ALAQA TAYE GABRA MARIAM (1861

ALAQA TAYE GABRA MARIAM (1861-1924)
Author(s): ALEMÉ ESHETÉ
Source: Rassegna di Studi Etiopici, Vol. 25 (1971-1972), pp. 14-30
Published by: Istituto per l'Oriente C. A. Nallino
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ALAQA
TAYE
GABRA
MARIAM
(1861-1924)*)
ALEMt ESHET& ♦♦)
Alaqa Taye Gabra Mariam was a native of Kamkam Qaroda, Yifag,
in Bagemeder. He was born on the 21st Magabit 1853 B.C. (March
1861) during the reign of Tewodros. His mother died while he was
a child and his fatherhad leftforShoa. It was thus that Taye lefthis
native village forTigre wherehis uncle lived. But upon his arrival in
Tigre he learntthat his uncle had leftforBombay, India. Taye, therefore,decided to travel to the Red Sea Coast and fromthere leave for
Bombay or forJerusalem. He arrivedin Monkulluabout 1880, at the
age of twenty,and thus came in contact with the SwedishMission at
Monkulluwhichwas run by I/undahl. But he was not employedby the
Mission in translationand teaching work until 1886. In the 1890*8
Alaqa Taye was largelyworkingon his book, aofcfhiL
(Matshafa
Sawasew) or GrammarBook whichwas publishedin Monkulloin 1897 *)•
In 1898, Alaqa Taye was sent on an evangelicalmissionto Qaroda,
his native village in Bagemeder,wherehis teachingseems to have incited
oppositionagainst him. It is not clear what his relationwas with the
then Governorof Bagemeder,Ras Mangasha Atikem,but we know that
on one occasion he was accused, probably by the Orthodoxclergy,and
broughtbeforethe courtof the Governor. A religiousdebate took place
between the two parties in which Alaqa Taye won the case2). Ras
[*) Per la trascrizionedei terminietiopicidi questo articolol'A. si
attienealle formee adattamentid'uso propridei contestiodiernidi lingua
inglese di caratteredivulgativo.- N.d.D.].
[♦*) In piii esatta trascrizione:Alamje ESatje. - N.d.D.].
x) The MatshafaSawasewis a grammarof Ge'ez explainedin Amharic
in Amharic. According
and containing
a Ge'ez vocabularywitha translation
to Elsie Winqvist(Med LivetSomInsats,Stockholm,1944,p. 90), Taye was
not theoriginalwriterof thisbook whichhe foundin one of the traditional
librariesof Ethiopia. Accordingto Elsie Winqvist,Taye was working
on the translationof the book into Amharicin the i89o's.
a) I have not been able to findthe book of Alaqa Taye translatedinto
StridinforRas Mangascha(Stockholm,E. F. S., 1900,
Swedish,En teologisk
of the Alaqa in this debate.
48 pages),whichtreatspreciselythe arguments
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MARIAM
"AlfAQA"TAYEGABRA
15
Mangasha Atikem,who may also have seen the Alaqa's book, Matshafa
Sawasew, was apparentlyimpressedby T aye's capacity and recommended
him and sent him to Emperor Menelik at Addis Ababa. The Alaqa
wentto Shoa wherehe met the Emperorto whomhe presentedhis book,
Matshafa Sawasew. Menelik did not, however,keep Alaqa Taye at his
court forvery long, althoughhe too seems to have formeda favourable
opinionof the Alaqa. The Emperorsent Alaqa Taye back to Bagemeder
with a sort of "carte blanche" which was intendedto protecthim from
undue persecution.
Menelikdid not forgetAlaqa Taye, howeverand when in 1905 the
GermanGovernment,throughRosen, requestedthe Emperorto send an
Ethiopian scholarto teach Ge'ez and Amharicat the School of Oriental
Studies in Berlin, it was Taye that he recommendedfor the post. Menelik's main interestin this was the possibilityof recoveringsome of
the rare Ethiopian books taken out fromEthiopia to Germany,as the
followingletterof the Emperorshows:
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« -nAU « A®- »
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"The ConqueringIyion of the Tribe of Judah, Menelik, King of
Kings of Ethiopia.
