Regional History and Ethnohistory

Gerhard Rohlfs and other Germanophone Researchers and a Forgotten Ethnic Group, the Dobʿa

Fesseha Berhe

Introduction mation provided by Ludolf, Munzinger and Rohlfs is then compared

with other written sources and with oral traditions.
The Dobʿa present a rather unexplored area of research. So far no ex-
tensive study has been done on the group1. The limited knowledge we
have of the Dobʿa comes from literature that mentions or discusses The significance of research on the Dobʿa
the Dobʿa only in passing.2 The Dobʿa are mentioned recurrently in The limited knowledge we have on the Dobʿa comes from literature
travelogues, chronicles, and hagiographies between the fifteenth and such as travelogues4, chronicles5, hagiographies6 and scholarly works7
nineteenth centuries. The Dobʿa are also mentioned parenthetically in that mention or discuss the Dobʿa in passing. From these materials, we
some scholarly works and there are also some local secondary sources have a thin, mostly tentative knowledge of their territory, language, reli-
that give some clues to Dobʿa history particularly on their possible ori- gion, livelihood and resources and their relations with various emperors
gin, language and early migration. and their neighbours. It seems that the term Dobʿa is used to designate a
However, the main focus of this paper is on the works of some Ger- group/people and/or a geographical territory. According to most sourc-
manophone researchers – Hiob Ludolf, Werner Munzinger, and Ger- es, the Dobʿa were known for their rich cattle resources and inhabited
hard Rohlfs – and how the Dobʿa are treated in them. The objective is parts of what is today southern Tǝgray (south of Wäǧǧärat and north of
simple: discuss how the Dobʿa are described in the works of these three Angot). But we remain uncertain on the geographical size of their terri-
Germanophone researchers and show the importance of these works tory and how and when they settled in southern Tǝgray and in the other
for our understanding of the history and culture of the group. As a areas where groups exist claiming to have descended from the Dobʿa.
background I have tried to present what is known and not known about The Dobʿa are depicted, in most of the written sources, as ‘black
the group, although I do not analyse all the available source materials moors’ (black Muslims), ‘pagans’ or ‘Islamized pagans’. The written
and draw no conclusions on what these sources tell us or on the history materials portray them as belligerent people who were in constant con-
of the Dobʿa.3 I present a brief overview of the written sources available frontation with the central government, emperors, regional lords and
on the Dobʿa, ranging from travellers’ accounts to chronicles to hagiog- with their neighbours such as the ʿAfar, Wäǧǧärat, Angot, Qädda, at
raphies and scholarly works and the information so far known about least in the period between the reigns of King Lalibela (1186–1225) and
the Dobʿa, while discussing why research on the group is important. I King Iyasu II (1730–55). The Dobʿa, according to these sources, were
then discuss the works of the three Germanophone scholars pertinent pastoralists or semi-pastoralists but they are also mentioned in relation
to the study of the Dobʿa and give a brief biography of each. The infor- to long distance trade, both their involvement in and disruption of it.
 Fesseha Berhe

