Video Lesson

Lesson Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• identify the main trade routes and commodities during the long-distance trade in Ethiopia of the 19th Century; and
• explain how long-distance trade helped for the interaction of the Ethiopian people.

Brainstorming Questions

• What factors contributed to the unification of Ethiopia?
• How did Ethiopia manage to maintain its independence during the stiff power struggles of the period of the Zemene Mesafint?
• What do we mean by “Long Distance Trade”? What makes it different from the usual trade?

Key Terminology and Concepts

A. Factors for the Revival of the Long-Distance Trade

The establishment of a monarchical system among the southwestern Oromo regions, particularly the rise of the five Oromo kingdoms in the Gibe region, was one of the factors that contributed to the revival of the long-distance period and the reappearance of the northern Ethiopian merchants in the Gibe region. Besides, new political development along the Red Sea coasts and Arabia by the turn of the 19th century strengthened peace and order and increased the importance of the Red Sea as a very important channel of trade.

B. Trade Routes and Market Center

The principal long-distance caravan routes were:

1. Bonga (Kafa) – Jimma- Saka- Assendabo- Basso-Gondar a. Gondar-Metemma-Sudan a. Gondar-Metemma-Sudan
2. Bonga-Jimma- Saka- Assendabo- Aussa- Tajura/Obock
3. Bonga-Jimma- Soddo- Ankober- Harar- Zeila/ Berbera

Map of Long Distance Trade, Source: Bahru Zewde, A history of Modern Ethiopia, 1855-1991.

C. Trade Items and Slave Trade

Throughout the nineteenth century, the major trading items included ivory, civet, gold, wax, and animal skins and slaves. By the last quarter of the nineteenth century, coffee also became one of the important commodities for export. Slaves became the major Ethiopian export item since the ancient times. Slaves from Ethiopia were exported both to the Sudan and Arabia. The well known slave auction markets were Yejjube in Gojjam, and Abdul Rasul, near Aleyu Amba.

As far as the merchants were concerned, although there were also some Christian merchants, the majority were Muslim traaders from northern Ethiopia, known as Jabarti. These merchants traveled in large caravans, selecting one of them as their head, Negade Ras, a term which was later transformed into Negadras. Eventually, the Afkala who were the dominant Muslim merchants in southwestern Ethiopia came to dominate the local trade of the Gibe region. The Jabarti had a dominant role in the long-distance trade of the nineteenth century until they began to face competition from the Afkala. The Afkala had many connections along all the caravan routes from which they collected the important trade commodities. They had also better protection from the local people and could easily and safely travel between the market places in the north and the Gibe region. Although the Jabarti still maintained their monopoly, by the middle of the nineteenth century, most of the caravan trade between the south and northern Ethiopia was conducted by the Afkala.

D. Trade as a Factor for People’s Interaction

It was through the agency of Muslim merchants that Islam was introduced to the Gibe region in the first half of the nineteenth century. The introduction and spread of Islam helped the Oromo chiefs to establish monarchies and legitimize their power by neglecting the Gada system and other Oromo practices which were against hereditary rule or monarchy. Islam helped the rulers in southwestern Ethiopia to strengthen their state apparatus, reinforce their authority, and facilitate the growth of trade. The long-distance trade created strong links between the people of northern Ethiopia and south-western Ethiopia. There was also an exchange of ideas and cultures.