Let it reach Alaqa Taye. How did you pass your time? I am well,
thanksbe to God. The men who were sent by the GermanGovernment
and who are going back to their countryby Massawa are now coming
by [the route of] Gojam. But they have told me that there are many
ancientbooks of our countrythat wentfrom[weretaken from]Ethiopia,
and said to me: %et a clever man who knows them go and see'. As
you are accustomedto the cultureof that country,when they [the Ger-
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16
ai,em£eshet£
man envoys]reach wherex) you are let it be that you go togetherwith
them.
Addis Ababa, 9thofMagabit 1897".
[Seal ofEmperorMenelik]
When this letterarrivedAlaqa Taye had alreadybeen told the news
by the then governorofBagemeder,Ras Gugsa Wale, husbandof Waizaro
Zawditu Menelik. Alaqa Taye, therefore,left Begemederfor the coast,
stopping at Tsazaga, where he met his co-evangelistsof the Swedish
Missionand in Balasa whereElsie Winqvistgave him a fewrudimentary
lessons in the Germanlanguage. Alaqa Taye left for Germanyon the
23rd of May 1905.
We now know that Taye kept a journal of his travels and stay in
Germany,which we have been able to consult2). He arrived at Suez
on the 26th of May, and at Naples on the 30th of the same month. In
Naples, Alaqa Taye spent his time in the company of "Yosef Somali",
and Tasfa, two Ethiopians. From Naples, Alaqa Taye leftforMarseilles
wherehe arrivedon the 2nd of June. His impressionof what he saw
in Marseillesshockedthe evangelist:
hflfl*C
(18
rnvi-t ttwdn h+®7 Ah'l*®7
fflCfc?tthn&fr 1
*
Mva
-nit- vie hn
t&wah
ihtd*
nn.?9°
M-C*
h
Ml0*?
JifV« fl5 AW fflft
m-l-l
'
h&CI ■ 'In MarseilleI and Yosef Somali left the train at 2 p.m. and
visitedthe townin a carriageforhalfan hour. Then we walked on foot
and saw a lot of things includingdaring and shamelesspublic women.
We returedto our train at about n p.m. and spent the nightthere".
Taye left MarseilleforLisbon wherehe arrivedon June 6. From
Lisbon, Alaqa Taye travelledto Holland (wherehe arrivedon the 9th
ofJune) and thento Hamburg,wherehe arrivedon the 13th ofthe same
month. On June 14th,Alaqa Taye was finallyin Berlin where he was
received by a certain Schulyerwho took him around the city. Alaqa
x) sc. Debra Tabor.
ofthejournal
forthisto Dr. Arenwhohas a photo-copy
2) I am grateful
and to Qes Badima who keeps the originalof it. The journal is a small
note book withdates for 1905. The Alaqa was not, however,regularand
severaldates have no entries. It wouldseemthat,at a laterdate, Taye had
noteddowndifferent
thingson theemptypages. The journaldoes not give
as muchinformation
as one wouldexpecton Taye's traveland stay in Gerthereand we are
many. Thereis practicallynothingon his employment
nottoldifhe evertaughtGe'ez and Amharicat the School of OrientalStudies in Berlin.
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<r
A*'?.tfO
=
/>ft? H >,
?- th V R T <F><£ 08 i
' t|L
H. Y. »A rib £ - VHJU SI
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: a 4 9 W^>» -rt <u. c : jL <n»
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a^IL «■
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tihhppf W** vfW-?o>-
A letter of Menelikto Alaqa Taye (from Tadesse's Introductionto
Ye-Ityopia Hizeb Tarih, p. 15; for Tadesse's Introductionsee p. 30
footnotei , h?re)
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MARIAM
"AI,AQA"TAYEGABRA
17
Taye was highlyimpressedby the finebuildings,statues and fountains
of the city. He also visited museums and portraitgalleries. In the
days that followedthe Ethiopian visitorcontinuedhis tour of the town
includinga visit to the Universityof Berlinwherehe consultedvery old
and rare books in Ge'ez, taken fromEthiopia. He also went to a theatre on September15th and describesat lengththe magnificenceof the
theatreand the impressionthat it made upon him.
