Oromo Kushitic Continuity – Waaqeffannaa, Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Religions

A while back, I re-published (in: 'The Inexorable Radiation of Waaqeffannaa, the Oromo Religion' - http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/60798) an excellent paper written by one of Oromia's foremost intellectuals, Mr. Getachew Chamadaa Nadhabaasaa, a theological analysis of Waaqeffannaa, the historical Oromo religion (under the original title Waaqeffannaa - Testimony of an Indigenous Religion of the African Past and Present).

As I intended to extensively comment on that text that serves as a founding text for a new phase of Waaqeffannaa, as written religion, I encrusted numbers in the text. Three parts of the commentary have already been published ('Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Religions and Waaqeffannaa Oromo Religion' / http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/61419, Waaqeffannaa Oromo Religion and the Unavoidable Death of Fake 'Ethiopia' / http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/63090, and ‘Viewpoints on Waaqeffannaa Oromo Religion, Islam and Ancient Egyptian Religion’ http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/63351). I will continue my commentary in the present article. My present comments relate to the numerated points in Mr. Nadhabaasaa's text (as above).

Commentary

41. According to the prescriptions of Waaqeffannaa, the Gadaa Rule of Law, may be promulgated and declared by the Oromos’ Supreme Legislative Organ, but it is blessed by Waaqa, the Only God of the Oromos. This implies that the Oromos have preserved the ancient Kushitic concept of holy world, holy society, and holy life. It is an inherent belief of the Waaqeffannaa that the entire nature, and the human beings who are part of it, cannot exist without an interconnection with the World of the Divine. Consequently, the social organization is conceived as blessed by God.

Royalty has characterized the Ancient Egyptian and the Kushitic / Ethiopian Antiquity; however, the lack of royalty among Oromos does not have any effect on the concept of the holy character of the nature, the society, and the sociopolitical endeavours. This produces a strong argument in favour of the Meroitic – Oromo continuity, and the identification of the modern Oromos as descendents of the Meroitic Ethiopians, whose civilization thrived in Kerma, Napata (near modern Karima), and Meroe (near modern Bagrawiyah) in today’s Sudan.

The Supreme Legislative Organ, and the first Qaalluu Booranaa, within the context of the Oromo Nation in fact "replace" the King, known as En Sw Bit (Pharaoh) among the Egyptians and Qore among the Ancient Meroitic Ethiopians, and his state machine.

The Pharaoh (Ancient Greek word formed out of the Ancient Egyptian expression Per Aa, which signified the Palace of the Egyptian King) was the figure upon whom the whole administrative structure of the state rested. Commanding tremendous resources, the pharaoh was the head of the civil administration, the supreme warlord, and the chief priest of every god in the kingdom. The Qore in Ancient Kush (Ethiopia) was conceptualized and contextualized similarly. Both, in their respective countries, were considered as divine, the physical offspring of Ra. In the same way with the Supreme Legislative Organ, and the first Oromo priests, who are believed to have delivered Waaqa’s messages, the Egyptian Pharaoh and the Kushitic Ethiopian Qore were believed as the medium par excellence - between the divine and the physical worlds.

The Egyptian Pharaoh and the Kushitic Ethiopian Qore were not tyrants or dictators like kings of the Medieval ages; they were subject to some rather grave responsibilities. Through their dealings with the divine world, they were tasked with keeping the order, the concept of Maat about which we have briefly discussed in earlier articles. They had to keep out chaos, disorder, negative attitudes and external enemies. They were responsible for making sufficient offerings and otherwise satisfying the divine world, so that bountifool Nile flood comes every year and the harvest is enough to feed the people. Failure in this task would destabilize the Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian rulers, and even bring about the collapse of the state or dynasty.

Moral Order, Knowledge and Seniority (much similar to what is practiced among the Oromos today within the Gadaa system) limited the power of the Ancient Egyptian and the Kushitic Ethiopian rulers. They may have been recognized as head of the state, the priesthood, the army and the Judiciary, but they had to select their aides, abiding by the aforementioned virtues.

The major pillars of the administration among the Ancient Egyptians and the Kushitic Ethiopians were: the Royal Court, the Central Government with the ministers and the administrative machine, the Royal Advisors, and the Supreme Council (top ten royals, army commanders, senior officials, elders and priests).

