The Halaba people (or Alaba) are an ethnic group inhabiting the central
Ethiopian
Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...
highlands. The Halaba claim to originate from the Arab cleric,
Abadir
Sheikh Abadir Umar Al-Rida ( Harari: አባዲር ዑመር አል-ሪዳ ፈቂ ዑመር, ), also known as Aw Abadir or Aw Badir was the legendary founder of Harar and a patron saint in modern-day eastern Ethiopia. He is also regarded as the comm ...
who settled in
Harar
Harar (; Harari language, Harari: ሀረር / ; ; ; ), known historically by the indigenous as Harar-Gey or simply Gey (Harari: ጌይ, ݘٛىيْ, ''Gēy'', ), is a List of cities with defensive walls, walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is al ...
. In the middle ages, Halaba were part of the
Hadiya state. In the 1400s, their
Garad
Garad ( Harari: ገራድ, , , Oromo: ''Garaada'') is a term used to refer to a king, Sultan or regional administrator. It was used primarily by Muslims in the Horn of Africa that were associated with Islamic states, most notably the Adal Sultanat ...
(chief) was in conflict with the Abyssinian monarch
Zara Yaqob
Zara Yaqob (; 1399 – 26 August 1468) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty who ruled under the regnal name Qostantinos I (; "Constantine"). He is known for the Geʽez literature that flourished during his reign, th ...
. They are mostly Muslims but there are also some Christians. A map of the region from 1628 shows a Kingdom of Halaba. They speak
Halaba-Kʼabeena which is a member of the
Highland East Cushitic languages
Highland East Cushitic or Burji-Sidamo is a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in south-central Ethiopia. They are often grouped with Lowland East Cushitic, Dullay, and Yaaku as East Cushitic. The most popular language is Sidama ...
within the
Afroasiatic family
The Afroasiatic languages (also known as Afro-Asiatic, Afrasian, Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic) are a language family (or "phylum") of about 400 languages spoken predominantly in West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the ...
.
Sidi Mohammed
Sidi Mohammed was the Garad (chief) of the Hadiya Sultanate in the beginning of the seventeenth century. He is considered a descendant of some of the Silt'e clan originators as well as the founder of Halaba ethnic group.
Political career
Ga ...
the
Garad
Garad ( Harari: ገራድ, , , Oromo: ''Garaada'') is a term used to refer to a king, Sultan or regional administrator. It was used primarily by Muslims in the Horn of Africa that were associated with Islamic states, most notably the Adal Sultanat ...
of Hadiya is stated to be a forefather for the Halaba people.
All cultural issues and living conditions are governed by the Halaba People's unique traditional administrative structure, known as ''Sera'', which is interpreted as law, principle, norms, values, and regulation in the community and considered as the New Year celebration of Halaba people.
Every January, following the successful crop harvest, the locals colorfully celebrate the "Sera" holiday to uphold this custom.
See also
*
Kebena people
The Kebena people (also spelled Qebena) are a Cushitic ethnic group found in the entral Ethiopia Regional State. of Ethiopia. They speak the Kebena language, Kebena dialect of the Alaba-Kʼabeena language, which is a member of the Highland Ea ...
References
External links
Sera Halala
Ethnic groups in Ethiopia
{{Ethiopia-ethno-group-stub