Abstract
In 1889, the first copy of the Ark of the Covenant, the tabot, entered the city of Naqamtee, establishing the Naqamtee Iyesus Church. Nevertheless, the chronicle of the ruling Bakare family stated that the tabot entered the site intended for Abba Ch’affee, a qaalluu, or traditional religious leader, to stay under house arrest. He was infamous for challenging Moroda Bakare, the king who submitted to Ethiopia, as well as Gobana Daach’ee, the general who brought this region, Wallaggaa, into the Ethiopian Empire. When all three men died – allegedly within a week – it was up to Kumsa Moroda, the son of the king, to adopt Christianity in the region. As such a peripheral area became an integral economic province, adopting Christianity became a means for the people to participate in Ethiopian society. Still, when Kumsa invited not only Orthodox priests – but also Protestant Christian teachers led by Onesimos Nasib, who had recently translated the Bible into afaan Oromo – he added new dynamics to previous patterns of imperial incorporation. With multiple branches of the Christian faith, new connections to both the imperial center and distant countries formed. At the same time, a different way to adopt a universalizing faith while preserving indigenous cultures opened up. Finally, I compare and contrast Wallaggaa, where Christian priests and missionaries came, with Jimma, where Muslim teachers arrived. The tabot only came there when ambitious men offered to convert – and bring the tabot with them – in order to take control themselves.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Christianity, Islam, Traditional Religion, Ethiopia, Conversion, Translation, Intermediaries, Syncretism, Ajamization