Unfortunately
nothingis said in T aye's journal of the task that had
taken him to Germany;the teaching of Ethiopics. The journal stops
on December 31st 1905. But it is known that he broughtback with
himforEmperorMeneliksome 130 Ethiopian books that had been taken
to Germanyx).
Upon his returnto Ethiopia, Alaqa Taye was given the work of
preparingthe biographyof Menelik,while living in Ifag wherethe Emperorgave him a districtto govern. But Alaqa Taye's religiousopponents were active and he was soon accused at the court of Ras WaldaGeorgis,then Governorof Bagemeder,of professingthe religionof the
"Tsara Mariam" or "Enemies of Mary", i.e. Protestants,and his district
was taken away from him. A letter from the Governor, Ras
Walda Georgis,read:
rtl-fl'/'VA hi
A7AU
£UT V5*« T19° -OAO Woof
hlH.h'ttth.C
Mh I A9-1
llf* faooifiah
?h
it reach Alaqa Taye. How did you pass yourtime? I
:s
am well,thanksbe to God. Whilewe tellyou to sit quietly [remainquiet],
wherefromdid you bring this teaching? Don't say [later on]: "Why
has he quarrelledwith me?" 2).
His principal accuser was Dejazmach Mashasha Worqe8). Upon
M&H.U
*) Cf.articlein ''Addis Zaman", 25 Yakatit 1961, E.C., p. 2, on Alaqa
Taye, by BalambarasMangistuTaye.
2) That is: If you persistin thisteachingwe are sureto quarrel.
to note that upon readingAlaqa Taye's journal,
3) It is interesting
MashashaWorqe appears as his greatfriend. In fact Taye reproducesin
Mashasha
thejournala copyof a letter,dated January31st 1905,welcoming
back to Ethiopiafromhis travelto Europe,in whichwas includedthe followingpoem:
i
aw
hjfam* hie 1
::
I
ftrfirt*
ihfr
WfLat&V
ft +A4- I
AW <n>mv1 Xrtjfc
£ y°<t>¥V!Wb I tiyvi tiJPhb::
* FT*
I
2
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18
ESHET^
AlyEM#
Taye's denial of the accusation,Mashasha asked Taye to kiss the image
ofthe VirginMary,whichthe Alaqa refusedto do statingthat he did not
worshipimages,as the Bible forbadeChristiansto do so. At this,there
was great commotionin court, and the Orthodox Christianswere so
offendedthat some of them are reportedto have drawn their swords
and pistolsagainst himx). Alaqa Taye was then sent to Abuna Matewos,
in Addis Ababa, forjudgement;and subsequentlyimprisoned. As it is
well known,Menelikwas at this time seriouslyill and the administration
of the empireas well as the power of decisionwas in the hands of Empress Taitu. And Taitu was the head of the traditional Orthodox
Christiannobilityopposed to all proponentsof foreignreligions.Persecution of Ethiopians convertedto foreignreligionswas at its height.
It would,therefore,
seem that the decisionto send Alaqa Taye to prison
was ratherthat of Taitu and Abuna Matewos than of Menelikwho,relatively liberal in mattersof religion,had shownhimselfthe protectorof
Taye, in the past2).
I **74- i t7* I
« fiPV XKAt ::
:
T ?AV&-
Alt 71
S
rt<n>ir?f
a>Ct i tAa*
hF°l6iXkPC in- I ft*? WWd* ::
dm, y°iA*i ft* i Mavvf XT2T£i
IHU I hi
I*!* ::
Alt
" Welcomeback fromthe
countryto whichyou had gone,
All thosewho do not like you, wereblamingyou.
Welcomeback, you have done well my hope,
All yourill-wishers
who were workingto give you a wickedname,
Now bow in frontof you,dressedproperly,
and touchingtheground.