For some reason – perhaps because of the existing ambiguity on the Others (such as Tarekegn Gebreyesyus Kaba 2010: 341) try to associate
origin and linguistic affinity of Dobʿa –in the literature the Dobʿa are the Dobʿa with the Oromo group who settled in southern Tǝgray. A re-
mentioned in association with different geographical territories and peo- cent study (Fesseha Berhe forthcoming) proposes that the Dobʿa, were
ple or groups. Some (such as Morin 2004) associate them with the ʿAfar part of the larger Saho group or groups related to the Saho, without
particularly with those living in the Awsa area; others (such as Abbebe ruling out the possibility that they might be the result of continuous in-
Kifleyesus 2006) connect them with the Argobba of south-eastern Wällo teraction between various groups, most notably the Saho and the ʿAfar.
and north-eastern Šäwa, including the Wälasma dynasty, while others The great part of the available material does not seem to offer much
(such as Tarekegn Gebreyesus Kaba 2010) try to relate them with the help in fully showing the historical development of the Dobʿa, particularly
Oromo. The Dobʿa are also mentioned as being one of the inhabitants the way the society adapted to changing socio-economic, political and his-
of Däwaro in the time of Aḥmäd Gǝraň (Stenhouse 2003). Others (such torical circumstances both at local and regional levels. Their social orga-
as Del Boca 1969; Greenfield 1965) wrote the existence of a locality in nization, socio-political institutions, the dynamics of their relations with
northern Šäwa with similar name, Doba. We also know of the existence ‘others’ particularly neighbours, and the role that genealogy, social organi-
of some groups among the Tǝgrä in Eritrea in southern Tǝgray in the zation, territory, religion, livelihood, population movement, warfare and
area between Koräm and Alagä who call themselves Dobʿa or descen- ‘foreign’ incursions, marriage alliances and natural and manmade calami-
dants of Dobʿa (Fesseha Berhe forthcoming). We are also told that there ties played in shaping the identity and history of the Dobʿa are either men-
is mention of the Dobʿa in some parts of Qobbo and Bati areas. tioned parenthetically or completely missed in most of the literature.
128 How is it possible to explain that Dobʿa, groups related to Dobʿa or Research on the Dobʿa is significant, at least for the following reasons.
different groups using the name Dobʿa are and/or were living in differ- There is huge gap in our knowledge of the Dobʿa that makes the group
ent parts of Ethiopia particularly in ʿAfar, eastern and southern Tǝgray, attractive as a research topic. However, certain features of the group also
Däwaro, Ifat, among the Argobba in south-eastern Wällo and north make them a particularly interesting group to study. Firstly, the Dobʿa
and north-eastern Šäwa (including the existence of a locality named are mentioned in association with different geographical territories and
Doba) and in some parts of today’s Eritrea? Are we talking about the people or groups living both in today’s Ethiopia and Eritrea, which
same people, offshoots of the same group or different people/groups makes research on the group significant though challenging. Secondly,
with similar names? And, surely, the claim made by some scholars that the Dobʿa initially appear to be one of the ‘peripheral’ or ‘marginal’
the Dobʿa have ‘vanished’ needs revisiting. groups in the region, but it seems that they were an important part of
The literature is silent about the origin of the Dobʿa. But some ma- the ethnic-political framework of the northern Ethiopian highlands. The
terials (such as Abbebe Kifleyesus 2006; Ficquet 2014; Merid Wolde recurrent mention of the Dobʿa in travelogues, chronicles and hagiogra-
Aregay 1974b; Morin 2004; Esteves Pereira 1900; Trimingham 1965) phies at least between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries shows that
give us some clue on the linguistic background of the group. These they may have been one of the major people in Ethiopia or at least in
scholars have put forward different suppositions regarding the linguistic northern Ethiopia even if today their traces are insignificant. The fact
affinity of the Dobʿa. Trimingham argues that they were probably part that they were in constant confrontation not only with various emperors
of the ʿAfar stock, a point shared by other scholars such as Morin (2004: and regional nobles but also with their neighbours for extended periods
143) and Fiquet (2014: 13). On the contrary, Abbebe Kifleyesus, Esteves of time is a possible indicator that they were not on the fringes, their fate
Pereira and Merid Wolde Aregay hint that they probably have Semitic decided by a central authority, simply accepting the outcomes of events
origins, the latter declaring Tǝgrǝñña to be the language of the Dobʿa. dictated by it. Finally, they occupied strategic areas (it looks that they
 Regional History and Ethnohistory: Gerhard Rohlfs and other Germanophone Researchers and a Forgotten Ethnic Group, the Dobʿa

