The Shebelle River ( Oromo : Laga Shabeellee, Somali : Webi Shabeelle , Amharic : እደላ , Italian : fiume Uebi Scebeli ) also known historically as the Nile of Mogadishu , begins in the highlands of Ethiopia , and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu . Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where it follows the coast. Below Mogadishu, the river becomes seasonal. During most years, the river dries up near the mouth of the Jubba River , while in seasons of heavy rainfall, the river actually reaches the Jubba and thus the ocean.
34-762: During periods of heavy rainfall in Ethiopia, the Shebelle River and the Jubba River merge, and their combined waters ultimately reach the Indian Ocean. However, in drier years, the Shebelle River diminishes and transforms into a series of wetlands and sandy plains to the northeast of the confluence with the Jubba. The Shebelle River has a total length of 1,820 km. The area surrounding the Shebeli River
68-466: A November 2019 referendum . Nearly 90% of the Sidama live a life centred on agriculture . An important staple food is the wesse plant, or false banana . Other crops are also grown and cattle are often raised, with a strong cultural tradition surrounding their ownership. Perhaps the most important source of income is coffee , and "chat" or khat trees are also a major source of income. The Sidama area
102-663: A long-time practice in the Horn of Africa, continued unchanged in Ajuran times. Today, numerous ruins and abandoned towns throughout the interior of Somalia and the Horn of Africa are evidence of a once-booming inland trade network dating from the medieval period. With the centralized supervision of the Ajuran, farms in Afgooye , Bardhere and other areas in the Jubba and Shebelle valleys increased their productivity. A system of irrigation ditches known locally as Kelliyo fed directly from
136-403: A lucrative foreign commerce with ships sailing to and coming from Arabia , Persia , India , Venice , Egypt , Portugal , and as far away as Java and China . Over two centuries passed until German explorer Baron Karl Klaus von der Decken ascended on the lower reaches of the river on the small steamship Welf in 1863. He wrecked the steamship in the rapids above Bardhere , where the party
170-573: Is a river in southern Somalia which flows through the region of Jubaland . It begins at the border with Ethiopia , where the Dawa and Ganale Dorya rivers meet, and flows directly south to the Somali Sea, where it empties at the Goobweyn juncture. The Jubba basin covers an area of 749,000 km (289,000 sq mi). The Somali regional state of Jubaland , formerly called Trans-Juba ,
204-512: Is a major contributor to coffee production , producing a high percentage of export coffee for the central government, second only to the Oromia region. The Sidama farmers have been affected by hunger caused by declining world market prices for coffee, despite supplying the popular coffee chain Starbucks with the majority of their coffee products from the region. Spirit possession occurs among
238-647: Is inhabited by Somali people in the Somali Region of Ethiopia and Somali people in Somalia. In the lower basin of the river, agriculture has largely replaced the traditional nomadic herding lifestyle, and the cultivation of bananas along the southern stretches of the Shebeli and Jubba rivers contributes significantly to Somalia's export industry. The Shebelle has a number of tributaries , both seasonal and permanent rivers. They include: The Fafen only reaches
272-661: Is named after the river. The Jubba River has a rich history of a once-booming sophisticated civilization and trade network conducted by the powerful Somalis that held sway over the Jubba River. During the Middle Ages Jubba River was under the Ajuran Empire of the Horn of Africa which utilized the Jubba River for its plantations and was the only hydraulic empire in Africa. A hydraulic empire that rose in
306-593: Is the Aletta which includes twelve clans who together make up the numerical majority. Clans in Sidama had their own territories and leaders who constantly waged war on each other. The Sidama were then forcefully incorporated into the Ethiopian Empire during the Agar Maqnat . Most of the Sidama clans submitted to Menelik II without a fight. The clans of Hollo-Garbicho and Sawola in the north and some of
340-584: The Shebelle River and Jubba River into the plantations where sorghum , maize , beans, grain and cotton were grown during the gu ( Spring in Somali) and xagaa ( Summer in Somali) seasons of the Somali calendar . This irrigation system was supported by numerous dikes and dams. To determine the average size of a farm, a land measurement system was also invented with moos , taraab and guldeed being
374-810: The Sidama Region , formerly part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia . On 23 November 2019, the Sidama Zone became the 10th regional state in Ethiopia after a zone-wide referendum. They speak the Sidama language , which is a language of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family . Despite their large numbers, the Sidama lacked a separate ethnic regional state until continuous protests resulted in
