Truth Barometer #4
By Odaahora
The Barbarian Empire of Abyssinia and the coming of Ilg
It is essential to have a glimpse of the Abyssinian (Amhara and Tigre mainly) socio-political and economic system called Gafol or Zagol from within at a time that signifies Abyssinians so far as recorded history proofs. Before the coming of Alfred Ilg, European firearms, firearms smugglers, firearms dealers, military trainers, advisors, and financiers Abyssinia was known as Barbarian Landlords, more precisely, Shiftansdom (Banditsdom). Thus, making brief excursions within the Shiftansdom and its system on the ground shed light on the subject in discourses.
One may come to the term Zagol or Gafol system that can be stressed back to Ezana’s regime to Menelik’s regime. One may find as it meant the Royal Courts by some authors when brought to foreign languages, such as in the English language. Indeed, It was neither Royal nor Court. To proof it, one must simply bore deep into the bone marrow of the Zagol system. As a result, it could be understood as the courts of Bandits (Shiftans) or barbarian in a real life. The main objectives and establishments of the Zagol system were to manage the looted, stolen, plundered resources of any type, kidnapped humans as slaves and workers from the territory and the people they occupied temporarily. It legitimizes who takes what and which amount from exploited resources. It was established hierarchical to avoid internal conflicts within the members of the system itself. It constitutes collections of nomadic or mobile armed predatory (Neftanya’s), unarmed vassals (Ashkers) that prey on the settled community for a specific period of time, until the resources of the occupied community, was debilitated and nothing is left for living. They move to the next targeted community. The major victims of the system were mainly peasants and local residents such as hand-workers who designated them as human plague or human locust where ever their footholds, occupied and settled. Menelik proceeded the so-called Zemenemesafint era of the Zagol system. The Zagol system can generality group into three major strata based on its functionality and its hierarchal establishments. The Geetas (The Masters, call themselves, “Royal, King of King, e.t.c.), on the top of the strata. One must always bear in mind that Abyssinians’, self-portray and hypocrisy were and still are two faces of the some coin. The second layer, below the Geetas followed the active functional vassal groups in general called the Ashkers. The Ashkers further consist of varies naming and status of sharing the boots, stolen, plundered resources accordingly. They were named Shums, Chewas, and son so forth. At the bottom layer or the victim’s strata were the peasant class; the local farmers, local residents of various occupations, such as Hand Workers, (Pottery, Ironsmith, Weaver, e.t.c.) on which, both the Geetas and the Shums or Chewas preyed on where ever they settled and occupied.
The name Chewa or Shum was given as a reward to the loyal servants, mostly gun carriers who brought their boots, looted, plundered subjects as a whole to their Geetas. For the Geetas work was a taboo, even forbidden in the name of Abyssinian version of Coptic God and its doctrine propagated by debteras, the worst beast of human as the scorpion is to an insect. Each day of the month was a “holy days,” has its specific mythical names designated to it. For instance, the first day of the months of Abyssinian Coptic version begins with the so-called Lidet, the Fifth day Abo, the seventh day, Silasse, the twelve’s day of the month Michael, just to note some and that goes to the last days of the month.
Abyssinians virtually acculturated to the laziness and are the laziest predatory creature on the planet except the local poor farmers. Thus, the Geetas were an obligate predatory, handicapped creature. They justify the act of their laziness in referring to the mythical book of folklore copied and translated from Alexandria Copts on face value. For instance, they say: “If I work God will mutilate my hands and legs.”
A.J Iyesus In his book: Ityopya:Guide du Voyageur en Abyssine (1908) wrote:
When translated in English ;“The duties of the geetas were only eating, drinking, sleeping and growing fat as a sheep kept in feedlot for Easter feast.These all were carried out by looting,stealing plundering recourses and money from the poors. by day and night. Fattening, at the expenses of what the poor have;These all were at the latter are unceasingly despoiled without mercy. The soldiers were merely the armed agents of such parasitic governors. Indeed part-time soldiering was the only way a farmer could escape for a time from being prey to others by participating in the plunder.”