But you, my master,don't push [harm]but be pushed [harmed],
So that in heavenand on earthyourland may widen.
Mashasha,the relativeof the poor!
There is no friend[match]for Mashasha,
It is withMenelikthat he will build his house.
In thehouse[reign]ofMeneliklet us aspireforinjera[wealth]
Whileyou stand [as chamberlain]
let me lightthe lamp
Balambaras
"Addis
Zaman", cit.
*)
MangistuTaye,
did
in
fact
Menelik
as his protectorand was
consider
*) Alaqa Taye
deeplyaffectedwhenthe Emperorwas finallyrenderedhelplessby his sickness. Taye, like so many others,suspectedthepossiblepoisoningof the
Emperor. The Alaqa also believedthat the famousdead cat foundone
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19
MARIAM
"AI,AQA" TAYKGABRA
In any case, Alaqa Taye was sent to prison,but that did not put
an end to his evangelical workforhe continuedpreachingto the prisoners. The Alaqa did not regain unrestrictedfreedomuntil 1911, that
is, afterthe fallofTaitu and duringthe regencyof Ras Tasamma Nadaw.
Taye composedthe followingpoem while in prison:
£h<Jh
Mi-Pin-
Pi fflli fl,->
h9° Ah. flfc119° 1
/Mil* * XHL
</dYT.+ iah fl.A-'J*
1
ftft
A?A I
I
■
I
on thethroneof Menelikwas put thereby enemiesofthe Emperor.
morning
The following
poemsdepictingtheseeventsare said to have been composed
by Alaqa Taye.
1
?<"Z.A4«
4a4? 4*£ i
1
ft*
A.«- I
7&
7A1 Xfa^Aa* 1 -drta*+"7h4« I
i
HftOt I XVIfcCI
¥*«
1 T4- ft^Hi (17*14-::
^tiATa*"!
"Sabisa [a whitebird] and Qwa [a crow]whichflyon wings,
in the house of Gadde [a bird,also
While livingin peace [comfort]
meaninga generousperson]
They plottedsaying: "Let us kill him",
Not thinkingof his love, not fearingGod,
But the generousLord uncoveredthe plot by his deed".
(Sabisa and Qura referto whiteand black doctorsof Menelik,while
Gadddrefersto the Emperorhimself).
The following
is anotherpoem also by Alaqa Taye on the same event:
I
«.*
OS'tAll h6iP l JP
::
I
7-At
'a*
Ay°a<?
A^MM*
*je/Tl
*1* Aa* AhVF I (ltltiA (L&6. '
AIMa* yiAti 1
K&L&- I
"■
<F*C *Aa*£ I hWtih
"That theyplaced a cat in Menelik'sbed,
It is to eat a rat, [or]lungand liver".
"If the wickedperson,in vain, triesto do evil,
Menelikthe lion is not afraidof a cat,
For his love is withGod".
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20
AI,EM£eshbt£
I
J®* « hrt®- fft^P
to-l* tf-*5*Mjf » nv^ft fl/".?f I
1 Jt'NlAf
a
oh/iA, hi*
mc -n*:* * a^in-5* rms- i
aoeaaoc
iah hl& f ttMlfl^Jt I
f
fl/iur»
JklMl* MVift: I
P -tAtotahip i
7?*: i
hi AJPAh >»?£ i A/»hfii9° h&AlJt: »
A¥=f9° hfii+do- i MJH&1Arb
I
«7?°3$ fr<{ >»«?<; <n»-4»J mli IL*
«
fMta%9°f hA+tib i ?19° IT
•?r3$ fr<s fc«7<: <••■+ » A-jaa* n.-M> « »)
I
"They debate with me supportingeach other,
In vain, forthey will not win the case, as they do not have God
Because I enteredprison,I am very happy,
[withthem.
For God has been thanked because of me,
It is a good occasion to preach the Gospel.
If they say 'He is a heretic!' what do I care,
Human praise is worthless,
Only You be with me for my soul and flesh,
I believe in you, do not forsakeme my I/xrd.
