« ENTERING THE LIGHT »

1. «  ENTERING THE LIGHT » ZIYARA SHEIKH HUSEEN, BALE

2. About 20 millions Oromo People are living in the Southern Part of the Ethiopia. Their origins are controversed - Dankaliya or amhara plateau - . Most are peaceful, obeying croppers, and are settling the Plains of Arsi (oromo-arsi) as far as the Plateau of South East Bale (oromo - bale) , near the desert of Ogaden. They now deny their early Name of « Galla », which evokes the wilderness of their ancestors.

3. Unlike the Sidamo, the religion of the Oromo is a syncretic Islam, mixing earlier local Beliefs with the more orthodox islamic Features. They believe in Allah, or Waqa, as a benevolent pantheistic Being, whose eye is the Sun.

4. The oromo Mythology says once a Man came from Arabia and taught the oromo people the Islam . As they were reluctant to his islamic Teachings, he is reported to have improved his Mightiness within an agreement with the local possessive spirits, or « Zar » of the local chefferies. The Oromo believe this mighty saint, or « awliye » then did hundreds of miracles, so that he is even considered as the embodied Incarnation of the benevolent Waqa, himself. This saint was named Sheikh « Nur » Huseen, or « Light » The Mighty saint is supposed to have been living in the 9th century, but serious Historians have proved the Oromo are now mistaking an earlier local saint , Abba Muda ( « father pilgrim », 9 th century), with the real Huseen (15th century ). Since the revival of the « Huseeniyya » -circa 1800 - , Sheikh Huseen has become the central character of the oromo Islam.

5. The Sheikh Huseen has been living for Years in a cave. There, he used to live as an isolated, praying ascete and used to teach his Followers. Numerous anecdots report Huseen was astoundingly Animals-friendly, so that he was able sometimes to be miraculously helped by aunts, beattles, wolves, … The cave was located in the remote Area of Annajina, south east Ethiopia , along the Wabi Shebele river. The Place is a remote half-desertic, scenic Valley. Various rivers, waterfalls, lakes and trees are reported to be the fruits of the Saint’s miracles. He is also reported to be a mighty visitor of the zar celebrations as far as Somalia and north Kenya. The people still use to cherish his Places. Two orders of ascetes are still following his Path today.

6. An ancient somali legend describes the Way Huseen has fought the local Dragoon and finally froze the dragoon’s Python’s head to a stone ( see python’s head, center Left) in Annajina’s Cave, Wabi river. The romanced legend was reported by Henry de Monfreid in « Le dragon de Cheikh Hussein », and evokes the local Relatives, of the « second » Sheikh Huseen (15th century) .

7. Huseen and several latter saints were buried in the remote village of Annajina, near two miraculous Zamzam Lakes. The place is very isolated and quite desertic, in the gate of the Ogaden … Most surrounding Villages still support the saint and believe his mighty  Baraka  to be able to complete any Wish he would be submitted, so the local Villagers are still venerating the sacred Places, with a striking devotion. The Place is now a local pilgrimage center, or « visit » (ziyara  in arabic), just like hundreds of marabout anywhere in the North Africa.

8. Huseen and Jilani were both built a Shrine there inside the cemetary of the village, and from the XIX th century, the veneration became stronger, so that a regular pilgrimage survived. The Cemetary became so a complex of Shrines. As the Huseen’s Pupils used to be cattered twice a Year, the pilgrimage occurs twice a year (in the occasion of the Aid El fitr and Aid El Kebir ) .

9. In the occasion of the Pilgrimage, some 10.000 Oromo, somali, harari, arsi, and kenyan Borana, visit the Shrines and display a demonstrative Devotion. Every visitors enter the cemetary and most collect the miraculous water from the zamzam Lake. This Lake is supposed to have healing properties, just like the zamzam of the Macca pilgrimage.

11. But the devotion for Sheikh « Nur » Huseen is not anecdotic. Most Pilgrims visit the Shrine in order to complete their expected Wishes. That is the reason why they used to bring Offerings with.

13. Inside the silent sanctuary, the pilgrims used to cherish every parts of the Shrine, so that they embrace every walls, some other swallow the plaster powder, or even eat the sacred earth of the cloister… The devotion is quasi fanatic, and they believe the huseen’s baraka to be « contagious » .

14. In the outter part of the cemetary, the Pilgrims can visit similar Shrines of Huseen’s father (Left) and Huseen’s mother (right).

15. The Keepers of the sanctuary are called the Oule sheikh huseen, or « stick Sheikh Huseen », after the Name of the typical forked Stick of this pilgrims. They are also teachers of the local Huseeniyya, a sufi-style order.

16. The Oule sheikh huseen, lead the quasi-permanent votive assemblies. These meetings consist in the collection of the Wishes and gifts of the Fellows. Some Fellows bring offerings, banknotes, gifts, cattles and queries to the Oule . The oule are singers, and they used to improvise a religious psalmody after the Wishes and fulfilled Wishes , a.k.a. the Bahroo . Any Huseeni Zikri sounds actually like a repetitive Bahroo, with the Name and Facts of Huseen. So, not exactly a sufi ritual….Another part of these gathering consists in the Report of the formerly fulfilled Wishes, and the collection for the reward to the Sheikh. Braumkartner has proved the Oule were already spiritual leaders of the clans in the preislamic era.

17. In the Sof omar sanctuary, similar offerings consists in clothes, or Leather samples of the slaughtered Cattles.

18. The Bahroo is a lyrical metaphoric improvisation of the Huseeniyya, and the sung performance is particularly beloved by the fellows. The vocal Burden and the Dibba choregraphy express their status of total Submission. When a Oule Sheikh Huseen passes away, he may become an awliye himself, and some even become possessive spirits.

20. The short Morning Prayer is the most important time of the Pilgrimage. This gathers about 10.000 pilgrims within the crowded Annajina’s cemetary. The liturgy is a conventionnal muslim prayer, but the Sheikh Omer preaches in arabic.

21. In the occasion of the Aid El Adaha (Aid el kebir), the oromo rather slaughter cows, goats rather than lambs.

22. The garibas is the generic Name for the Huseen’s Pilgrims. The term was borrowed and this is now the unofficial Name of the Jimma’s born deviners. The Kingdom of Jimma (oromo King Abba Djiffar, XIXth century) was historically related withthe veneration of Huseen, and possibly with the Jimma’s Qadiriyya Order. The members are some kind of professional Pilgrims. Gifts are their main income, and their sung praises (to Muhamad and Drumbeats to Jilani) are very wanted.

23. During the Pilgrimage, the garibas-Jimma used to camp inside the cemetary, in the close neighbourhood of the controversed AL JILANI’s Shrine. This is a supplementary Proof of their hypothetical Jilanism/Qadirism.

24. The sanctuary of Sheikh Huseen is very famous all over the East Africa, due to the Mightiness and benevolence of Huseen. This is a one-of-a-kind ziyara, featuring the specific oromo oral tradition.

25. Sof Omar was a similar mighty saint, contemporary sheikh of Huseen. He is reported to have been living in the homonymous Canyon (left), about 80 km away from Annajina.

26. The Sof omar sanctuary is a miraculous , 50 km-long subterrean gallery. The caves are sanctuaries, and this is the place of another annual pilgrimage.