The Geetas provided guns they got from abroad to the Shums and the Chewas, who has an undisputed right to take everything edible and caught their eyes, plundered, stolen from the peasants, and brought back to the Geetas. In return, they were granted lands and shares from booties, plundered subjects and awards, designate them as “Chewa or Shum” literally mean my loyal vassal. And that boosts their psychology performance and motivations for better services in the future.
This behavior was universal for all arts of plundered, stolen, subjects from grain to animals, from animals to human. Kidnapped man, women, domestic animals and agricultural products looted were presented to their Geetas. He decides the fate of the presented men and women, to serve him or to be sold as a slave. For instance, It was stated that Elephants were shot only with the permission of Menelik, and both of the tusks of the Elephants shot and fell on the ground automatically belongs to Menelik, and the seals of the tusks abroad pay for firearms. One–a third) of the land called (Siso) and its products of the farmers under the occupation must be paid to the Coptic Orthodox Churchs, mushroomed in each and every village in the occupied territories by abolishing the sacred historical cultural heritages, symbols of Oromos and their alikes, that holds true the very date.
She virtually annihilated all religious symbols, personals, mythological sites, Temples, Holy Houses, Sacred trees, like Odaa (Sycamore) trees, e .t.c., just to note some among many others from every corner of the occupied territories south to her original boundaries and established a predatory barbarian empire known as “Ethiopia “ on global world map seen currently.
Further more, there was no money in printed form or in coins, instead, “Amolechew” salt blocks, or salt bars were used as the currency of exchange.
Before closing up this portion of the Zagol system of the barbarian Empire of Abyssinia’s level of “civilization” and position on the ground at the time the super minister Alfred Ilg came into her, and to understand with whom to be dealt here. A simple analogical example from nature and Animal life may shed more light on the Zagol system and its mechanisms of operations. Imagine a pride of Lions composed of Lion (male), Lioness (female), and the Cubs listed corresponding to their strata in the natural socialization of the pride in life that had hunted and killed an antelope successfully. Who do you think will open the buffet table of the killed antelope? Although the male lions are lazy hunters in comparison to the females, nevertheless the buffet table will be opened by the Lion of the pride, grudgingly, followed by the Lioness and finally the hungry Cubs come to the rest of the meal. Analogy to the pride, the relationships in the Zagol system, that middle strata correspond to the females as in pride, the successful hunters, so do the Shums and the Chewas an active resources exploiter and the Geetas as the first consumer as in male Lions and give the rest portion to his hunters and looters the Shuma and the Chewa. The peasant class or farmers correspond to the Antelope to be hunted and preyed on. The only difference in this analogy being they are walking on two legs and speak their language, no norms moral and ethic-less last but not least they are ugly in all spheres of life indeed.where as the pride has four legs and beautiful animals,has natural norms and instincts.
Occupied territories of Biyya Oroomo before the coming of the spin engineer Alfred Ilg
At the time, Alfred Ilg came to the barbarian empire and met Sahile Mariam in Halkobari, after centuries of stiff resistance and confrontation, against the Abyssinian expansions from the north toward the south, the Oromo’s of Raayyaa, Walo, and almost all Tuulama Oromo’s and their land were already occupied and incorporated into the Abyssinian Empire. In the occupied territories, acts of genocide and ethnoicde per se were conducted by the Abyssinia settlers. For the fact that the Salaalees kept the Amhara settlers at bay for over half a millennium since the era of Moottii Lammii, as our sacred Scholar who devoted his live and academy for Oromo cause, an Oromo nationalist Professor Mekuria Bulcha unearthed the history of the Oromos in his recent book: Contours of the Emergent & Ancient Oromo Nation.
