Gender from an Indigenous Perspective: The indigenous rights of women among the Borana Oromo Gadaa system and misconceptions in modern approaches

Abstract

Various historians and scholars of the classical and contemporary cultures attest that the Oromo Gadaa system is one of the democratic systems of governance. Protection of women right is among the important democratic aspects of the Gadaa system. However, this aspect of the Gadaa system received less research attentions. This paper, therefore, aims at assessing and uncovering the situation of women’s right in the indigenous Gadaa system of the Borana Oromo. Towards this end, the author used qualitative approach by conducting interview with community elders, Gadaa leaders, oral historians and women representatives. The author supported the primary data by data from secondary sources and review of the literatures. Moreover, the findings revealed that the women and girls have special rights and protection in the Borana Gadaa system. The respondents witnessed that within the Gadaa system, lies customary “law of women and girls” literally referred to as “seera uwwaa” which is meant for empowering and protecting the women and girls against any forms of abuses, harassment, and violence. These legitimate laws have been translated into practices and people abided them in the daily life. On the other hand, the contemporary activists and practitioners of women right and gender empowerment fail to recognize such valuable traditional right of women. They, thus, (mis)conceive and generalize that indigenous cultures contribute nothing positive than violating human rights of women. Consequently, various gender-based advocacy efforts, policy narratives and interventions are designed and implemented based on such misconceptions and generalizations. This made them incongruent with some traditional values and hence faced resistance from indigenous communities. The paper concludes that an indigenous perspective of women’s right is viable and needs to be recognized and encouraged, but not be undermined. Therefore, the modern efforts of promoting and protecting women right should (re)consider creating space for harmonizing useful indigenous gender and women right perspective.