Leave alone an iron chain, let them tie me to a log,
That will only be adding fireto gunpowder,
So that it will burn high and produce much fire,
And reveal publiclywhat was hidden.
I will not worshipimages but only God!
My fatiguewas not in vain, [I am compensated]for my service,
[Insteadof]GemjaSuri [silktrousers,givenas rewardto thebest liq
ofthe church]an ironchain,and a prisonas mygovernorate.
My fatiguewas not in vain, here is my decoration,
[Instead of ] Gemja Suri, an iron chain, [and instead of a] bitawa
[a braceletdecorationgiven to a patriot],handcuffs''.
x) Awda Nagast, edited by Zamanfas-QedusAbraha, Asmara, 1963
E.C., p. 282.
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"
"
MARIAM
AXAQA TAYEGABRA
21
There is no indicationthat Alaqa Taye sufferedfurtherpersecution
afterthe fall of Taitu. It could, therefore,be said that he passed a
relativelypeacefultime duringthe reignof Iyassu, and probably more
so duringthe reignof Zawditu and Ras Tafari. Ras Tafari was particularly liberal in his religiouspolicies and encouraged enlightenedEthiopians, whatevertheirreligion,to serve him in the government. It is in
factsaid that Alaqa Taye was employedby Tafarias a politicaladviserx).
And we knowthat the Alaqa was also interestedin politics,and had some
notions of European formsof government2).
Alaqa Taye was a prolificwriter,and it must have been duringthis
time of relativepeace that he wrote most of his books; but only one or
two of these have been published, while the rest are still in manuscript form.
We have not been able to findcopies of two books, "The Image of
" or "
"
Jesus", (Monkullo, 1894) and flOIA 8 H
Gospel of
John" (Monkullo 1910), attributedto Alaqa Taye8).
"a*
tlCA-PA « woo aWi
/uffrfl t maofilflh
*) UnpublishedJournalof Cederqvist,Swedish Missionaryin Addis
to me by Dr. Aren.
Ababa; notes communicated
2) In one page of Alaqa Taye's journalthe followingformsof governmentare definedby Taye himself:
M6
HflttA.fi - IITW*
M6
rcOU?
ACChAT
WW*"
fiO* V^LCt
CiM?* £AC ::
A^AAt
JPATW" KWM XH14 f1MbAtofr %
nfcftrt
T erpvt
- tnt
hwm, ' ®j&jma * f&fM1!*.
::
"Constitution - [a country]ruled by a Council.
- [a country]ruledby the will of the King.
Monarchy
- [a doctrine]advocatingthe equalityof the rich and the
Anarchy
poor.
- [a doctrine]advocatingtheabolitionoftheking[privelegSocialist
ed classes] so that everyone will workforhimselfand
live in peace.
Propaganda[Fide] - [a doctrine]advocatingthe supremacyof the Pope.
Free-Mason - [a doctrine]advocatingthat everyoneshouldbe freeto
worshiphis own God by Whom he will be saved, and
sayingthatthe God ofthe otherpersonis also myGod".
8) J- Jwarson and A. Tron, MissioneEvangelicaSvedeseDell'Eritrea,
i866-igi6, Asmara, 1918, p. 38.
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22
ai,em£eshet£
or "Psalm of Christ,Portraitof Jesus,Portraitof the Saviour of
inr''
the World", publishedin Asmara in 1911 (87 pages, small size).
" or
"
"History of the People ofEthiopia"
fhA Pk? ATMl Pdn
was firstpublishedin Asmara in 1920 E.C. The book was documented
fromseveralEthiopianand European sources,includingworksin German,
whichlanguageAlaqa Taye musthave learntduringhis stay in Germany.
The book referredto by Blatten-GetaHiruy, who wrote that "Alaqa
Taye was orderedby Menelikto preparea completehistoryof Ethiopia
with referenceto all sources: Greek, Arab, German and French"x) is
probably this one. Taye's "History of the Ethiopian People" appears
to be onlypart ofa biggerbook stillleftin manuscriptform,whichtreated
firstthe historyofthe people ofthe world,thenofEthiopia and finallythe
historyof the kingsof Ethiopia 2).