Why the theological and social similarities between the Ancient Egyptians and Kushitic Ethiopians and the Modern Oromos consist in themselves in an argument in favour of the ethnic continuity? The reasons are as follows:

1. If the affinities were only of theoretical, theological and philosophical character, we would attest them in an ancient people neighboring Egypt or Meroitic Ethiopia. This however did not happen in the case of various adjacent nations, the Philistines, the Phoenicians, the Arabs or the Yemenites. The affinities existing between Ancient Egyptians and Libyans are due to the common Khammitic background (the larger ethno-linguistic group to which belong the Eastern Kushites, the Western Kushites, i.s. the Berbers, the Hausa and Fulani speaking nations, and others); but the colonization of the Mediterranean, and more particularly of the Northern African coast, by the Phoenicians helped diffuse different theoretical concepts and diverse social virtues among them).

2. The striking affinities of theoretical and social order between the Ancient Egyptians and Kushitic Ethiopians and the Modern Oromos cannot be the result of influence exercized on faraway nations. We have attested Egyptian influence in the coasts of Somalia and Yemen, in Crete and Greece, and during the Late Antiquity throughout the Roman Empire, but this sort of influence pertains to specific points and issues, not the entire theoretical background that seems to have been almost totally shared by the Ancient Egyptians and Kushitic Ethiopians in the Antiquity and the Oromos in Modern Times.

3. The fact that the Oromos have precisely preserved the most fundamental tenets of the theoretical, theological, philosophical, and social background of the Ancient Egyptians and Kushitic Ethiopians indicates only ethnic continuity. In fact, not a single other modern nation presents so striking similarities with their ancestors, in terms of theoretical, theological, philosophical, and social background, except perhaps the Hindu Indians and the Buddhist Tibetans.

4. The existing affinities have a terminus ante quem. Modern Egyptians, Nubians and Kushites in Sudan do not share the aforementioned background anymore. In various moments between 300 and 1600 CE, they accepted other religions and ideologies, namely Christianity and Islam, and because of this fact, they disentangled themselves from their previous values and ways of life. Egypt became Christian gradually between 300 and 530 CE. Christianity was diffused in Ethiopia (Ancient Sudan – not the marginal realm of Abyssinia that usurped the fair name of Ethiopia) through Egypt.

The military agression of King Ezana of Axumite Abyssinia ended up with the destruction of Meroe and the dissolution of the Ancient Ethiopian state, but did not help diffuse Christianity among the Kushites (Ethiopians). A small part of Ethiopia was under control of Ezana for just some decades. Then, the rise of Christian Ethiopia – a Kushitic / Nilo-Saharan phenomenon – started from the North; the states of Nobatia, Mekouria and Alodia were formed ( between 430 and 550 CE) on the Ethiopian territory of the Old Meroitic Kingdom, between the Egyptian Roman border in Triakontaschoenus and the region of today’s Khartoum. Nothing survived from the previous theoretical, theological, philosophical, and social background.

At a later stage, the diffusion of another religion, Islam, stamped another, second, irreversible mark; the entire Ancient Khammitic / Kushitic background was forgotten, with the exception of some very general concepts that may be the same among Kushites and Semites, the notion of Oneness of God, etc.

It is consequently impossible to imagine that the Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian theoretical, theological, philosophical, and social background was diffused among other peoples and nations after its 4th century CE collapse and disintegration. This is the terminus ante quem, the time before which the ancestors of today’s Oromos must have accepted the basic tenets of Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian theoretical and social background.

5. Of course, one could hypothesize that the Oromos are the descendents of another ancient African nation; however, in that case one would have to prove when that ancient nation adopted the basic tenets of Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian theoretical and social background, and why they moved far from their original land, either in the Valley of the Nile or in the Eastern or Western Desert.

We know, through mainly Ancient Egyptian and secondarily Greek and Latin sources, about several peoples who live adjacently to the Ancient Egyptians and the Kushitic Ethiopians. But we find most of them still in place, assimilated with the rest, if not at the ethnic and linguistic level, at least at the cultural, religious, and social levels. The Bejas (Blemmyes) and the Nubians still speak their languages and preserve their cultural and social particularities after they accepted – successively – Christianity and Islam. But these traits have nothing to do with the Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian theoretical and social background which was commonly shared by Nubians and Blemmyes in the Antiquity. In addition, we never identified a moment of population movement, disappearance or elimination, except the gradual movement of the Blemmyes (Bejas) from the Western to the Eastern desert, and further on to the mountains of the East Coast of the Red Sea where they are located nowadays. Smaller groups may have been either eliminated or assimilated.

6. The preservation of the Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian theoretical, theological, philosophical, and social background among the Oromos in parallel with the abolition of the royalty suggests that a part of the Meroitic Ethiopians moved out of the known Egyptian – Ethiopian periphery, and that they have been isolated enough to be able to preserve their system’s values, without of course living under royalty. For the latter, the correct replacements have been found, namely the Oromos’ Supreme Legislative Organ.