lived mostly on the escarpments facing the eastern lowlands, particularly tutor and main informant, Abba Gorgoryos, was not a native of Tǝgray,
the ʿAfar plains) and it seems that they had a great influence over long we see some understandable errors in the way some of the names of the
distance trade both through active involvement in trade and through dis- districts mentioned in his account are written. The mention by Ludolf
rupting it by attacking caravans passing through their territory. that the Dobʿa were ‘pagans’ is less probable. We have evidence that
Research on ‘ethnic groups’ like the Dobʿa is also significant as it chal- shows that the Dobʿa, at least those in southern Tǝgray, converted to
lenges some of the overly simplistic portrayals of the ethno-linguistic Islam long before the time of Gragn (Aḥmäd Gǝraň).8 Some local infor-
features of some parts of Ethiopia. There is a general feeling that there mants even claim that the Dobʿa were one of the earliest peoples in Ethio-
is ethnic and cultural homogeneity in Tǝgray/northern Ethiopia, but re- pia to embrace Islam. Whether that is true or not, it is also clear that the
search on the Dobʿa shows that this was not, and still is not, the case. The Dobʿa were not ‘pagans’ in the time of Ludolf. This misunderstanding, I
region has been home to a host of ethno-linguistic groups in the past – in think, could be partly the result of the direct translation of the informa-
the medieval period and possibly even before – and this continues even tion that Abba Gorgoryos provided to Ludolf. By then, it was common
today. Research on the Dobʿa is also significant in terms of filling some to refer to all non-Christians as ‘አረምያን’ (Geez for ‘pagans’, ‘infidels’
important gaps in the historiography of Ethiopia, including the need to etc). It is possible that Abba Gorgoryos himself might not have known
reinterpret and reorientate the study of regional/local history and culture. the exact religion of the Dobʿa in his time but there is also the possibility
that Ludolf might have directly translated the word ‘አረምያን’ as ‘pagans’
Germanophone Researchers and the Dobʿa without understanding the context in which the word was used. It seems
Hiob Ludolf (1624–1704) is credited as being the ‘founder of Ethiopian that Ludolf’s description seems to have taken root; his successors con- 129
Studies as an academic discipline.’ He is often associated with Abba tinued to refer to the group as ‘pagans’ until the latter part of the nine-
Gorgoryos who was his ‘teacher of Gǝʿǝz and main informant’ (Uhlig teenth century. Nevertheless, inspite of its shortcomings, Ludolf’s work
2007: 602). He undertook extensive research on Ethio-Semitic languag- remains one of the few very important sources on the Dobʿa.
es, Ethiopian history, culture, and literature as well as Christianity. He The Swiss scholar Werner Munzinger (1832–1875) was another Ger-
wrote various books focused mainly on Ethiopia including the famous manophone researcher who in a way dealt with the Dobʿa. He was an ori-
Historia Aethiopica published in 1681 (ibid. 601–03). entalist, ethnographer, linguist and explorer mainly known for his travels
Ludolf is one of the first European scholars, after the Portuguese and ethnographic works in what is today Eritrea, particularly in the Keren
missionaries such as Alvarez and d’Almeida, to mention the Dobʿa. area. He joined universities in Berlin, Munich and Paris and studied dif-
In the Historia Aethiopica, Ludolf provides a short description of the ferent subjects including natural science, oriental languages and history.
Dobʿa in which he writes that the Dobʿa was one of the twenty-seven He went to Egypt then to Massawa for business in 1852–1853 before
‘prefectures belonging to Tegre [Tǝgray]’, which was itself one of the settling in Keren and marrying a widow from the area in 1854. Between
thirty kingdoms of Abyssinia mentioned by Abba Gorgoryos. Ludolf 1853 and 1859, along with his trading activities, he was engaged in re-
further wrote that Dobʿa was peopled by ‘pagans’ and was found close search and in publishing his findings. Between 1861 and 1862, he partici-
to ‘Angora’ [Angot] (Ludolf 1682: 17). pated in the ‘German Africa Expedition’ sponsored by a nobleman from
Looking at his description of the Dobʿa, it seems that Ludolf did not Gotha. After eleven years in Africa, Munzinger returned to Europe and
use the sources available to him. Particularly the accounts of Alvarez and reported on the results of the expedition. After he returned to Bogos in
d’Almeida who gave a relatively detailed account of the group. Because 1864, he continued with his research and started a political career9 (Müller
he did not visit Ethiopia and conduct empirical research and because his and Smidt 2007: 1070–71) which would later cost him his life.
 Fesseha Berhe

