The Koore (also known as the Koorete) are an ethnic group whose homeland lies in southern Ethiopia. According to Amaro Zone Administration, there are 350,000 members in this group, of whom 8.3% are urban inhabitants.
Overview
The, Koore are found in the Amaro special woreda, which is east of the Abaya and Chamo Lakes; the vast majority of this ethnic group live there. Other members of this group live in the Burji special woreda and the Oromia Region. The language of the Koore, Koorete, belongs to East Ometo Language sub-family with Kachama-Ganjule and Zayse. It is the only Ometo language east of Lake Abaya.
The Koore are people of enset culture. Enset, which is cultivated in all the three agro-ecological zones (Dega, Weina-dega, and qola), is the main staple food of Koore. Pea, wheat, barley, cabbage, lentil, bean, and onion in dega; maize, teff and sorghum in weina-dega and qolla are largely grown for sale and for consumption. Livestock is also an important economic activity in Amaro. Coffee, chat, chili, lemon and bull'a (a fine by-product of enset) are the main cash crops in Amaro. Of course, Amaro coffee has the best quality comparable to the famous Yirgacheffe brand, and nowadays it is exported to over 50 countries of the world. Koore people are also known for their traditional irrigation system before 300 years. Though not as intensively as amongst the Konso people, terrace agriculture is also practiced.
History
The Koore have emigrated from Gamo highlands in the middle of the 14th century. Some informants also say a group of people emigrated, as Christian missionaries from Manz, Shewa, to Amaro (also called Koorso by the Koore) via Dawuro and Gamo between the middle of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century.
There were many dispersed and unified indigenous Oma (clan) in Koorso when these emigrants came to Amaro (Koorso). The new emigrants fought with these indigenous tribes and eventually forced some of them to fly to Burji, Konso and Derashe. The remaining indigenous tribes were intermingled with the newcomers to form a people of new identity, the Koore.
The emigrants who were assimilated with indigenous tribes were said to have carried with them tabot (Ark of the Covenant) and are believed to have founded some Orthodox churches including Yero Medhane Alem, Icha Giorgis, and Derba Menena Michael. Eventually the Kingdom of Amarro was established at about the end of the 14th century with 23 administrative units or districts called daynete. Since its establishment the Kingdom of Amaro was ruled by Kaates, kings (Awoke, 1985). Oral informants say, Ahmed Gran (local called "llusa") invaded the Kingdom of Amaro (Koorso) in the 16th century, thereby burning its churches and persecuting the Christians.
Generally there were 19 kings from three dynasties in Koorso from the middle of the 14th century to the incorporation of the kingdom into the Ethiopian Empire by Ras Leul Seged, general of Menelik II, in 1896. After its incorporation into the Ethiopian Empire, Amaro was organized as a woreda, with its administrative center first at Qerchele, then at Dano, and finally at Kele, but before that it was organized in to two sub-woredas. This woreda lasted until 1981 E.C., when Amaro woreda was partitioned between Gedeo and Gamo-Gofa. After the military regime of Derg was toppled in 1991 by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, Amaro was re-established as a special woreda Administration under the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region.
Political structure
It had been mentioned above that Koore had a kingdom led by Kaates, or kings. The kingdom was/is divided between 23 administrative units, daynetes. These 23 daynetes were/are accountable to two awajjos, the highest dignitaries under the Kaate. Appointed district administrators, dayna, ran the actual daily administration and judiciary functions of the daynetes. Under each dayna were four offices: usha, maaga, tora maaga and mura. Tora maaga was a war leader and mura was a lower village chief or announcer of information and proclamation (Awoke, 1985).