MEKDELA
AMBA
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND HERITAGE MANAGEMENT
HORRO BULUK WOREDA :194-1991
"BY"
ABDI MELKAMU
DEBELI FEKEDE
DIRIBA SHIFERA
WEGARI GETACHO
LETA TESFA
OCTOBER ,2024
Tuluawulia, Ethiopia
HORRO BULUK WOREDA:1941-1991
"BY"
Abdi Melkamu
Debeli Fekede
Diriba Shifera
Wegari Getacho
Leta Tesfa
A SENIOR ESSAY SUBMITTED TO DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND
HERITAGE MANAGEMENT OF MEKDELA AMBA UNIVERSITY IN
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE BACHELOR OF ART DEGREE OF
BACHELOR IN HISTORY AND HERITAGE MANAGEMENT
ADVISOR:MEBRATU BOGALE (MA)
DECEMBER;2024
Tuluawuliya, Ethopia
Contents
CHAPTER ONE.....................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................2
1.1 Background of the Study.............................................................................................. 2
1.2 .Statement of problem.................................................................................................3
1.3. Objective of study........................................................................................................4
1.3.1.General objective............................................................................................................ 4
1.4. Basic research questions..............................................................................................4
1.5. Significance of study....................................................................................................4
1.6. Scope of the study.......................................................................................................5
CHAPTER TWO:...................................................................................................................5
LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................................................5
2.1.Settlement Overview..........................................................................................................5
CHAPTER THREE.................................................................................................................7
3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................7
3.1. RESEARCH DESIGN AND APPROACH ......................................................7
3.2. RESEARCH METHODS OR PROCEDURES............................................................................8
3.3. DATA TYPE AND SOURCES.................................................................................................8
3.4. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION..................................................................................................8
3.2 Work plan and budget..................................................................................................9
3.2.1 Time schedule..................................................................................................................9
3.2.2 Budget............................................................................................................................. 9
Bibliography.....................................................................................................................11
I Published source...........................................................................................................11
II Unpublished source.......................................................................................................11
3. Monographs, Report and Others................................................................................12
I
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
According to current administrative arrangement Horro is one of the ten woredas of Horro
Guduru wallagaa zone, which is located in the North Eastern Wollega.1 Horro woreda is
bounded by Abay Comman Woreda in east, Jimma_Gannati woreda in South, Habe Dongoro
woreda in West and Jardaga Jarte and Abay valley in north.The administrative center of
Horro woreda was shambu town which still in serving is located at about 315 kilometres from
Addis Ababa and at about 145 kilometres from Nekemte. Despite the current administrative,
the site of Horro district and its political structure was different under different regimes. To
start from the beginning, the descendants of Horro clan had settled between the Angar river in
the west which served as the boundary between Jardaga Jarte Woreda and Amuru Woreda,
and Finca'a river in the east.2
During the period of Haile Sillasie, especially with the restoration of the monarch the
political administration of Horro woreda was extensive in size and named Amuru Woreda
and stretched as far as the present day Amuru Woreda and administered under Guduru
Awraja.Again in the early 1960s with the arrangement woreda was changed as Horro woreda
under Guduru Awraja.Under Dergue the administrative size and political structure of the
woreda was rearranged and got the name Jimma_Horro district under Habe Dongoro Awraja
until it got the present name.Horro woreda during the first half of the Dergue period.
Inspite of such arrangements under different regimes, this paper tries to discuss the
history of the area settled by Horro clan called Horro_Horriti who inhabited between Finca'a
and Angar river in by giving due attention to Horro woreda.According to the May 2007
published census, the population of HorroWoreda was estimated to be 103,035 of which
59,357 were males and 43,678 were females. However the data does not give additional
1
Abdisa,Ayelo. History of Horro woreda/Tourism Breue Of Horro woreda:Shambu, 2013 .(p,1)
2
Ganfure, Takela.The Historical Foundation Of Shambu Town/Tourism Breue Of Horro Guduru
Wollega Zone:Shambu, 2014.(p,60).
1
information about the education and occupation background of the resident .3In the case of
religion, the people of Horro were the followers of the different Faith.As the information
obtained from various religious groups, the followers of Orthodox Christianity to be 29.6
%,Protestant 35.1 %,Islam as estimated to be 9.7 %and followers of waaqeffataa (sky
God)was estimated 25.6 %.The main economic activity of Horro people from earliest to
present has been agriculture,informants confirmed that before the land proclamation of
1910.There was land problem and restriction and every individual had owned his
qabiye( land ownership)land on which extensive farming was practiced.4
1.2 .Statement of problem
Different research were conducted in Horro woreda .Most of the studies that have appeared
on the people of the district are characterized by imbalance of themes and period of studies.