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#1732772322454408-548: The limestone wells and cisterns of the state many of which are still in use today. Its rulers developed new systems for agriculture and taxation, which continued to be used in parts of the Horn of Africa as late as the 19th century. Through their control of the region's wells, the Garen rulers effectively held a monopoly over their nomadic subjects as they were the only hydraulic empire in Africa during their reign. Large wells made out of limestone were constructed throughout
442-429: The 13th century AD, Ajuran monopolized the water resources of the Jubba River and Shebelle . Through hydraulic engineering , it also constructed many of the limestone wells and cisterns of the state that are still operative and in use today. Its rulers developed new systems for agriculture and taxation, which continued to be used in parts of the Horn of Africa as late as the 19th century. Through their control of
476-500: The 1970s, the most devastating flood was the kabahay of 1978. In 1996, floods devastated three woredas in Ethiopia. On 23 October 1999, the river unexpectedly flooded in the middle of the night, destroying homes and crops in 14 out of the 117 kebeles in Kelafo woreda, as well as 29 of the 46 kebeles in neighboring Mustahil woreda. According to the local authorities, 34 people and an estimated 750 livestock died, with 70,000 affected by
510-580: The Aletta clans in the south had made attempts to defend their territory, but the lack of trust between them and other clans prevented them from coordinating their resistance and forming a united front. Other clans like the Yanase immediately decided to submit to the Emperor and agreed to pay tribute. The Sidama people number 3.81 million (4.01% of the national population), of whom 149,480 are urban inhabitants,
544-532: The Shebelle in times of heavy rainfall; its stream usually ends before reaching the main river. During the middle ages, the Shebelle river was under the control of the Ajuran Empire and was largely utilized for its plantations. Coming into prominence during the 13th century AD, the Ajuran monopolized the water resources of the Jubba and Shebelle Rivers. Through hydraulic engineering , they also constructed many of
578-553: The Sidama settlers had found the area to be inhabited by another tribe named the Hofa , but later drove them out. Throughout Sidama history two groups of clans competed for political power. The first group is the Yemericho which includes eight clans who were the first settlers of the area. They have occupied large contiguous segments of land and have therefore been considered to have the highest degree of purity (agna). The second group
612-415: The Sidama. The anthropologists Irene and John Hamer postulated that spirit possession is a form of compensation for being deprived within Sidama society. The majority of the possessed are women whose spirits demand luxury goods to alleviate their condition, but men can be possessed as well. Possessed individuals of both genders can become healers due to their condition. Hamer and Hamer (1966) suggest that this
646-471: The Somali administrative regions of Upper Juba ( Gedo , Bay , Bakool ), Middle Juba and Lower Juba , as well as to the larger historical region of Jubaland . Major cities which the Jubba River passes by include Dolow , Luuq , Burdhubo , Beled'hawo , Bardhere , Buale , and Goobweyn near Kismaayo . Sidama people The Sidama ( Amharic : ሲዳማ ) are an ethnic group traditionally inhabiting
680-426: The famous Italian naturalist Giacomo Doria . The Jubba basin region is primarily savanna , and is, ecologically speaking, the richest part of the country due to its fertile farmland. Native wildlife includes giraffes , cheetahs , lions , leopards , hyenas , buffalos , hippopotamus , crocodiles , oryx , gazelles , camels , ostriches , jackals , and Somali wild asses . The Jubba River gives its name to
714-463: The fifth most populous ethnic group in Ethiopia. Their language is called Sidaamu-Afoo , which according to the 1994 national census was the mother language of 99.5% of them. According to one authority, the majority of the Sidama practice their traditional beliefs, and only in the 1960s, when European missionaries came to their region, did any leave that faith. However, according to the 1994 national census, only 14.9% practice traditional beliefs, while
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#1732772322454748-467: The floods and in need of assistance. Two more recent floods were the dawdle in 2003, when about 100 livestock and 119 people were washed away, and the flood of April 2005, when about 30,000 persons were surrounded by floodwaters and 2,000 camels and 4,000 shoats were washed away by the floods; some locals consider this the worst flood in 40 years. Jubba River The Jubba River or Juba River ( Somali : Webiga Jubba , Italian : fiume Giuba )
