By Melaku Erose
The Hadiya people constitute one of the indigenous ethno-linguistic and cultural peoples in Ethiopia with collective consciousness, unique culture, peculiar language (Hadiyyisa), own traditions and way of life. Members of the Hadiya ethnic group do nothing at random.
Cultural, social, economic, and political events take place in a culturally significant process. When people die of a natural cause or man-made accident or when unusual event occurs in the community, the society finds the cause and addresses the problem in a meaningful way through the traditional ritual known as “hiraaga.” It is also known as “Kalta” in some parts of Hadiya.
This article elaborates on what hiraaga is and enumerates its benefits. Although the concept of the word “hiraaga” cannot be literally translated into English, the word “prophecy” can have a closer meaning. In the context of the current article, Hiraaga can be interpreted as a traditional prophecy. Hiraaga is a prophecy and “Hiragancho” is a prophetic person. “Hiraagano ”is a plural form of hiraagancho.
When a problem arises, it is a cultural obligation to go to Hiraagano and discuss the situation in detail. After reviewing the past, Hiraagano will offer a solution. The decision given by hiraagancho is final. Hiraaga is believed to be the God’s way of imparting discipline, and guidance to an individual, family, community, or nation. Hiraaga is a cultural knowledge taken as a grace.
It is also a cultural system that allows the victim and the aggressor to live together safely, in the circumstance of an extraordinary event, in the event of conflict and loss of life. Girma Suldolo is a researcher and author of Hadiyisa books on Hadiya culture. According to Girma, “Hiraaga “has two aspects. One is the art of finding solutions in the event of unusual phenomena or accidents, and the other is predicting the future at the individual, local, national, and international levels based on comparing the trends with past events.
Hiraaga is a prophecy of the future based on past events and has been widely accepted and appreciated by Hadiya community for many centuries. It is a system that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is a special gift given by God to the hiraagaancho, not based on individual desires or religions. In the event of an unforeseen and unusual event or accident, the person wishing to travel to Hiraagaancho will also be able to do so regardless of religious differences.
There are two controversial ideas whether hiraaga can be inherited or not. Some people argue that hiraaga can be inherited; they refer to the specific Hadiya clan that Hiraagano often hails from. Individuals who claim that hiraaga cannot be inherited raise two points of contention.
Although hiraagano are predominant in some Hadiya clan members, they argue it occurs occasionally in all clans of Hadiya. According to Girma, some of the brothers who share a father will not be able to inherit the gift of hiraagma, even though some of them may have been gifted.
The hiraagano and members of the Hadiya community believe that the gift of hiraagma will be confiscated if the individual forgets to interpret the wisdom given to him by the creator and if he adds to or deducts from what is revealed to him or he receives compensation for his service.
In the case of an unforeseen event or conflict at the individual, family, community, or national level, Hiraagano will set the direction for a lasting solution, and the members of the community will accept it as God’s solution. Thus, although it is not a written law, the hiraaga is linked to the economic, social and political life of Hadiya and would be an important tool for traditional justice. Its role in the creation of peace between peoples and conflict prevention is significant.
Conflicts between members of the same community are unavoidable. Conflicts often lead to disagreements, physical harm and even can lead to the death of individuals. Hiraaga serves as a key tool for the implementation of the “Xiig guula” ritual. “Xiig guula “is a reconciliation system of two conflicting groups without further bloodshed or compensation.
If there is a loss of life due to a car accident, bipartisan conflict, revenge, etc., can be reconciled without further bloodshed or compensation using xiig guula. After the elders decide to reconcile the families of the victim and the abuser, one of the elders leads the reconciliation process and takes the victim and the abuser’s relatives to Hiraagancho.
The reason both families go to the house of the hiraagancho with the elders is to remind them if there are any hidden wrongdoings in their genealogy when asked in detail. Hiraagancho asks the elder, who had been sent by the traditional judges, to explain the situation in detail.
When an elder explains the situation, the hiraagancho often asks questions about issues that require further explanation. It then encourages the abuser to speak openly about the incident and any past wrongdoing or crime.