Most studies were conducted by sociologists, agricultural fields of study and historian
searching different historian like "Biography of Abishe Garba "it stressed on the life history
of Abishe Garba and Gojjam invaders in horro woreda.The same work of Dereje Hinew
"History of Oda Bulluq "it depend on Oromo Gada system that conducted around Oda
Bulluq.
The other research that conducted in Horro woreda were indigenous forest management
especially caato secked ties, by Lamesa margo as well as Desaleng Tolera.A history of Horro
Guduru Oromo, north eastern Wollega which deals how the people of Horro woreda affected
by Gojjame invaders and settlement pattern of Horro Oromo. Therefore those research listed
above conducted in in horro woreda.There was a limitation periodically and thematically.
They did not stress an all-round history of the woreda on given time period.
Hence, this designed research will try to analyse a history of Horro woreda from 1941-1991,
based on existing literature,archived material evidences and oral source in the framework of
social,economical, political and cultural history of Horro woreda.Accordingly, this research
will try to answer the following leading question.
How historical events happened in horro woreda from 1941-1991?
How administration system was changed in different regimes?
3
Ibid.
4
(Megersa Mosisa,"Historical survey of land tenure system in Limmuu.
2
How it looks like the socio economic of Horro woreda during monarchical rule?
How kind of relationship between Horro Oromo and Gojjam princes?
How cooperative/Zemechas was processed in horro during Dergue regimes?
1.3. Objective of study
1.3.1.General objective
The general objective of this studies are to assess the social, political, economical, cultural
and religious history of Horro woreda from 1941_1991 .
1.3.2.Specific objectives
To assess historical event happened in horro woreda.
To identify the administrative structure of Horro.
To discuss the past liberation administration system in horro woreda
To explore what it seems like the exploitation of Horro peasant.
To investigate the popular revolution in horro woreda.
1.4. Basic research questions
The study Will attempt to answer the following research questions.
How was the foundation and development of Horro woreda 1941_1991?
What type of changes and continuities were observed social, economic,
education and cultural and religious of Horro woreda
1.5. Significance of study
This study will provide a brief and reliable account all the history of Horro woreda from
1941-1991. Still this day we do not have social, political, economic and religious as well
organited scholarly study on the history of Horro woreda. So, the reconstruction and
examining of history of this woreda was important. The study will contribute to historical
knowledge production for few works and believed to serve as useful material for this
individual interested to carry out in depth studies of the history of Horro woreda in the
period. Under discussion it will create better understanding of social, political, economic,
cultural and religious history of Horro woreda. Apart from this, the study is hopeful expected
to provide a new insight history of Horro woreda.
3
1.6. Scope of the study
This research attempts to study all round history of Horro woreda. The studies period
adapted for this study extending from 1941_1991. The period beginning from 1941 marched
the time the Italian occupation has came to end the time horro was began to serve as woreda
administrative while the year 1991 was the fall of Derg and the new administrative system in
every part of Ethiopia ,Horro woreda.
CHAPTER TWO:
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1.Settlement Overview
Most of the literatures on urbanization claimed that urbanization is a process by which rural
areas are transformed into town areas in which the process of transformation is triggered by
social, economic and political developments. It is also defined as a settlement pattern where
the physical and social infrastructures are better supplied, unlike in rural.5
Urbanization is one of the most important developments in human history which started long
years before. On the bases of this, the origin of urban centers has been traced back to the
period of state formation in the Middle East and ancient Egypt. Therefore, the study of
urbanization is a crucial point in the study of human history since it changes the life of
people from rural to urban life. Despite the fact that, the study on urbanization have more
concentrated on large Metropolitans which overshadowed the study of smaller cities and
towns. As a result, the conceptual ideas regarding urbanization have been primarily
influenced by the studies on large cities.6
Towns and Cities are defined on the bases of various features such as agglomerated
settlements whose populations are overwhelmingly engaged in urban occupations. But it is
difficult to differentiate towns or cities under the category of either small or medium sized
5
Asnake, Gosa.1991.(p,1).
6
Markakis, John. 1974.(p,160).
4
town. However, the concept of small town is a relative one, because it depends on such
factors as the degree of urbanization, level of development and the country’s economic
structure. Despite the existence of several criteria for recognition of town size, the population
factor is the most common criterion for the classification of towns or cities or woredas.
Accordingly, the size provided by United Nations to identify the small towns among the
others, is a population of one hundred thousand or less. But depending on social, economic
and population conditions and requirements, this number varies from one country to
another. In Ethiopia for instance, the localities with a population numbers of 2000-5000 are
classified as the small sized towns.