782-412: The interior of Somalia and the Horn of Africa are evidence of a once-booming inland trade network dating from the medieval period. With the centralized supervision of the Ajuran, farms in Afgooye , Bardhere and other areas in the Jubba and Shabelle rivers increased their productivity. A system of irrigation ditches known locally as Kelliyo fed directly from the Shebelle River and Jubba rivers into
816-430: The interior of the state. The Somali farming communities of the hinterland from Jubba and Shebelle rivers brought their crops to the Somali coastal cities, where they were sold to local merchants who maintained a lucrative foreign commerce with ships sailing to and coming from Arabia , Persia , India , Venice , Egypt , Portugal , and as far away as Java and China . According to Thomas Wakefield, who visited
850-462: The majority (66.8%) are Protestant , 7.7% Muslim , 4.6% Catholic , and 2.3% practice Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity . Today, the Sidama area has many schools, and adequate health services, though primary, secondary, preparatory and many colleges and university education has increased . There is a Sidama administrative zone within Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region . The Sidama Zone became its own regional state after
884-559: The plantations where sorghum , maize , beans, grain and cotton were grown during the gu ( Spring in Somali) and xagaa ( Summer in Somali) seasons of the Somali calendar . This irrigation system was supported by numerous dikes and dams. To determine the average size of a farm, a land measurement system was also invented with moos , taraab and guldeed being the terms used. The urban centers of Mogadishu , Merca , Barawa , Kismayo and Hobyo and other respective ports became profitable trade outlets for commodities originating from
918-461: The proposal being voted on in a November 2019 referendum . In historical writings on the Sidama there is certain confusion on who the Sidama were and which areas should be defined as theirs. This group was called the Sidamo cluster in early writings, and the name "Sidamo" was used as a collective for all Cushitic and Omotic people of southwest Ethiopia . Historian Lapiso states that the term Sidama
952-476: The region's wells, the Garen rulers effectively held a monopoly over their nomadic subjects as they were one of the few hydraulic empire in Africa. Large wells made out of limestone were constructed throughout the state, which attracted Somali nomads with their livestock. The centralized regulations of the wells made it easier for the nomads to settle disputes by taking their queries to government officials who would act as mediators. Long distance caravan trade,
986-570: The region, the river was also known as the "Adari River". The source of the Shebelle River is cultivated by the Arsi Oromo , Sidamo and mostly Somalis , respectively. It is surrounded by a sacred enclosure wooded with juniper trees, which as of 1951 was under the protection of a Muslim member of the Arsi. In 1989, with the help of Soviet engineers, the Melka Wakena dam was built on
1020-406: The state, which attracted Somali and Oromo nomads with their livestock. The centralized regulations of the wells made it easier for the nomads to settle disputes by taking their queries to government officials who would act as mediators. Long-distance caravan trade, a long-time practice in the Horn of Africa, continued unchanged in Ajuran times. Today, numerous ruined and abandoned towns throughout
1054-457: The terms used. The urban centers of Mogadishu , Merca , Barawa , Kismayo and Hobyo and other respective ports became profitable trade outlets for commodities originating from the interior of the State. The Somali farming communities of the hinterland from Jubba and Shebelle valleys brought their crops to the Somali coastal cities, where they were sold to local merchants who maintained
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1088-530: The upper reaches of the Shebelle River in the Bale Mountains . Producing 153 megawatts, this dam is Ethiopia’s largest hydroelectric generator. The recent history of the Shabelle is marked by frequent destructive flash floods . The Shabelle is said to have flooded every other year prior to the 1960s; that decade had only two devastating floods, the hidigsayley in 1965, and the soogudud in 1966. In
1122-681: Was attacked by local Somalis, ending in the deaths of the Baron and three others in his party. The first European to explore widely and complete the course of the river was the Italian explorer Vittorio Bottego attended by Commander F. G. Dundas British Navy. Bottego and his expedition sailed 640 km (400 miles) of the river in 1891. During his exploration Bottego changed the name of the main affluent of Jubba—the Ganale river—in Ganale Doria after
1156-563: Was traditionally a demeaning designation used to refer to non Oromo people by the Oromo. The Sidama people were thought to have originally lived in the historical province of Bali around the Dawa River before being driven out by the Oromos in the early 16th century. The Sidama then led an exodus westwards towards their modern homeland around Lake Hawassa . According to oral traditions,
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