American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The effort of this paper mainly depends on the critical analysis of archival sources, manuscripts and oral tradition. The name Limmu in this paper represents both the place name and the Oromo groups settled in the area after the 16th century Oromo population expansion. There are various clans of the Oromo group: Saphera, Guto, Warra Iggu (Bariso, Manni and Hanno), Kube, Warra Da’imo (Dimma, Warsuu, Harru, Ibso and Sirba) and Indibo. I favored to indicate them all Limmu Oromo, because the topic of my paper is fully focused on Limmu Oromo. In this context it represents largely the Oromo of Limmu, Haro Limmu and Western part of Gidda districts. Following settlement in the area, Limmu Oromo clans have occupied the whole fertile and suitable highland areas and had exercised their own democratic gadaa system for a long period of time. This system continued, until Menelik conquered the region.