A series of literatures were argued that the expansion of imperial hegemony over much
of Ethiopia especially in southern Ethiopia resulted in the establishment of a series of
garrison towns. With country’s geographical expansion, these garrisons were set up all over
newly acquired territories to hold down the conquered people.The imperial expansion to
south resulted in the appearance of garrison centers known as Ketema, which eventually
evolved into permanent; small-sized provincial town. The garrison centers were established
either on already existing settlements or on fresh sites. Gradually, many of the southern
garrison towns took on a permanent urban character and evolved into the major geo-
political centers for practicing political domination, wealth and capital accumulation and
also religious and cultural assimilation.7
Despite the process of modern urbanization in Ethiopia began to take shape since the later
part of the 19thCentury, a fundamental transformations has undergone during the
twentieth century.The Italian occupation period (1935-1941) was also contributed to the
growth of towns mainly in terms of increase in urban infrastructures. The development of
infrastructures, roads and buildings during the occupation period had a considerable effect
on the towns of Ethiopia. Most of these towns became areas under effective Italian control
and occupying forces exerted considerable efforts to improve their structures. 8
7
Abdisa, Ayalew.History Of Horro woreda:Tourism Breue Of Horro, Shambu, 2013.
8
Ganfure, Takela.Historical Foundation Of Shambu Town:Tourism Breue Of Horro Guduru
Wollega zone, Shambu, 2014.
5
Slowly, however, the pace of urban growth began to quicken after 1941, due to the
Ethiopian government established a variety of programs and offices in small towns all over
Ethiopia, including local administrative offices, judicial offices and technical aid programs. 9
Various researcher done their research in horro woreda, how end, no research was done
on the history of Horro woreda in given time period:however, as a researcher perception the
following work will be important. Desaleng Tolera, A history of Horro Guduru Oromo, north
eastern Wollega (1800_1941) it deals with how people of Horro woreda affected by Gojjame
invaders. Fekede sileshi, "A historical survey of Limmuu Oromo in easter Wollega,
1865_1974" studies the general survey of Oromo mecha expansion to Horro woreda and their
impacts on the pre Oromo inhabited in horro woreda. After they occupied area holds as
qabiye/land ownership.it help as to address horro Oromo holds their qabiye land.10
A history of Odaa buluk by Dereje Hinew, he study an Oromo Gada system that
conducted .around Oda Bulluq. Biography of Abishe Garba it stressed on the life history of
Abishe Garba and Gojjam invaders in horro woreda. Alemu shuie, "Wollega during the
Italian occupation 1936-1941 "he described how Gojjame came being and influence Oromo
cultural traditions and how the naftegn occupied Wollega. In addition, books and archived
materials at horro woreda culture and tourism breue will be consulted and utilized. There is
no written evidence on the all round history of Horro woreda. What the administration system
of different regime. This research will also discuss the interaction relationship among
economic, culture, social and political interaction in given time in Horro woreda.11
9
(UN HABITAT-II, 1996: 3).
10
Megarssa Mosisa."Historical Survey of Land Tenure System in Limmu Warada, North
Eastern Wallaga(1882-1974)."B.A Thesis/Department of History and Heritage
Management,Haramaya University,2012/.
11
Abdisa, Ayalew.History Of Horro woreda:Tourism Breue Of Horro, Shambu, 2013.
6
CHAPTER THREE
3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. RESEARCH DESIGN AND APPROACH
As Tulu et.al (2019:3) pointed out ‘a research design is a conceptual structure and
blueprint for data collection, measurement, and analysis of the data.’ The research design
explains what kind of data is required, what kind of methods are going to be employed for
collection and analysis and overall, it tells how all of this is going to answer the proposed
research question.
To achieve the objective of the study, Qualitative descriptive research design will be
employed as an appropriate research method. Qualitative method will also applied to describe
the existing Historical conditions of the Town.
3.2. RESEARCH METHODS OR PROCEDURES
Research methods refer to techniques and procedures used to obtain and analyze data,
including for example; questionnaires, observation, interviews, and document analysis as
well as both quantitative (statistical) and qualitative (non-statistical) analysis techniques
(Tulu et.al, 2019:3).
3.3. DATA TYPE AND SOURCES
The study will be conducted through qualitative historical data type to be collected
through document analysis and interviews method. The data for this study will be collected
from primary sources, secondary sources and also from oral information; through interview
of key informants.
Accordingly, Primary historical sources will be collected from Zonal and Woreda
archives. Secondary data (sources) will come from Library sources, such as Books, Journals,
and Magazines, Research reports like BA and MA theses and PhD dissertations.
The study will employed key informants interview as a major tool to obtain data. The key
informants for this study will include; community elders, leaders of the town administration
and the concerned government officials at zonal and Woreda level.
