Mirriga- An Elite Song of the Oromo People
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Written by : Afendi Muteki
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Mirriga (also called âMirriysa) is an epic song very popular among the Eastern Oromos. It is commonly known in the traditions of the tribes of Ittu, Karrayyu and Afran Qalloo. However, from these three groups, Mirriga highly deepens its root among the Ittu Oromos of Carcar (West Harerghe). The reason is that âIttuâ is the Oromo group to whom the foundation and preservation of the famous Oda Bultum is ascribed, and Mirriga is the main genre of song that dominates the events commemorating the ancient caffee assembly of Oda Bultum.
âMirrigaâ is considered the power house of knowledge and wisdom. The Ittu Oromo say that their tradition, customs, history and ethics are highly enshrined in the Mirriga song. Furthermore, many of the Ittu Oromo tribal laws can be learned easily from the Mirriga poems. Thus the Ittu Oromo say
Fooni nyaatti malee adurree ilkaan meetaa
Namaatu hinbeyne malee mirrigaa kheessi heera.
Meaning
The cat eats a meat yet her teeth are âsilverâ
Mirriga is a law internally, yet many people donât understand.
Mirriga is a highly elicitic song that canât be sung by everybody except those who have a knowledge. It isnât sung also at everywhere. It is usually performed on two occasions. One is when a senior leaders of a clan and the men at their service come together to discuss an issue that needs consideration at a clan level, or when the leaders and deputies of all clans of Ittu Oromo discuss a tribal issue. The other occasion is the one I said above. That is the celebration of special events like the congress of Oda Bultum.
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The Mirriga poems are of two types, the existing (traditional) poems and the non-traditional ones. The traditional poems are those which have been transmitted orally from one generation to the next. The themes of these poems are the Oromo history, culture, tradition and law. These traditional poems are known by most of the clan leaders of Ittu Oromo although there may be variations on the usages of the words of the poems. For a person to be elected as a leader of a clan, the other posts in the leadership of the clan, to be the member of the congress of Oda Bultum or to be elected in the tribal office of Ittu Oromo, he must have a good knowledge of the traditional Mirriga poems. The best example of the traditional Mirriga poem is the following one which the Ittu Oromos regard as âThe golden Constitution of Oda Bultumâ
Afuriin Odaa bule shaniin âDarrabbaaâ bule
Darraabbaa halkan heeraa gaariin maal hasaasaa bule
Okholee saddeetin heeree, okkotee saddeetin heeree
Khorma saddeet heeree, khilla saddeet heeree
Ciicoo saddeet heeree, haqaaraa saddeet heeree
Siinqee saddeet heeree, Dhibaayyuu saddeet heere
Waraana saddeetiin heere, falâaana saddeetin heeree
Eela saddeet heere, goojjoo saddeet heeree
Daadhii Bookhaa nannaqee, deyma wal-kheessa tufe
Mee akka galaana kufee siitu garaa nadhufe.
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The poem can be translated as follows.
The four have passed the night at Odaa, the five passed the night at Darrabaa
What did the âwiseâ whispered in the law-making night of Darrabbaa?
He Decreed eight âOkholeeâ, and eight pots
He decreed eight bulls and eight âKhillaâ
He decreed eight âCiicooâ and eight âHaqaaraaâ
He decreed eight Siinqee and eight âDhibaayyuuâ
He decreed eight spears and he decreed eight spoons
He decreed eight wells and eight huts
He prepared a drunk from pure honey, and he breath the same
Oh my blood! You have come to my mind as a traveling flood.
In the poem, the verse âthe four have passed the night at Odaaâ refers to the four clans comprising the âGalaanâ moiety of Ittu Oromo. They are called Baabbo, Alga, Gaadulla and Elelle. According to the tradition of Oda Bultum, these four clans discuss and draft new laws under the oda tree (Qallu is the fifth clan grouped under this moiety but it is prohibited by the tradition to participate in political affairs; thus the Qallu clan don't take part in the formulation of new laws and the assumption of political power.