"
"
1
literallymeaninga "dictionary"(unpublished),
is a book whereAlaqa Taye arguesforreligiouslibertyand refutesseveral
practicesadhered to by the OrthodoxChurch,includingthe worshipof
saints. This book would have naturallyaroused a still morevigourous
oppositionagainst the writerhad it been published duringhis life-time
(397 pages, big size).
"0<D> « Wft" or "Remedy for the Soul" (182 pages) is a book
(stillunpublished)containingprayersand advice of a religiousand moral
character. Some chaptersalso refuteelementsof the Orthodoxdoctrine.
It is also in thisbook that Alaqa Taye includeshis Kebra Dengel,a chapter in "Honour of the VirginMary", to show to his adversariesthat
refusalto worshipthe Mother of Christ does not make him a "Tsara
Mariam" or enemy of Mary. The Kebra Dengel covers some 18 pages.
Alaqa Taye wroteon the subject, so that, as he put it:
IP-flA -ft * atfi+hAC (sic) ftCf I
hhao idR (?) flYWK?) * fliftJ^ftlrCM «
1 p&Xi,AddisAbaba, 1915 E.C.,
*) Hiruy Wai,da Selassie,
see underTaye.
a) Manuscriptin the possessionof Qes Badima. Thereseems to be a
as to whois theauthorofa bookentitled:"HistoryofEthiopia",
controversy
or "Historyofthe EthiopianKings". The bookgivento thepressby Blatta
whenthe Italians occupiedEthiopia in 1935
Hiruy was only half-printed
and interrupted
its completion.Relativesand friendsof Alaqa Taye claim
that this book was writtenby Alaqa Taye. We have seen a type-script
of
the book attributedto Hiruy. But withoutstudyingthe manuscriptattributed to Alaqa Taye, it is verydifficult
to give an opinionon the matter.
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"
"
MARIAM
AI^AQA TAYEGABRA
23
"[So that] the devil mightbe frightenedand my enemies ashamed,
formy name is seen
[or Taye] everywhere".
In this Ge'ez poem,Maryis praisedand honouredessentiallybecause
She is the Mother of Christ who has saved the world. But nowhere
does the Alaqa appear as veneratingMary in Her own quality.
The followingis an extract chosen at random:
£-T7A fflfrCVl*I
M'h ml0* l
flaWHMh. AYl-A-ST*:* I
I
Hi*®
flVM*
A ft h9°ith PA hn
«
flTy+l'
PHiP-aft
ihood
hon
hit
1C?9°
fl*fcJi9°i
"Ark of Noah, You Mary,Virginand Blessed,
Just as we weresaved by it fromthe watersof the floodand from
[death,
Because thou were the cause of salvation to all the creatures,
On account of the fact that fromThou was born the Word of the
[Father, the Life,
Let Him save us by His Cross and give us health by baptism".
Whatever may be said to the contrary,Alaqa Taye had gradually
become a Protestant. In fact it is reportedthat in the second decade of
this centuryhe preached at the ProtestantChurchof Makana Yesus1)
a numberof times to large congregations2). And even today extracts
of the teachingsof Alaqa Taye are reproducedby the Protestantevangelists,as a recent copy of
( Y ameserachDemtse),
of
with
of
the
an
extract
Protestant
Church,
organ
Alaqa Taye's teachings,
shows. But becominga Protestantis one thingand being a good Ethiopian is another,and Alaqa Taye could be considereda true nationalist.
In a letter which he sent home while in Germany,Alaqa Taye wrote:
hlf*
ewirlr
f»& a'i
'Afterseeing European civilization,I am burningwith
envy for my country".
VhahCFi
He also was, what we might today call, anti-imperialist,as the
followingpoem attributedto him proves:
<D9
MM
»
tthC9° ;**UA T& I
hm-d, 1
*) sc. in Addis Ababa.
2) CEDERQVIST,
unpublishedJournal, op. cit.
