Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Note on Transliteration
- Glossary of Mainly Political and Military Terms
- List of Regiments
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 Traditions of Hierarchical Warriorhood
- 2 The Historical Context of Emergent Warriors
- 3 Military Lands and Power Politics
- 4 Ecological Roots of Local Leadership
- 5 Social Localities of Emergent Warriors
- 6 Military Training in Sports, Horsemanship and Hunting
- 7 Political Authority and Military Power
- 8 Zeraf: Symbols and Rituals of Power and Rebellion
- 9 First Italian Invasion, 1896
- 10 Guerrilla Warfare, 1935–1941
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Miscellaneous Frontmatter
5 - Social Localities of Emergent Warriors
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 October 2019
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Note on Transliteration
- Glossary of Mainly Political and Military Terms
- List of Regiments
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1 Traditions of Hierarchical Warriorhood
- 2 The Historical Context of Emergent Warriors
- 3 Military Lands and Power Politics
- 4 Ecological Roots of Local Leadership
- 5 Social Localities of Emergent Warriors
- 6 Military Training in Sports, Horsemanship and Hunting
- 7 Political Authority and Military Power
- 8 Zeraf: Symbols and Rituals of Power and Rebellion
- 9 First Italian Invasion, 1896
- 10 Guerrilla Warfare, 1935–1941
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Miscellaneous Frontmatter
Summary
THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF CHEWA HIERARCHY
The social fabric of the society that uses land to organize itself shows the centrality of narrowly perceived physical markers – the adbar and its analogous social person, the teleq sew, ‘big man’. Both were primary markers of a territorial entity that was accessible to all, against which hostilities were counterpoised across ecological features. Pivotal to the neighbourhood as physical symbol of local stability and internal cohesion, the adbar was often a tree, a church or an open and accessible field endowed with the benign spirit of belongingness. The population made settlements near such a physical feature and related to it, though people normally avoided erecting houses near a water surface such as a river or a lake. The ‘big man’ or the locally important leader networking with individuals and the wider community was seen to have the same qualities as the adbar. The hamlet of such a person metaphorically represented neighbourhood permanence.
Perceived as benign, these features of a neighbourhood served as public and communal activity places. Endowed with a welcoming spirit, the adbar was expected to be accommodating towards newcomers, foreigners, complete strangers or newly-weds. Conceptualized as permanently present, it made residents and land part of a social aggregate, and gave symbolic anonymity to strangers. When a newcomer had not fared well in the place, the normally welcoming adbar might be seen as having ‘quarrelled’ with the person. In areas where the worship of a female spirit prevailed, accommodating or discomforting all categories of people in a village, town or neighbourhood was attributed to this deity, which was said to be the adbar.
The teleq sew, or ‘big man’, was referred to as adbar in the expectation that he had responsibilities to be a rallying point. This was reflected in dream interpretations or complimentary statements that invested the person at the height of power with responsibility and, by extension, a welcoming socio-political leadership. Expected to accommodate a large number of dependants, including adopted and foster children and friends, and capable of attracting a substantial following, he was also the richest farmer, owning large tracts of land. Such a person organized the neighbourhood during peace and took leadership initiatives during war. In both cases he would be known as a sebsabi, literally ‘gatherer’ of people, conceptually mirroring the shade of the adbar tree where people assembled.
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- Ethiopian WarriorhoodDefence, Land and Society 1800–1941, pp. 119 - 144Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2018