Sacrifice, vow, and ritual feast among the Oromo of Horro Guduru hinterland (Ethiopia)

Abstract

The study of Oromo religious life in diverse areas of Ethiopia merits more attention than it has received. The example given here concerns the Oromo of Horro Guduru hinterland (northwestern Ethiopia). The article considered three contexts, namely, sacrifice, vow, and ritual feast as indicators of feeding gods, reciprocating gods, and feeding ritual attendants or guests respectively. There exist significant variations between these religious aspects of the Oromo. Sacrificial contexts are observed more on a collective basis and stress both agnatic and affinal relationships. They strictly prescribe social action, and for the most part unchanging communal group relations. Vow, by contrast, mainly involves idiosyncratic behaviors and highlights individual spiritual commitment to bestowing deities. The vow situation is a characteristic personal religious realm, particular to privately dealt concern with gods, that is absent in the collective sacrificial context. Ritual feast represent affluent preparation and dedication of lavish foods and drinks to the cause of some annual traditional rituals expected to feed ritual attendants. In this regard, it is a cultural layer which illumines the hospitality matrix in Oromo religious ritual observance. These aspects are explored in the light of various anthropological theories.