Kingdom of Gomma | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1780 – 1886 | |||||||
 The five Oromo kingdoms of theGibe region | |||||||
| Capital | Agaro | ||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| History | |||||||
• Established | 18th century | ||||||
• Annexed byEthiopian Empire | 1886 | ||||||
| |||||||
TheKingdom of Gomma was akingdom in theGibe region ofEthiopia that emerged in the 18th century. It was based inAgaro.
Gomma shared its northern border withLimmu-Ennarea, its western border withGumma, its southern border withGera, and its eastern border withJimma. Its capital wasAgaro.
This former kingdom was mostly located in an undulating valley, with a population estimated in 1880 of about 15,000-16,000; its extent is roughly the same as the modernworeda ofGomma. Beckingham and Huntingford considered Gomma, along with Gumma, was the least economically developed of the Gibe kingdoms;[1] howeverMohammed Hassen writes that "the people of Gomma devoted themselves to farming, earning a reputation for a high degree of civilization.[2]
Also located in the kingdom of Gomma were two hills, Sinka and Bemba (the last was also called Kella Egdu Biya, or "Gate of the Watching of the Land"), which were sacred to theOromo. They were inhabited by prophets who lived with large snakes; descendants of these snakes are offered beer and goats' blood by Oromos to allieve their illnesses.[3]
Mohammed Hassen notes that "the written information on the early history of Gomma is limited, and confused."[4] Beckingham and Huntingford trace the foundation of Gomma to a miracle-worker who was namedNur Husain or Wariko, said to have come fromMogadishu. Although they speculate that this semi-legendary figure might have been confused with the better-knownSheikh Husein, whose tomb is located near theShebelle River, they note thatAntonio Cecchi reports that Wariko's tomb is located on the banks of theDidessa River, and was an object of veneration.[5]
Hassen explains the tradition around Nur Husain as reflecting the fact that "Gomma was the first state in the Gibe region where Islam became the religion of the whole people."[4]Trimingham states that Gomma was the first of the Gibe kingdoms to convert toIslam, quoting Major G.W. Harris as writing that by 1841 "in Goma the Moslem faith is universal."[6]
Hassen states that the first King of Gomma wasAbba Boke, although Beckingham and Huntingford state his son,Abba Manno, had this honor. Abba Boke had gained control over all of Gomma, between Yacci and Dogaye, except for a region named Qattu. Abba Manno was later able to annex Qattu during his reign (c. 1820 - 1840), and promoted Islam by patronizing Muslim religious teachers, as well as enhancing the activities of theQadiriya order.[7]
In 1886, Gomma was conquered by Beshua Abue on behalf of EmperorMenelik II.