The subjugation, the genocide, and ethnocides of the Tuulamas in earnest began from Wassan Sagad, and his son and successor Asfa Wassan, and his grandfather Sahile Sillase who carried out wide-ranging extensive campaigns in various directions including Salaalee region as far as the Abbaaya River. As Harris recorded:
… the task of reducing the pagans to obedience was thus principally bequeathed to Wesen Seged, whose strong arm not only kept in submission the territories conquered by his father, but added greatly to the western limits of Shoa by the acquisition of Mogoor on the Nile, and by the conquest of Abbichu, Aborii, and Galaan, so far south as the Mountains of Gara Gorphoo.
Following the footsteps of his forbear’s, Menelik further carried out a series of campaigns on Tuulama Oromo’s and land between 1865 to 1870s with his collaborator, loyal vassals like Goobana and Darge. The Oromo of Salaalee stiff resistance against the encroachment of their land and their people against Menelik, Darge and Goobana. Among the notable once were Hawaas Nagaawo of Kuyuu and Gabruu Goobe of Saggo. Menelik further sent Darge, his uncle, who mobilized over ten thousand infantry militias, a collection of arrogant, illiterate and fanatics of Orthodoxy doctrine, who knew nothing except killing, burning, looting, raping, cheating the homeland of the Oromos of Salaalee. He was known as his brutal, chauvinist, aggressive expansionist policy under the banner of “hagermaqnates campaign” that means “Eliminations policy” to justify all its atrocities they all conducted, similar to the current tyranny regime who clinch into power with the exceptions there were no Asians, Bulldozers, Tractors e.t.c.
Darge was known as a genocider and ethnocider on the Oromos of Salaalee region to the bank of the Abbaayaa River in the north and Jama River in the northeast and beyond. In September 1886, One-and-half decades later, the genocider of Salaaleians, Darge again massacred over twelve thousand Arsi Oromos at Azule, Menelik’s gruesome acts Calii Calaanqo and Annoolee of the Arsi land and people that Martial De Salvic, an eyewitness unveiled in 1901 in his book: An Ancient people of African Nation: The Oromo translated by Ayalew Kanoo from original French version.
Independent of time and place and tools implemented murder is always a murder, thus, the holocaust of the Oromos in earnest began on the northern frontiers of the Oromo people and land bounded with Abyssinia proper indeed. The Oromo Elders said: During the long lasted wars against Aliens of the north, we kept them in between the Abbaayaa and the Jama Gorges as: “Daljeesa fi Sidaama or Abaasha qarree dha gadittii eeguu” until they come to fight us with fire sparking gun, they got from Ferenjes: the Europeans. The Tuulamas call the settler Habeshas Sidaama that means Strange, and need not lead to being mistaken with the homonym name the Sidaama people, our neighbors who have the same historical fate and linkage with the Oromos.
During this period, the Abyssians Shiftas/Warlords obtained immense of modern firearms from European states and individual weapon dealers that turned the trajectory and the fate of the Oromos of Salaalee region and incorruption to the empire during the 1870s. After controlling Salaalee Darge was assigned a governor of Salaalee in 1871, established his center in Fitche and further executed his total aggrandizement policy, eviction of the people from their ancestral soil that lead the Salaaleeians to leave their beloved, ancestral soil, heritage, flora, faunas, beautiful land and landscape with her thousands of hills that looks like guntuta dubra/durba (conical breast shape of a girl), Mountains, Rivers, Streams, to the Alien Neftaynas (gun carriers and killers) migrated to their brothers and sister far away to the south and the southeast.
The role of the spin engineer in the “Hagermaqnates campaign” of Menelik II
The hagermaqnates campaign of Menelik can be understood as extermination or elimination policy as it was in the north and northeast from Finfinne that turned his face toward the south, west and southeast as a whole to European colonial borders in the Horn of Africa. The Aliens of the north, the Abyssinians was known as a Barbarian Empire at the time Alfred Ilg met Sahile Mariam in Halkobari. Toda, If at all there is any change at all that is the worst indeed.