7
After important information will be collected from the suggested sources, it will be
evaluated, organized, analyzed and synthesized in chronological and thematic approaches by
cross-checking its validity, reliability and relevance. Finally, the findings of the analysis from
each source will be presented in a written form to answer the research questions.
3.4. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
The main motivation of ethics in research is to protect rights and welfare of research
participants, and to protect the wider society or community within which the research is being
conducted. Therefore, a social science researcher has an obligation to respect the rights, needs
and delivers of the informants.
Thus, I will follow ethical guidelines from the beginning to an end to ensure privacy,
confidentiality and anonymity of informants. The place and time of the interviews will be
arranged at most to be conducive for each informants.
Settings for interviews will be as private as possible, so that informants could feel
freedom to express what they know on the topic. In addition to this, an effort will be made to
avoid bias and to become objective as possible. While undertaking my research, I do not add
to, subtract from or alter the evidence provided by the informants. So that I deal honestly with
the sources.
I will maintain transparency in my study and use the most up-to-date available data that
may match with my topic. I should keep the secret of informants and must be flexible with
the new environment during interviewing and data gathering.
3.2 Work plan and budget
3.2.1 Time schedule
S.No Time schedule
Activities
July2023 Aug Sept Nov Dec Jan
2023 2024 2024 2024 2024
1 Selection of the study x
2 Problem identification X
8
3 Designing to study X
4 Research proposal writing X
5 Data collection, data analysis and
interpretation X
6 Writing the first draft of research X
7 Submitting the research report X
3.2.2 Budget
S.NO Items Units Quantities Unit Total cost
cost
1 Papers Pieces 150 4 600
2 Note books Pieces 2 70 140
3 Pen Pieces 10 10 100
4 Pencil Pieces 8 10 80
5 Binding Pieces 20 4 80
6 Copying Pieces 50 5 250
7 Printing Pieces 70 50 3500
8 Other expense - - 250
9 Total - - 5000.00
9
Bibliography
I Published source
Zewde, Bahru.A History of of Modern Ethiopia:Addis Ababa:AAU press, 2nd edition 2002.
Giorgis,W,Dawit.Red Tears :War ,Famine and Revolution in Ethiopia.Trenton The Red Sea
Press, 1989.
.Rahmato, Desaleng. Land Tenure and Land Policy in Ethiopia After Derg.Addis Ababa:Addis
Ababa University Press, 1994.
Nagara,Ginbar.Biography Of Abishe Garba And etal:Adama, 2010.
Triuz, A. GUDURU OROMO AND THEÍR NEIGHBORS IN THE TWO GEÑERÀTIONS BEFORE THE
BATTLE OF EMBABO :Addis Ababa, 1975.(vol-13 (1):47_64 ).
II Unpublished source
1. archive from shambu Municipality
Folder No.oo40/75, File No.12/11,a letter written from the governor of Horro woreda to
Horro Guduru Awraja administration office on 2 October 1985 with Ref.No.94/378.
2. Theses and Dissertation
Boshara Jarbo."Land Tenure system in Limmu Woreda,North Eastern Wallaga (c1870 to
1936)".B.A Thesis./Department of History,Addis Ababa University,1988/.
Cherinet Wakweya."Land Tenure System and Self_settled Waloye in Abe Dongoro
(1900_1974)."B.A Thesis./Department of History, Addis Ababa University,1998/.
Daraje Hinnew."A History of Oda Bulluq."B.A Thesis/Department of Hístory,AAU,2000/.
Desalegn Tolerate." A Históry of Horro Guduru Oromo,North Eastern Wallaga(1800-1941)."
M.A Thesis/Department of History, Adama University,2010/.
Gutama Imana." A History Survey of Land Tenure System in Aira Gulliso Warada, central
Wallaga(1880-1935)." BA Thesis/Department of History,Addis Ababa University,1987/.
10
Megarssa Mosisa."Historical Survey of Land Tenure System in Limmu Warada, North Eastern
Wallaga(1882-1974)."B.A Thesis/Department of History and Heritage
Management,Haramaya University,2012/.
Oljira Tujuba."Oromo-Amhara Relation in Horro Awraja( North Eastern Wallaga)C.1840s to
1941." M,A Thesis/Department of History,Addis Ababa University,1994/.
3. Monographs, Report and Others
Abdisa, Ayalew.History Of Horro woreda:Tourism Breue Of Horro, Shambu, 2013.
Ganfure, Takela.Historical Foundation Of Shambu Town:Tourism Breue Of Horro Guduru
Wollega zone, Shambu, 2014.
UN-HABITAT II.National Human Settlement Situation Assessment And Plan of
Action."(Reported Prepard for Human Settlement Conference),Habitat II,Addis Ababa, 1996.
11