7. The lack of royalty is common to part of populations of ancient kingdoms that moved far from their capital. It is very typical among the Phoenicians, who as famous navigators and merchants settled in faraway colonies. Although, they were ruled by a king in Tyr, Byblus, Sidon and the other Phoenician cities – states, in their colonies, they established democratic systems of administration, assemblies and senates that resemble the Oromos’ Supreme Legislative Organ. These Phoenician cities – states established the first democratic systems in the History of the Mediterranean and the Northern Coast of Africa, and the Greeks and the Romans only copied, they did not ‘invent’ the system, as disreputable, criminal and racist pseudo-historians and uneducated European politicians dared suggest in their racist, colonial pseudo-histories. In the same wat, the emigrating Meroitic Ethiopians set up in Eastern Africa a purely Kushitic system of Democracy that seems to be more sophisticated than the oligarchical system of the Other Berberia, in Northern Somalia’s coast.

The lack of royalty suggests physical elimination of the Kushitic Ethiopian dynasty of the numerous Qore and the Kandake, the Ethiopian Kushitic Kings and Queens. And the more plausible event that triggered the emigration of a part of the Kushitic Ethiopians from Meroe is the attack led by Ezana of Abyssinia against Meroe ca. 360 – 370 CE.

42. The divine blessing of the Oromo Law, as stipulated within the context of Gadaa system, places the system within the same context as the Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian systems of Law. The Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian Law was based on a common sense view of what is right and what is wrong. Based on the values emanating from the concept of Maat, Order, Balance and Universal Justice, the Ancient Egyptians and the Kushitic Ethiopians viewed themselves as equals under the law, regardless of wealth or social position. However, when punishment was carried out, often the entire family of the guilty suffered as well. For example, when some people were sentenced to exile, their children were also outlawed - along with them. If a relative deserted from military service, or defaulted on the labor demands of the state, the entire family could be imprisoned.

As I already stated, the Pharaoh in Egypt and the Qore in Kushitic Ethiopia, as a living god, was the Head of the Judiciary; however, much of his power was delegated to others. The ministers often acted as judges, and theoretically, anyone with a legal problem could bring a case before a minister, though arranging such an audience with busy, important government officials may have at times been difficult. More specifically, the Overseer of the Six Great Mansions was the equivalent of a modern magistrate. The Six Great Mansions refer to the main Law Court in Niwt, the capital of Ancient Egypt, which the Greeks called Thebes, after Djebw, the Theban royal district. Similar courts existed in Napata and Meroe, the great Kushitic capitals of Ethiopia. Minor cases were tried by a local council of elders and each town or village had its own local court in charge of legal proceedings. Such cases usually involved minor problems, such as default on loans. Still, the most important matters were probably reported to the Pharaoh or the Qore who would then decide the case and the proper justice.

In Ancient Egypt or Kush (Ethiopia), sometimes judgements were made by divine oracles rather than by human officials. Documentation on prior cases was recorded, and these court documents were used as precedent for later cases.

An example of such documentation is the record of the famous trial of the tomb robbers, recorded on the Leopold II - Amherst Papyrus (known after the name of the modern purchaser). This document, now in the British Museum, records the robbery of tombs (a most vicious crime for the Ancient Egyptians and the Kushitic Ethiopians) during the reigns of Ramesses IX and Ramesses XI. The thief Amenpanufer confessed before Ramesses IX that "We went to rob tombs in accordance with our regular habit, and found the pyramid tomb of King Sekhemreshedtawdy....". Quite unfortunately, the papyrus does not offer details about the actual punishment. The so-called Salt Papyrus is a petition introduced by the workman Amennakhte, who denounced the crimes of the foreman Paneb.

From saved legal proceedings, we get information about the possible punishment. From court documents at Deir el-Medina, we know that punishment for stolen or embezzled goods might have been as simple as the return of the goods, with a fine of twice their value. Simple corporal punishment could involve a hundred strokes of the cane whereas in serious cases, 5 bleeding cuts added, or brands as a sign of permanent dishonor.

The Pharaoh and the Qore decided about the most important criminal cases; at times, a special commission was appointed with full authority to judge. Depending on the severity of the case, exil in the desert or labor in distant mines or quarries were types of common punishment. Some serious crimes were punished with mutilation consisting of cutting off a hand, tongue, nose or ears. In extreme cases, capital punishment was inflicted by implement on a stake, burning alive, drowning or decapitation. Because the guilty had violated Maat, it was also believed that the guilty person would suffer in the rest of his life, with the final settlement awaiting in the Court of the Dead. Basic human rights existed and were taken into consideration; the pharaoh Bocchoris had suppressed imprisonment for debt.

