The Expansion of Protestantism and Culture Change among Gedeo

: This paper was primarly concerned with the expansion of Protestantism and culture change among the Gedeo people. It attempted to document the coming of branches of Christianity and their methods of expansion and the conversion of the people. Special emphasis is given to examine the impacts of expansion of Protestantism on the Gedeo traditional culture. The researcher employed qualitative paradigm; primary data were collected by formal and informal interview, document analysis, the use of oral tradition and secondary sources such as reports, journals and electronics media. Finally, the collected sources will be cross-checked and analyzed by using content narrating and descriptive method. Based on the study findings and analysis, it is deduced that, in the study area, before the introduction of Christianity, most of the people practiced indigenous belief known as Maganno , literally meant the “Sky God”. Mainly, the research reveals that Christianity arrived among the Gedeo before a century ago, following the conquest of the area by Emperor Menilek’s force. Protestantism expanded in the area by convincing method of donations and often by pulling factors that attract the people from traditional religion to Protestantism. The then general contextual background: political oppression, low economic status, lack of infrastructures, the event of epidemic and other world historical incidents have contributed to the peoples’ active conversion to Protestantism. The mass conversion of the people resulted in creating new spiritual orientations, which brought hollistic change, including the missing of indigenous cultural practices. Accordingly, the Gedeo indigenous culture was changed in many aspects: social customs, material cultures, oral literature and verbal arts or oral performance.

IJSSHR, Volume 04 Issue 06 June 2021 www.ijsshr.in Page 1319 (Dagne, 2013) covering only 1 percent. The annual rainfall the area receives range between 800-1800 mm, while the mean annual temperature varies from 12.5 to 28 0 C (Fekadu and Haweltie, 2019). The Gedeo people practice mixed agriculture. These include raising of crops and rearing of animals. However, the Gedeo agricultural economy is mainly based on the cultivation of two crops, namely, coffee and enset (Eshettu, 2011)

Sources and Methods of Data Collection and Analysis
The researcher employed qualitative paradigm where data were gathered from both primary and secondary sources. The instruments used to gather primary date were formal and informal interview, document analysis, and the use of oral tradition. Written primary sources like BA and MA Thesis and Dissertations were also used. A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was also conducted to clarify and cross-check issues that were not sufficiently addressed by the respondents. The researcher conducted 2 Focus Group Discussions constituting 6 individuals in each group with members who have in-depth knowledge of Protestant Christianity in the study area. A total of fifteen key informants were interviewed on matters pertinent to Protestant Christianity in Gedeo. Secondary sources were also synthesized from reports, journals and electronics media. Finally, the collected sources were cross-checked and analyzed by using content narrating and descriptive method.

III. INDIGENOUS RELIGION OF GEDEO
Before their conversion to universalistic religions, the Gedeo believe in Maganno, which literally mean the 'Sky God', the one and only one Supreme Being. They also believe that Maganno manifests himself in his work of creation (Mebrat, 2017; Desalegn, 2019). The Gedeo believe that Maganno is the creator of everything on the earth, the sun, the moon and stars. He is the origin and sustenance of all things. He also created such 'bad things' as illness and death. Although Maganno is considered to be 'good', because he guides and protects the people from enemies and bad fortunes, he can also punish people if they do not obey his instruction (Dagne, 2013). Therefore, the Gedeo people have high respect for the nature in general. Moreover, the people also recognize the role of intermediaries between Maganno and their creator (Tadesse, 2002). These intermediaries were an elderly men and women.