For example, if he killed a person in a car accident, hiraagancho would ask if the killer had ever injured a bird, an animal, or even a human being. Hiragaancho will ask whether he trampled on a bird, whether he repented and gave handful of grains to other birds; whether he ran over a wild animal and stopped the vehicle and brushed aside the carcass of the injured animal from the road to mourn the loss of a wild animal. If it was a pet that died in the accident, the hiraagancho asks if the driver had reached on an agreement with the pet’s owner.
If the incident is accidental or intentional, an investigation will be conducted to determine if there has been undisclosed abuse by him or his family. According to the culture, customs, and traditions of the nation, Hiraagancho is considered a solution-render sent by the creator, and anyone questioned by him must answer the questions correctly and honestly. It is feared that there is a curse in store to the linage of those who hide the truth from the hiraagancho.
Next to the person who caused the death, the hiraagancho interrogates the family members one by one, if there is any abuse from his/ her family’s side. Likewise, the victim’s family members will be asked if they had suffered a similar accident in the past or whether there is a family history of abuse.
After examining both sides to find out the truth, Hiraangancho will tell the elder how to solve the problem. For example, he can order the aggressor to give a calf, a bull, or a goat to the deceased family; or buy a costume (complete dress) for the mother of the deceased. Additionally, he can order the murderer’s family to come to the home of the deceased with an assortment of supplies for the reconciliation process. He also proffers oxen or sheep to be slaughtered and eaten together besides feeding the poor.
The elder, who represented the elders, explain what the hiraagancho said one by one to the cultural judges who sent him. The traditional elders will follow the direction given by the Hiraagaancho and conclude the matter with a xiig guula ceremony. Following the direction of the solution set by Hiraagancho, there will be no resentment and no ill will between the murdered and murderous family.
On the other hand, if droughts and rains persist, productivity declines for years, poverty and theft are passed down from generation to generation in a family, if there are frequent earthquakes, if a person or an animal gives birth to a child with an abnormal body part, if the animals suckle something that does not belong to them (for example, if a goat is suckled by a dog) they will go to Hiraagano.
Hiraagano interprets events in two ways. The first is that bad or unusual things have happened to individual society or society as a result of bad deeds and it tells people that the solution to the problem is reconciliation with the Creator. Another way is to advise people to spend their time wisely, telling them what will happen in the future.
In case of unforeseen circumstance or conflict, there is a way to go to Hiraagancho, but there is also a way for hiraagancho himself to tell the elders what he received from the Creator about the time and generation. The elders, in turn, pass on information from Hiraagancho to the next generation, advising the generation to live wisely.
Hadiya hiraagano was aware of the emergence of modern technologies, democratic governments, and modern religions more than a century ago. In the days of the ancient Hadiya Fandanano religion, Hiraagano advised people that Fandanano would be swallowed up by Christianity and Islam, they warned that Fandaaneno could be eclipsed by the religions of white people. And to mention that khat chewers are coming, they said there will be people eating leaves in the future. When a goat suckled a donkey, they said it was a harbinger to the establishment of a democratic government.
Also to indicate that the electric light and the telephone will be invented, the hiraagano also said that we saw a lighted stream rising from the houses giving light to the earth and saying that the time was near for people to do their duties where they are from.
As has been repeated many times, Hiraaga and Hadiya are two sides of the same coin, and individual and traditional elders use the knowledge gained in Hiraagano to interpret simple questions without traveling to Hiraagano.
This means that if man-made and natural phenomena are repeated in a family, the individual/family/elders use the knowledge-gained in Hiraagano to examine the cause of the problem and solve it. In the event of a dispute, traditional elders use a variety of methods to ensure that they do not make a wrong conclusion before making a decision.
During the reconciliation process, besides eating and drinking the coffee and food prepared in the house where elders gather; they receive no compensation in cash or kind. Hadiya elders are more afraid of injustice than anything else. If they thought they had made a mistake, knowingly or unknowingly, in the meeting, they would have washed their feet and shook off their clothes by the door of the house where the meeting took place. They do this so as not to take injustice to their own home with their feet and clothes.
The Ethiopian March 12/2022