Between 1864 and 1875, Munzinger was in the service of the British, plain, on the brow of Abyssinia plateau, we found successive terrac-
French and Egyptians.10 It seems that he had played a significant role in es, but communicating to each other; together they are prolonged the
‘facilitating’ the 1868 Napier expedition, undertaking some ‘reconnais- length of Abyssinia, from Agame to Asubo (…)[Oromos], and are called
sance activities’ for the British and taking part in the delegation sent to Doga’ He further writes, ‘They are said to be very wild. They do not cut
Adwa to arrange a meeting between Napier and Kassa Mircha (later Em- their hair, and wear long beards; they are called Mussulmen, but they
peror Yohannes IV) (Rubenson 1976: 257–59). But Munzinger is most- never pray, and do not approve others doing so, as they say it stops the
ly remembered, at least in Ethiopia, for the services he rendered to the rain;14 they have immense troops of camels; they are brave men, and far-
Egyptians. According to Bahru, he was ‘the architect of Egyptian expan- famed thieves.’ He finally concludes that the ʿAfar resemble the Agaw
sionism’ (Bahru Zewde 2001: 51). Munzinger was killed on 14 November and the Doga resemble the Oromo (ibid. 208–216). He also tells us that
1875 during an expedition from Tajura to Shewa that aimed to occupy they ‘have the same manners and customs as the Abyssians’ (ibid. 218)
Awsa, secure the Shewa-Tajura trade route and ‘contact Menelik and per- and they speak Tǝgǝrińńa because of their long close contact with their
suade him to attack Yohannis ‘without delay’.’Munzinger, the majority neighbours, the Tǝgǝrińńa speakers: ‘The Doga, on account of their
of his soldiers and Ras Birru, Menelik’s envoy, were killed in a surprise at- friendly relations with their neighbours and masters the Abyssinians,
tack by the ʿAfars near Lake Assal in Awsa (Rubenson 1976: 314–325).11 like the people of the Tigré, speak the same language’ (ibid. 223).
Munzinger published several works on Ethiopia and Eritrea includ- Munzinger’s research focus was in Keren and the western lowlands
ing the Narratives of a Journey through the Afar Country (1869). In of Eritrea and the ʿAfar, but still his description of the Dobʿa is sig-
130 the Narratives, Munzinger gives a detailed description of the ‘Doga’, nificant as Müller and Smidt (2007: 1071) rightly observe: ‘His well-
which I presume refers to the Dobʿa. I say this because all the features researched ethnographic publications remain an important source until
that Munzinger describes are similar to those described by other schol- today.’ What is interesting about his description of the Dobʿa is its cor-
ars when writing about the Dobʿa. Both Munzinger’s ‘Doga’ and the relation with the local oral accounts. Moreover, his work strengthens
Dobʿa are described as Muslims living along the escarpments, known the tentative perspective that the Dobʿa at one time might have occu-
for their involvement in long distance trade and for their aggression pied areas stretching from southern and south-eastern Eritrea to south-
towards ‘others’. Munzinger’s description also concurs with what local ern Tǝgray if not beyond (as far as ancient Ifat and Dawaro) along the
narratives say regarding the origin of the name Dobʿa. According to eastern long distance trade. Furthermore, his work likely either clari-
these narratives, the name is derived from the word ‘Dogʿa’ (a Tǝgǝrińńa fies or complicates further, depending on our perspective, the debate
word for highland), a name given to them as they were living in the on the origin and linguistic background of the Dobʿa.
highlands.12 Some people/societies even confuse Dogʿa and Dobʿa or Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs, a German physician, explorer, writer and
use them interchangeably; this could also be the case in Munzinger’s diplomat, was born on 14 April 1831 in Vegesack and died on 2 June
narrative. The existence of local oral traditions dealing with the Dobʿa 1896 in Rungsdorf. He published various books and articles focusing
in some parts of Tǝgray, such as the Irob, ʿEdaga Ḫamus and Atsǝbi- on Ethiopia and northern and western Africa. His contact with Ethiopia
Wonbärta areas in eastern Tǝgray and the Alagä, Mayǝḉäw, Ḥašänǝgä, started when he was assigned by the King of Prussia to accompany the
Mohoni and Chärchär areas in southern Tǝgray13 further strengthens Napier expedition as an observer. Before his assignment to Ethiopia, he
my point. But most importantly, Munzinger treated the Tǝgǝrińńa had ‘explored, mapped and described regions in Algeria, Morocco, the
speaking Christians, the Dobʿa and the ʿAfar separately in his accounts. Sahara and western Africa.’ (Bairu Tafla 2010: 407). As part of the Napier
In the Narratives, Munzinger writes: ‘On the westside of the salt expedition, he was able to document what he saw and heard about the
 Regional History and Ethnohistory: Gerhard Rohlfs and other Germanophone Researchers and a Forgotten Ethnic Group, the Dobʿa