IV. MENILEK'S WARS OF EXPANSION AND THE INTRODUCTION OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE GEDEO
Many literatures contend that the first historical incident which exposed the Gedeo to world religion came in 1896, when Orthodox Christianity was introduced following the incorporation of the Gedeoland by the Shoan Kingdom under Emperor Menelik II (Sophia and Elias, (ed.), 2017). A number of churches were built in Gedeo following incorporation. Some of the churches grew to prominence, the most famous being Bulle Sellase, the first Orthodox Church erected in Gedeoland in 1896 (Eshettu, 2011) and Chichu Gebriel, locating on the southeastern parts of Dilla town (Berhanu, 2009). However, the spread of Orthodox Christianity was sluggish, despite the fact that the central government officially supported the conversion process (Getachew, 2019). For instance, before 1920; there were only three Orthodox Churches in Gedeo land. Two of the churches were in Bule Woreda and one is in Fisseha Gennet. In the 1920s, only six Orthodox churches were built in Gedeo and eight more churches in the 1930s (Solomon, 2009). The basic reason for the sluggish expansion of the Orthodox Christianity was the preaching languages used by the church, Ge'ez and Amharic which were difficult for the Gedeo to understand. Until the early 1930s, only in 21 percent of the Gedeo land that Orthodox Churches were erected and there was no single Gedam (Monastery) in the area, the usual indicator of success and firm establishment of Orthodox Christianity until the late 1970s (McClellan, 1978). Although the church sponsored mass baptism in Gedeo in the post 1941 periods; this was not followed by strong religious instruction and guidance. Thus, the Gedeo continued to practice their traditional belief (Solomon, 2009). Orthodox influence, therefore, remained minimal and had not yet reached the grass root level in donation, especially the medical services and the school attracted the attention of other members of the society who also have a good social status, because, whoever they are, they did not have any other options to teach their children and to attend medication. Therefore, they were clearly attracted to go to the station where the Missionaries preach and teach the Bible (McClellan, 1978) Prayers and Bible studies accompanied the medical and school services in their daily activities. A Sunday service also was held in the hospital and school. As such evangelism became a part of medical and school services, which later contributed to the rise of 'Koffe Evangelical Church'. Those who taught the Bible in the hospital and school and Sunday services began to go out to other parts of the Gedeo for preaching Gospel. Many preaching centers were established outside Dilla in different parts of the Gedeo. Generally, the convincing pressure of donation paved the way for the growth and expansion of Protestantism in Gedeo Protestantism has been admired for using Gede'uffa as a worshipping language. In fact, this has been a source of attribution for many Gedeo to embrace Protestantism. The pioneer evangelists had been using the languages of the community they were evangelizing in the religious and social services. This helped to preserve the language and culture of the Gedeo (Getachew, 2019) Eller (2007) in his work argued that religious change is a species of cultural change in general, the process by which the existing order of a society, that is its social, spiritual and material civilization is transformed from one type to another. Those changes in religion holistically related to changes in other aspects of culture (Eller). It is obvious that, regardless of their origin, religions are sources of ethical and moral values. The indigenous religion of Gedeo is off course a base of ethical and moral values which affected the routine activities of the people and its peaceful co-existence and interaction with its neighboring peoples. As it is the people old established religion, it generally shaped the people history and culture. Its long-established moral, ethical values and principles are important screens which helped the people to live harmoniously with others culturally different people living with them and with other ethnic groups living adjacent to them. The Gedeo elders claim that, they have gradually developed ethical and moral principles along with their indigenous religion since long times. Under these principles "coveting others property, performing adultery, abusiveness, beating and prejudicing others, murder, etc" are considered as wrong and unacceptable doings by the community. Anyone who does such unacceptable activities has to be accountable by the Songo (Tsegaye, 2019). But, now, these ethical and moral values were replaced by Christian teachings. Besides when people converted from one religion to the other, they leave some parts of the previous faith and accept the practices of the 'new' religion, which forms another cultural system for the society. Though the majority of the Protestants often did good works, for example, in expanding schools, medical services and providing other donations, however, the 'mission' behind these activities was always to change the society in comprehensive way. Protestants would often tend to introduce foreign beliefs into the society by 'ridiculing, condemning, or even punishing the traditionalists' (Bedilu, 2014). The indigenous religious devotion of the Gedeo centers on their strong feelings and beliefs to be protected against calamities and misfortunes with all unpleasant situations prevented, to live in peace, good health, happiness and wealthy. So, ritual practices used to carry out in places where such super-human believed to exist (Tewodros, 2015). The Gedeo indigenous religion has two closely interrelated aspects: religious and cultural. These highly interrelated activities include ritual performances and ceremonial events. The two dominant annual ceremonial and ritual practices are Dararo and Fachi'e (Tsegaye, 2019) Fachi'e is one of the least common festivities practiced by the Gedeo. Fachi'e refers to a period of confession which is accompanied by presenting praying activity. It is mainly performed during difficult situations affecting many people. The difficult situations could be explained in terms of drought, epidemic diseases, mass death, etc. The society links the happenings of misfortunes and calamities with human offence against God laws, which was followed by a punishment of Maganno. The Gedeo believe that their 'good deeds' are the sources of their pleasure while their 'evil deeds' are the sources of hardship times which occurred due to the blessing and angriness of Maganno respectively. In short, the festivity of Fachi'e is performed deliberately to purify sinful persons from their sin (Ibid) Deraro is usually followed by Fachi'e. Dararo in Gede'uffa literally refers to flower. It is thanks giving festival performed just after the harvest season every year in January, accompanied by praying ceremony (Tsegaye, 2019). These and other materials were destroyed not only because of the expansion of Protestantism rather the causes vary. However, church teachings have the significant contribution in the process. Qeexala, a ritual and dance performed for various ecological crises, like a shortage of rain, outbreak of locusts and others. Again this ritual is practiced less often today mainly because of the teachings of Protestant Christianity. Most people began to perform church prayers for such ecological crisis, so the number of people who participate in the traditional qeexala ritual has reduced dramatically (Ibid) Gondoro is a term literally implies announcing or concluding something or an event not to happen again. The tradition has complex ritual procedures and powerful symbolic representation of purification of the 'curse' and reconciliation of conflicting individuals or groups. The tradition is performed both as a means of purifying the 'curse' from the guilty and a method of conflict resolution. Through the ritual processes, the guilty and his clans would be reconciled with the member of the family and clan of the offended. The tradition works not only in resolving of interpersonal, but also inter-group conflicts (Asebe, 2007). Still the practice of this tradition declined mainly with the teachings of Protestant Christianity. Informants asserted that church planting has weakened the Baallee tradition which shapes Gedeo social, cultural, religious, economic and political functions and expresses their worldview in all aspects of their life. A ritual ceremony was performed by the Baallee leaders on public occasions and during the transfer of Baallee leadership. Firstly, like the Orthodox Church, it appears that the Protestant planting has not encouraged the Baallee system and its ritual ceremonies which the Gedeo people greatly value and the traditions including blessings from the Abba Gada (Baallee Leader) during the various public meetings and significant occasions. Apart from upholding and administrating the Baallee laws, the Abba Gada in power sometimes conducts rituals for the people well-being such as the fertility of peoples and animals, good harvests and mutual peace. At every assembly and wherever an occasions call for it, the Abba Gada performs these ritual prayers in which Gedeo politics and religious rituals intersect and overlap one in influencing and the other determining the duty of the other office for the well-being of the community. Such a performance of the Gedeo Baallee and religious rituals are considered to be materially and spiritually productive for the people without which natural disaster may follow. However, the Gedeo Baallee system began to erode during the imperial period due to political pressure from the central government, which considers it as a competitor to governmental power and mainly as a result of the expansion of Protestant Christianity, which rejects any rituals and sacrifices related to the Baallee system. However, it should be noted that, despite their conversion, change and adoption either into Orthodox or Protestant Christianity, many Gedeo people did not completely abandon the practices of indigenous-traditional religion, Maganno, Dararo, Fachi'e and Qeexala rituals, Gondoro tradition and others (Tsegaye, 2019). Most of rituals have been declined to be practiced due to the activities of Protestant Christianity, because Protestant Christianity associates most rituals with 'evil spirit'. The decline of rituals has an adverse effect on some of the Gedeo's significant cultural values. For instance, traditionally, rituals were performed with the leadership of elders. Today, youths who can read the Bible became religious teachers and leaders. In this way, modern education and knowledge have become substitutes for seniority, experience and indigenous knowledge. The change has adverse implications for the leadership role of elders and transfer of indigenous knowledge to the future generation (Getachew, 2019). In short, it is possible to say that no social and cultural activities were remained untouched by the teaching of Protestant Christianity. In the post 1991, a number of ethnic groups tried to revive some of their traditional practices in a modified way that harmonized with the present situation. The Gedeo tried to revive some of their traditional practices, but not the grading system, and most Gedeo do not want to participate in the rituals and sacrifices that relate to grade transfer (Getachew, 2019)