Although men dominated the legal system in ancient Egypt, records indicate that women enjoyed considerable rights under the Civil Law. Upon an individual's death, property was often divided equally among both male and female children. Women could own and bequeath property, file lawsuits, be witnesses in court and file for divorce. Children and the poor had considerable legal rights, and even slaves were allowed to own property under certain circumstances.

Prior to the 7th century BCE most contracts and deeds were oral, but with the rise of bureaucracy and the introduction of the Demotic script, many legal transactions were required to be written; we have thus got more information about later periods when the Ancient Egyptian world had reached an advanced level of desintegration. A plaintiff was required to bring suit, and if the case was deemed to have validity, the defendant would be ordered to appear before the court. There were no legal advocates, so both parties would present their own arguments. While witnesses were sometimes called, the judge would usually rule on the grounds of documentary evidence and the testimony of each party.

43. The Anenue of Peace as concept of the Waaqeffannaa religion corresponds to the Path of Truth (Maat), among the Ancient Egyptians and Kushitic Ethiopians. According to various theological systems (Heliopolitan, Hermupolitan), Maat did not exist until Ra (: Waaqa) rose from the waters of Nun (the world of chaos that existed before the Creation of the Universe). Described as daughter of Ra, Maat represented for the Ancient Egyptians and the Kushitic Ethiopians the Order without which the primordial Nun would have again reclaimed the universe. It was believed that if Maat did not exist, the universe would become chaos, once again!

At times portrayed as ‘wife’ to Thoth (the aspect of Wisdom and Knowledge of Ra), Maat was more of a concept than an actual ‘goddess’, in the sense we use the term for Ancient Phoenician, Greek and Roman religions. Her name, literally, meant 'truth' in Egyptian. She was truth, order, balance and justice personified. She was harmony, she was what was right, she was what things should be. For the Ancient Egyptians and the Kushitic Ethiopians, believed that the universe was - above everything else - an ordered and rational place. It functioned with predictability and regularity; the cycles of the universe remained constant always; as far as moral issues were concerned, purity was rewarded and sin was punished. Both morally and physically, the universe was in perfect balance.

Thanks to Maat, the Ancient Egyptians and Kushitic Ethiopians knew that the universe, that everything in the universe, worked on a pattern. Egypt, Kush, the Universe were seen to be nothing without Maat. Maat was reality, the real essence of reality that made the stars move and the mankind think. As such, Maat was the epitome of Moral Choice and the quintessence of Ethics that apply to all without a shadow of duality.

The modern Western rejection of the Ethics would be considered by the Ancient Egyptians and Kushitic Ethiopians as exemplary of disorder, as a call to chaos. The question whether the Universe is ethical or not would never exist in Ancient Egypt and Kushitic Ethiopia, because Maat reflected the essense of Ethics.

The ethical stance of the Oromo Waaqeffannaa followers towards the Universe does not only testify to their ethnic, cultural and religious bond with the Ancient Egyptians and the Kushitic Ethiopians. It also bears witness to the abyssmal Hatred released against them by the Colonial English Freemasonic establishment that intended to replace the human world that had existed for millennia with a monstrous and Satanic environemnt of the absolute chaos and evilness. It was only normal for English colonials to see the Oromos as expendable stuff, a nation that had to be condemned to live in the margin and finally disappear so that their philosophical and moral standards, their theological concepts, and their social models be eradicated through either physical or spiritual genocide.

It would be interesting to terminate the present article with a reference to the Ancient Egyptian and Kushitic Ethiopian concept of Maat – so meaningful for the both the Oromos and the British, who are the real instigators of the Oromo genocide perpetrated by the Amhara and the Tigray Abyssinian tyrants during the last decades of the 19th century and the entire 20th century.

There is a critical high place of Doom that is called the Halls of the Double Maat. In that place whereby all living people pass by, every person's heart is placed on a scale, balanced by Maat herself, or by the Feather of Maat (her symbol - an ostrich feather). Thoth ( God’s Wisdom) weighs the heart. If the person is found not to have followed the concept of Maat, the person’s heart is devoured by a demon (collectively called Ammut – the Devouress of the Dead), and this is the real, the final death, of the person. If the heart weighs the same as Ma'at, the person is allowed to go on to real and eternal life.

This reality does not change by any political trick, economic combine, or academic falsehood. In the Halls of the Double Maat, material goods are not taken into account, social glamour is insignificant, and vanity is chastised. There, the real value of all, billionaires and impoverished, is revealed. And there, the only tense used for verbs is Present Tense.

We continue our commentary in a forthcoming article.