people, places and events. After that he would continue to explore north-
ern Africa. He and his nephew, Anton Stecker, managed to go across
the Sahara desert and ‘map and describe a region which was yet widely
unknown to Europeans.’ (ibid. 408). In 1880 Rohlfs was assigned as en-
voy to the Ethiopian court under Emperor Yohannes IV (ibid. 407–09).
In February 1881 he and Stecker ‘arrived in Ethiopia with a letter and
presents from the German emperor. This was the first response by a head
of state to the appeals made by Yohannis’ to assist him in solving the
problem with Egypt (Rubenson 1976: 349). Emperor Yohannes made
him ‘his delegate’ with an assignment to conclude peace with the Egyp-
tians on his behalf – a mission in which Rohlfs was unsuccessful (Bairu
Tafla 2010; Rubenson 1976). In the meantime, he and Stecker continued
their research on Ethiopia. Stecker, with the permission of Emperor Yo-
hannes IV, ‘explored the Lake Tana region and Goggam as well as a large
part of the Oromo country south of the Abbay’ (Bairu Tafla 2010: 408).
His hope of going further south was never realized because Emperor
Menelik would not allow it. Later he managed ‘to visit northern regions, 131
including parts of the ʿAfar depression, until he returned to Europe via
Massawa’ (ibid.). As Bairu (2010: 408) comments: ‘The publications of
both Rohlf and Stecker are today among the most reliable sources for
geographical, historical and ethnological studies of Ethiopia’.
Rohlfs published two important books on Ethiopia: Im Auftrag Sr.
Majestät des Königs von Preußen mit dem englischen Expeditionscorps
in Abessinien (1869) and Meine Mission Nach Abessinien auf Befehl Sr.
Maj. des Deutschen Kaisers, Im Winter 1880–81 (1883). Though both
books seem very interesting, the focus of this paper is the first because
it discusses the Dobʿa area. In this book he gives a detailed description
of the geography (topography) including the fauna and flora found in
the area, the dress and hairstyle of the inhabitants together with the
ornaments they used and the houses he saw among other things. His
descriptions appear to be accurate save for some stereotypes – a not un-
common feature in Westerners writings about ‘non-western societies,’
particularly Africans, at the time. His works are significant in a number
of ways, but the one published in 1869 is particularly important for
showing the local boundaries that existed at the time of his visit:
Fig. 1: Gerhard Rohlfs
 Fesseha Berhe

132

Fig. 2: Rohlfs’s Route in 1867–68 via Doba’a, as shown on a map designed by Fig. 3: Rohlfs’s Route in 1881–82 on a map published 1882 in
August Petermann published in Gotha 1868 Gotha
 Regional History and Ethnohistory: Gerhard Rohlfs and other Germanophone Researchers and a Forgotten Ethnic Group, the Dobʿa