Barbarism was a signature of Abyssinia in which she was known for her hostility and brutality in the world arena. And that holds true to the very date. Nevertheless, Alfred llg took it granted and traveled with his two friends to Abyssinia and met Sahile Mariam in Halkobari. After a short stay in Halkober, he was scored to Tuulama highland, to Finfinne, the umbilical cord of Oromo land to build his own house and residence initially and a new permanent residence for his Geeta, a nomadic Sahile Mariam’s troops in Finfinne, a springboard for his further territorial expansion and conquest.
Alfred Ilg was the first Fernj; European, who built a permanent residence on Intooto mountain, in evicting territories of Oromos. He was the first landlord, Serf, and Slaveholder in Finfinne. He built permanent residency for his nomadic Geeta, for Sahile Silasse, what is contemporary called “Menelik gibbii.”
Once Ilg and Menelik’s troops were settled in Finfinne, the first projects of Alfred Ilg planned were the construction of houses; bridges, roads, gun powder, bullets, and patron fabrics and recruiting workers were executed in a higher tempo. Recruiting workers were used to mislead and to legalize the forced hard labor workers who built all were slaves.
In establishing some sorts of associations, Alfred introduced the word minister; literally mean someone who is qualified to take responsibility of leading specified duties. The challenge was that he could not find one. Abyssinians knows nothing, and the word minister was as strange as Ilg himself to Shaile Silasse and all the men around him who cannot read and write their own language let alone to have one for duty of a minister. The Abyssinians inherited and lived in Zagol system and knew nothing more about the ministry. Thus, once the spin engineer has introduced the word minister, he must take them all positions he thought of and had in his mind. From this situation came the title Alfred Ilg the Mister of all affairs in concerns of within Abyssian;internal affairs and foreign affairs. Internally he managed resources exploited from the newly occupied territories, and their exports to Europe and import Firearms and corresponding utensils and spare parts, back to Menelik. next to the constructions around Finfinne. It worth to note that all internal or external profits gained and sharing from pot clay to the white gold between Menelik and Alfred Ilg was important than Quid pro quo. To the main exports belongs gold, Coffee, Ivory, Tusk, Slave, Civet, Cinnamon, e.t.c.
He was not only an advocate of Menelik in a foreign relationship, but he was also an architect, a designer and a trodden propagator and supporter of the establishments of one of the poorest empire, the house of prison known as “Ethiopia” we see on world map graphics today. He was the one who advised Menelik not to punish the war prisoners of his former rivals of both Kasas “soldiers” to whom Menelik was ones himself a war prisoner of six years Kasa “Twedros” as a child. After escaping from Twedros, from Magdala, and coming back to Halkober, Kasa of Tigray (Yohanis IV) was a powerful rival to Menelik. And the main objective of Menelik at the time Alfred came to serve him was mainly to gain enough firearms, trained infantry, military advisor and trainer, e.t.c to fight against Yohanis, to whom Menelik surrendered without a shot and was considered as the underdog of Yohanis who pardoned him and order to pay annual attributes that Menelik paid it through his nose.
After Yohanis IV was killed by Mahdis, and the illegitimate son of Yohanis, Mengasha, a successor of Yohanis took over the power; his army consisted of thirty thousand Tigres, well trained by Gunner Louis of Switzerland. He was also supported by the Italians as an act of revenge to fight against Menelik. Although he verbally did not accept Menelik’s order of surrender, as Menelik mobilized his infantry force toward Tigray where Alfred Ilg was in this campaign, Mengash and his troop surrender without a shot. As Alfred Ilg described in his letter written to his friend, Berrner in Switzerland by saying:
“For the last four months, it was for me to write a letter to you in Switzerland. I found myself in the campaign with Menelik to Tigre. Mengash must be forced to surrender at gunpoint and that was our main objective of the campaign. We luckily achieved our goal with a lot of sacrifices, there were no needs to fight, while the Tigrean Shiftas / retreated. We took Amba Zion; near Adawa shot. Finally, Mengash and his troops surrendered and that was our successful campaign I made with Menelik.”
