’s traditions of the nationality since long ago. The second perspective is that the name Gofa is derived from one of the powerful and warrior leader of the nationality, Kawo Gooba. According to the view, the original name of Gofa was Gooba but later gradually the name changed into Gofa. There is also the third claim from elders that the name Gofa is the original name of the people in the first homeland Gibe, which, is derived from the line of the ancestral line of descent. This claim is further supported by the genealogical structure of the nationality Gofa.

As it widely believed by the elders, the Gofa nationality has two ancestral fore fathers which are derived into two ancestral lines. The two ancestral clans are called Maala and Dogala. These two clans further subdivided into various groupings which are called qommo. Some of group/qommo under Maala includes Goshana, Ayka, Maka, Kalata, borodamaala, Golomala, Buyla, Gaamo-maala, sili-maala, Lontso-maala, and others. There are a group/qommo under Dogala are zutuma, worze, gawuraro, ayfarso, amari, Gudarti, Muquriti, Sachi, Sawa, Ganji, etc. The Gofa call father Aawa and their mother Ayye. Daughters are called as macho and sons are Ade nayta. Male siblings call as Esha and female sibling as Micho. The Gofa kinship system in general follows the bifurcate collateral type; father’s brother and mother’s brother are differentiated Aayo, Aawa and from each other by the term Aawa Isha and awesho (Awta) respectively. Like wise, mother’s sister and father’s sisters are differentiated from each other by the term Aaye micho and Aawa micho respectively. Father’s father is called as Aawa Aawa and father’s mother as Aawa Aaye, while mother’s father is Aaye Aawa and mother’s mother takes the name Aaye Aaye.

There are two perspectives about the origin of the Gofa people. The first perspective is that there are some clans (qomos) just native to soil and call themselves “Bita Tusi’ literally meaning “emerged out of the land itself’. These clans include Goshana, Kalata, Gamo Maala, Hirara, Maka etc. The other perspective states that there are also clans /Qommos from the neighboring areas and settled in the area. This movement extended up to Bubula in the upper Gibe River. These clans include Galo-Malla, Walayta Malla, Boroda-Malla, Ayka, Fastigara, Enigara etc. From the above two perspectives one can conclude that, however, different clan explain their origins in various ways, however, both groups settled in the area for a long period of time and identified themes as Gofa.According to the second perspective the first homeland of Gofa was Bubula and Gibe in the upper valley of River Omo. It is said that at certain time in the past, from this original land the people moved towards southern part following part following the Omo River basin. Immediately after they moved southward following the Omo River, they found their first settlement at Wurki, in today’s north western part of Demba Gofa. There are several reasons cited as the cause for their south ward movements. One of the pushing factors is unsuitable natural environment in the previous settlements. Besides, the Search for suitable natural environment: pasture and fertile land can be sited as the pulling factors towards their current settlements.There are also various groups who come to the Gofa area from the surrounding ethnic groups. Informants mentions Shasha, kolta, Zulu kalacha, Waysara, Woide Dargintha, Woide Yallo, Layma and Tsanga Darara as the second settlements places of the Gofa. In most case, the southward movement of the people was made under the leadership of their respective Kawo the independent leaders of different Gofa chiefdoms/kingdoms. Following the mountainous chain under the leadership of their kawo until Kencho Gerera. Kencho Gerera is now located in Geze Gofa woreda between Berza and Kencho Kebeles. The southward movement of the Gofa was not peaceful. This was mainly because the most fertile favorable land chosen by the Gofa nationality to settle was not empty; there were settlers in the land. So, the contradicting interest necessitates some sort of conflicts between the one that opted to occupy the land and the previous settlers of the land. As most of the elders agree, others occupied the current Gofa – land. When the expanding Gofa nationality tried to occupy the land confrontation occurred. The other attempted to resist the expansion of the Gofa. However, since the expanding Gofa nationality were led by a unified commands of the kawo ) literally king), they have the advantage to take most of the land. It is argued that there were continuous conflicts and disputes that resulted the eviction of the others.On the conflict events between the expanding Gofa and the resisting inhabitants, two brothers of Buraqa led the movement of Gofa. The one who become the successor of his father become one of the powerful kawo called kawo Gaamo Buraqa.

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