INDIGENOUS DEFENSE FORCE AND WAR DISCIPLINE GOVERNANCE OF GADA SYSTEM: THE CASE OF GUJI-OROMO, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Gada is a major indigenous system in East Africa being practiced for about more than 600 years by Oromo people of the largest ethnic in the region which accounts for about half of the Ethiopian population, and lives in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia in Horn of Africa. In Oromo people, the Gada system was the constitution of the Oromo society through which the society administered, defended their territory, maintained and developed their economy. It recorded on UNESCO genius book as World's intangible heritage indigenous knowledge of Oromo people in 2016. At present, it has diffused to and adopted by some neighbor tribes and has been practicing there as their own indigenous governance system. In this study the researcher employed both the primary and secondary sources. This Study's data were described qualitatively. In generally, all data were analyzed and interpreted carefully according to social science disciplines. The findings of this paper indicated out Gada's democratic governance of indigenous defense force and war discipline. Finally, the paper explored how the Oromo nation developed this amazing self-rule that it had functioned as a socio-political institution by preventing oppression and exploitation for promoting relative peace, security, sustainable development, and political sovereignty.