Chewa Regiments

Chewa (; ''č̣äwa'') were the feudal noble warrior class of Imperial Ethiopia. Originally recruited and appointed for service in the Emperor's army, they formed a class of professional soldiers also known for traditional warriorhood practices and a rich cultural background.
They were allocated with land grants for their sustainement. Their installation in settlements were instrumental in creating the nucleus of urban centers as well as the land tenure system through Ethiopia and Eritrea. By the early 20th century, scholars could identify 66 villages in Eritrea with a Chewa settlement origin. Multiple locations, such as Jan Amora, were named after prestigious Chewa regiments.

Terminology

In medieval Ethiopia, from the reign of Amde Tseyon, Chewa regiments, or legions, formed the backbone of the Empire's military forces.
The Ge’ez term for these regiments is ṣewa (ጼዋ) while the Amharic term is č̣äwa (ጨዋ). Earlier Axumite sources refer to sarawit (sing sarwe) as the name for the regiments, each sarawit being headed by a negus (nägästa säräwit). In late sources, from Zemene Mesafint onwards, regional levies under a noble are referred to as wa'alyan of nobles. Among the Falasha the term (lit. "Hebrew") was used to refer to the (lit. "free man,")

History

Medieval period

Although the origins of several Chewa Regiments (such as Jan Amora) predate the establishment of Yekuno Amlak's dynasty, their real development occurred mostly under the latter, as well as Amda Seyon I, Baeda Maryam I and Zara Yaqob.
The normal size of a regiment was several thousand men. Each regiment was allocated a fief (Gult), to ensure its upkeep ensured by the land revenue.
In 1445, following the Battle of Gomit, the chronicles record that Emperor Zara Yacoq started garrisoning the provinces with Chewa regiments.

Major divisions of the military were :
* Regiments at the court, under high court officials
* Regiments in the provinces, under regional Rases or other officials
* Regiments in border regions, or more autonomous provinces, such as Hadiya, Bahir Negash, Bale, under azmač who were military officials appointed by the king.

According to "The Glorious Victories," the soldiers of Amda Seyon were from " Amhara and Sewä and Gojjam and Dämot, (men) who were trained in warfare, and dressed in gold and silver and fine clothes archers, spearmen, cavalry, and infantry with strong legs, trained for war. When they go to war they fight like eagles and run like wild goats; the (movement) of their feet is like the rolling of stones, and their sound is like the roaring of the sea, as says the prophet Herege'el: "I have heard the sound of the wings of the angels, as the noise of a camp." Such were the soldiers of 'Amda Seyon, full of confidence in war."

Modern period

One of the Chewa regiments, known as the ''Abe Lahm'' in Geez, or the ''Weregenu'', in Oromo, lasted, and participated to the Battle of Adwa, only to be phased out in the 1920s.

The modern army was created under Ras Tafari Makonnen, in 1917, with the formation of the Kebur Zabagna, the imperial guard.

Philosophy

Medieval Ethiopia was a highly militaristic nation based on a system of ethnic regiments known as ''ṣewa'' in Geʽez. This practice can be traced back to the beginning of the Aksumite period, when the men of newly subjugated tribes were forced to become soldiers for the king of Aksum, commanded by a tributary who was likely a local chief. The regiments were given a plot of land called a ''gult'' in exchange for their military service. Merid Wolde Aregay suggests, based on Christopher Ehret's linguistic theories, that the origin of Aksumite rule itself may have been through the subjugation of Agaw agriculturalists by Geʽez-speaking pastoralists. These regiments were instrumental in maintaining Aksumite sovereignty over the trade routes within its empire; however, due to the decentralized nature of the regiments, chiefs could easily rebel against the king. The regimental system continued through the Middle Ages, but by the Zagwe era they consisted of professional soldiers. In the Solomonic era, during the reign of Zara Yaqob, this professionalism was reflected in the Amharic term ''č̣äwa'', as ''ṣewa'' carried a connotation of slavery which was no longer accurate.

Arts and ''Zeraf'' poetry

The Zeraf were narrations of accomplishment of a warrior success. Generally given during the course of military banquets, they constituted by both of a self declaration loyalty to ones masters, and ones accomplishments.

Weapons & Education

The classic weapons of antiquity and medieval Ethiopia where the curved sword (shotel), the spear (tor).
Distance weaponry such as bows and javelins (armah) were practised.
Armour, such as coat of mails, was also well known.

Firearms became more widespread under the reign of Dawit II. Matchlocks, light artillery, being introduced at this period.
The Chewa acquired proficiency in weapon use from their young age, being trained from their childhood with games such as Akandura (Darts) and Gena (ገና, Field hockey) which figurated combats.

Hunting (Aden) traditions played an important role in the upbringing of a Chewa warrior. The killings of wild beasts were rewarded by the patron, or Mekwuanint, to whom the Chewa belonged to. An elephant killer would for example hence wear a silver chain around his neck, a gold earring in his right ear. A rhineceros killer would be awarded a cross earring, and a gold chain with silk threads for his neck. Along with these jewellery gifts, prizes of weaponry were also frequent.

References

Bibliography

* Merid W. Aregay, Military Elites in Medieval Ethiopia, Journal of Ethiopian Studies Vol. 30, No. 1 (June 1997), pp. 31–73,
* Ishikawa Hiroki, Changes in the Military System during the Gondar Period (1632-1769): Their Influence on the Decline of the Solomonic Dynasty, Annales d'Éthiopie Vol. 18, (2002) pp. 215–229,
* Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabeher, Firearms in rural and traditional Ethiopia and human rights, United Nations University Press, 1993,{{Cite web , title=5. The impact of modern science and technology on human rights in Ethiopia , url=https://archive.unu.edu:443/unupress/unupbooks/uu08ie/uu08ie0m.htm , access-date=2024-12-12 , website=archive.unu.edu

Military units and formations of the early modern period
Military units and formations of the late modern period
Noble titles
Military units and formations of Ethiopia