VI. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
This study dealt with the introduction, expansion and impacts of Protestant Christianity on the socio-economic and cultural life of the Gedeo. As one of the many nations in southern Ethiopia, the people of Gedeo have their own history, culture and tradition. Their indigenous traditional religion is based on worshiping one Supreme God, Maganno. Protestantism arrived in Gedeo, the study area, in 1949 by the work of Missionaries. Though the majority of the Protestants often did good works, for example, in expanding schools, medical services and providing other donations, however, the 'mission' behind these activities was always to change the society in comprehensive way. Protestantism influenced the plausibility structure of Gedeo indigenous religion. It has affected the production, reproduction and distribution of the indigenous knowledge of the society by destroying the Gedeo institutions and culture. Thus, I argued that the cultural change among the Gedeo is fundamentally related to the expansion of Protestantism that has been breaking IJSSHR, Volume 04 Issue 06 June 2021 www.ijsshr.in Page 1323 down the system of the knowledge transmission. The impacts of the conversion of the Gedeo to Protestantism are muti-dimensional. These are all encompassing changes and effects happened to the people because of conversion. The mass conversion obviously increased profound changes and significant impacts within social, political, and economic life ways of the nation. The conversion of the Gedeo brought significant influences on the traditional cultures of the people. In today's Gedeo community in general, the indigenous cultural practices such as Gedeo indigenous religion, Maganno, Fachi'e and Dararo rituals and Gondoro tradition and the Baallee system are mainly overflowed by the practices of Protestantism. Thus, the study and reconstruction of the destroyed Gedeo cultural traditions, in the present day Gedeo reality, is part of the problem that needs attention and careful handling in order to be aware of the current and to far see the future.