With the end of the watershed [south of Dogoa-Zebit Mountain or supports Bairu’s assertion that, ‘his descriptions of people, events and
Farar-Amba], the influence of the Christian religion also ends and places are astoundingly rich and accurate’ (Bairu Tafla 2010: 408). Local
we are in a totally Muslim controlled area. As we reach the south- informants tell us that the Dobʿa in southern Tǝgray are mainly found in
ernmost point of Uadjerat, we also encounter political boundaries: the territory that they call Shäwǝʿatä emǝba (seven mountains/villages):
to the West everything is still Enderta country, while the Muslims Ofǝla, Mänǝkärä, Ḥašänǝgä, Ḥaya, Mäkkan, Ḥǝzǝba, and Qäran Gorǝba.
towards the South and East are tributary to the Prince Gobesieh of All these places along with the names of other villages are indicated on
Lasta. (Passage referring to his 11th of March journey).15 Rohlfs’ map with astonishing precision. The precision could be the result
of the fact that the British had a camp there and had probably been there
This work also sheds some light on the nature of the inter-ethnic or
for some time and knew the area well. This combined with Rohlfs’ great
group relationships existing in the area at that time: ‘In fear of the (…)
scholarship must have helped him produce this outstanding map, superi-
[Oromo], whose territories start here, people have chosen the eastern
or in all ways to maps produced before his time or by his contemporaries.
side of these inaccessible steep cliffs as their residence.’ Rohlfs narrates
that the area he called ‘Doba or Doba May or Mechan’ which includes
Ḥäšängä was a Muslim territory. He tells us that the Muslims had similar Concluding Remarks
features to Christian neighbours: ‘They [the Muslims] differed in noth- It seems clear that the Dobʿa may have been one of the major peoples in
ing from their neighbours [the Christian population], neither in shape, Ethiopia and the Horn or at least in northern Ethiopia. Although their
colour of skin nor dress or language, but they didn’t wear blue ribbons traces are insignificant today, they were probably hugely influential in 133
around their necks. This was the only sign in this area that you are a Chris- both politics and in long distance trade (particularly the trade in salt or
tian’ (ibid.). This description correlates with what Munzinger (1869) and Arǝho trade).
d’Abbadie (1890: 238) wrote about the language of the Dobʿa. Based Little is known about the Dobʿa, because so little research has
on the information provided by one of his informants, d’Abbadie tells been done on them. I contend that this paucity of sources might have
us that the Dobʿa had no language of their own; they spoke Tǝgǝrińńa thwarted scholars from doing meticulous research on the group. But
(though their dialect was a little different from the Tǝgǝrińńa spoken in the scattered sources materials available can be used as a base in copi-
Tǝgray proper) and the language of their neighbours, the ʿAzäbo Oromo. ously studying the group. Viewed from this angle, the works of the
Compared to his predecessors and even his contemporaries, Rohlfs’ Germanophone scholars reviewed in this paper, though they require
description of the history and culture of the Dobʿa is limited. It also serious scrutiny and analysis are essential as they shed some light on
seems that he had not consulted the then available source materials on the history and culture of the group.
the Tǝgray in general and southern Tǝgray/Dobʿa in particular, but his What is interesting is that the works of these scholars, particularly
description of the geography and settlement of the area is interesting. those of Munzinger and Rohlfs, correlate significantly with other writ-
What is more astonishing is the detailed way in which he described the ten source materials and with local oral narratives. Thus, by using these
place names, and the map that resulted from his two visits is of great and other sources materials, reviewed or not reviewed here, I contend
importance to the study of the Dobʿa. His map is one of the few major that it is now possible to reconstruct some facets of the history of the
source maps we have on Dobʿa. Dobʿa and even to draw some, tentative, conclusions on some of the
What is most interesting about Rohlfs is that the toponyms he docu- contentious issues of the Dobʿa particularly about its origin, linguistic
mented in the area relate perfectly to local narratives today, a fact that affinity, geography, settlement history and its final upshot.
 Fesseha Berhe

134

Fig. 4: Rohlfs’ map of southern Tigray (detail of another version of the 1868 map designed by August Petermann, with the route of the British in red, and
Rohlfs’ return travel in yellow)
 Regional History and Ethnohistory: Gerhard Rohlfs and other Germanophone Researchers and a Forgotten Ethnic Group, the Dobʿa

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pp. 1070b–1073a. Los Angeles: Tsehai Publishers and Distributors.
Munzinger, Werner Tadesse Tamrat
1869 ‘Narratives of a Journey through the Afar Country’, in: Journal 1972 Church and State in Ethiopia, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
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Tarekegn Gebreyesyus Kaba
Pankhurst, Richard 2010 ‘Rayyaa’, in: Siegbert Uhlig in cooperation with Alessandro
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Ancient Times to the end of the 18th Century. Asmara: RSP. baden: Harrassowitz Verlag, pp. 341b–343a.
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Perruchon, Jules
Trimingham, John Spencer
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Rohlfs, Gerhard Tsegay Berhe Gebrelibanos
1869 Im Auftrag Sr. Majestät des Königs von Preußen mit dem en- 2005 ‘An Ethno-Historical Survey of the Irob Agro-Pastoralists of
glischen Expeditionscorps in Abessinien, Bremen: Kühtmann. NortheasternTǝgray (Ethiopia)’, in: Siegbert Uhlig – Maria
 Regional History and Ethnohistory: Gerhard Rohlfs and other Germanophone Researchers and a Forgotten Ethnic Group, the Dobʿa