Aliens of the north under one command against the whole south
Menelik know commands the collection of all the infantry militias”, wild beasts of the Aliens of the north under one command and one objective. They were know composed of the infantry militias of Twedros consisted of about twenty thousand armed with muzzle–loaded guns of Gonderians who had gone over to Menelik’s side after Twedros was killed and they were called the Neftenyas of Gonderians.
Besides, his personal participation in the campaign against Mengasha, that boosted his position, the major role of the spin engineer Alfred Ilg was his advice to Menelik that was a blessed gift, “We do not need to kill or punish them as it was done by captured war prisoners in the past, but let us uses them, they are well trained Infantry troops for our Hagermaqnat plan to the rest of the Empire in the invention. The Tigrean Neftenyas joined Menelik as the Gondereians did to the Hagermaqnat plan and to wage wars, to conquer the “uncivilized south” all in one against the whole south.
The mobilization of all Abyssinians, the Gondarains, the Tigreyans and last but not list Menelik’s own troops, that was composed of the Settlers the Amharas, and the converted or assimilate vassal from other ethno-nationals by name called Jalees means vassals. The preparedness and mobilization of these troops divided into differing detachments began from the umbilical cord of Oromo Land, Finfinne. In return, when they come back with a victory, they were all promised with Gashas (a measurement of land area) of land, slave ownership, awards of titles, e.t.c. and names.
Mobilization of the killer troops: infantry militias called “Fannos”
Menelik order Makonnen in October 1897 to move with thirty thousand men detachment and mobilized to conquer the west from Finfinne across the heart of Macca Oromo land and people to the gold regions of Wal’arga deformed to a meaningless term “Wellega” and Beneshangul-Gumz and reach the Nile River bank, a border to the British colony, Sudan.
Tessema moved with eight thousand man detachment, had the order to take a possession of the lower course of the Sobat River (formed by the confluence of the west-flowing Baro River) and the upper course of Nile River.
Abte Gyorgis moved with eleven thousand man regiment of Snader-yazhei (bearess of “Remington’s” rifles) and several thousands of his own infantry militias. The fukera (verbal boast) of a “soldier” roughly mean “prelude”:
“I am a killer, killed everywhere, where I waged war! I am your slave! Your dog! With you, I will conquer! With you, I will die! In conclusion, he bows to the ground to the Ras, (the detachment leaders like Mekonnen, and others under Menelik’s command and order).
Weld Gyorgis moved with fifteen thousand men “Children” who Menelik called they are no more children or unfledged youth but “Werari” means invaders, spear throw out, the older, announced during the mobilization.“Listen, listen! Who do not listen is an enemy of the Lord and of the mother of God! Listen whoever does not is the enemy of the Lord and the Church! Listen! Listen whoever does not is the enemy of Menelik! Warriors! I am selling out on a campaign against the Shanqillas.”
If we could not see it we must fill it. That is why knowing what happened on our ancestral soil and of our people by the Aliens of the north the Abyssians in the past and what is happening know has never changed, it is rather worsening. What were Menelik’s “Hagermaqnates campaigns” was currently replaced with “Hagermalmats campaigns” with the same objectives, and tools as their forbears, Elimination of the Oromos, and their alikes of the same historical fate incarcerated in the barbaric Empire of Abyssinia known with stolen name “Ethiopia on paper.”
The architect of the successes of Menelik since 1878 in territorial expansion and as a result conducted genocides and ethnocides on which a lot of inks were spilled on it by sacred scholars and documented by eyewitnesses like Alexander Bulatovich and Martial De Salviac were a product of his top advisor, planner, firearm purchaser, deliverer, trainer, bullet, and gunpowder manufacturer and mercenary whom finally Menelik called him his “Bitweded”, the beloved one, Alfred Ilg. It was told that it was the highest rank Menelik had to offer to his loyal Amharaized fernj. The Railroad issue that in de facto turned to the tail-end of the service of Ilg to Menelik of Abyssinia, will be explored further in the next article.
Odaahora@gmail.com