Bulakh – Denis Nosnitsin – Thomas Rave (eds.), Proceed- 3 Here we should bear in mind that the intention is not to discuss the history
ings of the XVth International Conference of Ethiopian Stud- and cultural identity of the Dobʿa and make conclusions on the contested
ies, Hamburg July 20–25, 2003 (Aethiopistische Forschungen and unknown aspects of its history including the origin, linguistic affin-
65), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, pp. 372–381. ity, settlement and geography and the final upshot of the group. Though
by now, given the sources at our disposal, it is possible to make tentative
Uhlig, Siegbert conclusions about some aspects of the history and culture of the Dobʿa but
refrained from doing that as this is not the purpose of the paper.
2007 ‘Ludolf, Hiob, in: Siegbert Uhlig (ed.), Encyclopaedia Aethi- 4 Such as Alvarez 1881; Bruce 1790; d’Abbadie 1890; Munzinger 1869; Rohlfs
opica, Vol. 3: He–N, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, pp. 601b–603b. 1869; Salt 1816.
5 Such as Guidi 1912, 1955; Perruchon 1893; Stenhouse 2003; Esteves Pereira
Photo credits 1888, 1900.
6 Such as Conti Rossini 1904.
Fig. 1: Gerhard Rohlfs, from Smidt 2005: 21
7 Such as Abbebe Kifleyesus 2006; Ahmed Hassen and Nosnitsin 2007;
Fig. 2: Rohlf’s Route in 1867–68 via Doba’a, as shown on a map designed by Beckingham and Huntingford 1954; Ficquet 2014; Huntingford 1989;
August Petermann published in Gotha 1868, from the Perthes Map Hussein Ahmed 2000; Ludolf 1682; Merid Wolde Aregay 1971, 1974a,
Collection, Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (code: 54$111782090) 1974b; Pankhurst 1997, 2005; Tadesse Tamrat 1972; Tarekegn Gebreyesyus
Fig. 3: Rohlfs’s Route in 1881–82. on a map published 1882 in Gotha, from Kaba 2010; Tellez 1710; Tsegay 2005; Trimingham 1965.
the Perthes Map Collection, Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (code: 8 For instance Alvarez (1881) describes the Dobʿa as Muslims. 137
547$111782023) 9 On this issue see also Smidt 2005.
Fig. 4: Rohlfs’ map of southern Tigray (detail of another version of the 1868 10 For a detailed discussion on his role in the politics of Ethiopia, particularly
map designed by August Petermann, with the route of the British in northern Ethiopia, and his services to the British, French and the Egyp-
red, and Rohlfs’ return travel in yellow), from the Perthes Map Col- tians see Rubenson 1976.
lection, Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (code: 54$11178008X) 11 His Bilin wife was also killed in this surprise attack.
12 There are other local narratives with different views. These local narratives
Endnotes have it that the original place of the Dobʿa was Dobǝʿän in Yemen thus
the name Dobʿa. Place name similarity between Yemen and some parts of
1 In the past few years there have been a few attempts to scientifically study southern Tigray is forwarded as evidence for their Arab origin (Fesseha
the Dobʿa for example, by Eloi Ficquet and Chikage Ôba-Smidt. Eloi Fic- Berhe forthcoming).
quet has done research focusing on the Awsa area, ʿAfar region, and Chika-
13 The majority of the areas mentioned are found along the escarpment, a
ge Ôba-Smidt has studied the oral traditions of Dobʿa lineages among the
point which further strengthens Munzinger’s description.
Rayya Oromo but with a focus on the ethno-history of the local Oromo
14 There are local oral traditions which support this point. According to these
group, not on the Dobʿa (not published yet). I have also been doing re-
traditions, even though the Dobʿa had been Muslims for ages, they did not
search on the issue for the last two to three years. Some of my findings have
been presented at international conferences held in Ethiopia and Germany strictly observe Islam. These oral traditions have it that Mäḥämäd Azan,
between 2012 and 2014 and I also have some articles in preparation for a nineteenth century wäli (holy man) had to come to the Dobʿa land to
publication in the proceedings of these conferences and in some reputable ‘guide’ them in properly observing Islam.
international journals. 15 I thank Till Trojer, Hamburg University for translating Rohlf’s passages
2 An article dealing with the literature review of the Dobʿa is being prepared. into English.