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24
AI,EM£ESHET£
«»•« A «
fc7<L I
i hAO» «®h£ i
A,VH-fl
Mir n7«it * -pncit-^ n& ■
"With a tiny piece of grain, one could trap a bird,
Or even a lion, or any unwarybeast,
[Therefore]beware my countrymen of destructivefood.
In orderto give the people worthwhile
advice,that comes frommy
I dare to speak out to-day thus in public".
[heart,
Relatively little is known about the family life of Alaqa Taye.
In 1889, whilein Monkullohe was goingto get marriedto a girl called
his fianceedied four
Tirunesh,on the 26th of February.Unfortunately,
days beforethe wedding on the 24th of the same month1). He was
then marriedto a lady called Tsehayitu,who died several years later2).
His last wifewas WaizaroTirunash,daughterof John Parkyns; she was
earliermarriedto the late Ato Engidashat Schimper,son of the German
botanist. Their marriage lasted only six months, when Alaqa Taye
passed away. The Alaqa had no childrenof his own8).
Alaqa Taye died on the 15th of Nahase 1916 E.C. (August 1924).
Even after his death his religious adversaries were not softenedand
refusedto see himburiedat the OrthodoxChurchofSelassie (theTrinity)4).
An orderfromthe EmpressZawditu,authorisingthe burial had no effect.
Alaqa Kinfenoted in his journal5):
Mil*. h/lP
Vii « h/^AAi VJ+flC fl> 1
99
huS"*
fcJ&£A?°9 ftV/l+'flCf0 -ttiiah footiv
■
Jifr hW'*?0
fl'S-hi h9°tt. -OA
^*A
hAhA* « n^+T'fl.A
T-AA. Wi+Ajfi
tic vnzvah
"On the 15th of Nahase died one of the principal supportersof the
Protestant doctrine: Alaqa Taye. His dead body was brought to
Sellassie but the clergy refused to have him buried in that church
for his belief was not their's. Even to an order from the Empress
they cruelly said: 'no!' They took his dead body by car to Gulale,
the burial place for the Catholics".
*) Hammar,op. cit.,p. 68.
2) Informationobtained from Waizaro Dasia Engdashat Schimper,
daughterof Alaqa Taye's last wife,WaizaroTirunashJohn.
8) BalambarasMangistuTaye, is not actuallythe son of Taye, but of a
sisterof the Alaqa.
4) sc. in Addis Ababa.
®)UnpublishedJournalof Alaqa Kmfe,in my possession.
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"
"
MARIAM
AlyAQATAYEGABRA
25
Alaqa Taye's sister(?) Waizaro I^aqech Amneh composedthe following poem upon her brother'sdeath:
hA&lUiYAib * ittf" -flP»
MVC9° A97C » fiVt ZPVt
I
I
'
hahrt A."»AlflC hf.4.&9° ml
O^1) -tffU'b M l
58»)
WPfoW
')
■
"I will weep for you, sittingand standing,
I am not ashamed when I say this repeatedly,
My brotheris not afraid when one witnessesforthe truth.
Qebatand Tsega stayed in hiding,
As for Tawahdo we have seen [how weak is] its foundation".
Alaqa Taye was a scholar, but a Protestantscholar and like most
Ethiopians who accepted or associated themselveswith a foreignrelihe was persecutedforseveralyears. Writingon the
gionand missionaries,
conditionof such Ethiopians, Gabra Heywat Baykadagn noted4):
hlC
hhh
h
1-iif.ah
-t9°£ah pittfahi
T*fe*lh
Adlgf
«
ft
TC-btifl*
auXrr?'-
f"l£ATfM <n»7«7/»';h90
atf,9° Jtflrffo
aoy 7/"^
»
«
fA
rt.hAfb9°
«
fil-A*
/If* flf* *flA7 M«femC
flh+A**
K
hOh
fcA^
tlTfcfl
rtP^F ftf®
ss
o"»*A*hlti h('H A£
W
Mf tf-9°" fiV RliJ'ntah
tf-A^ rtf-f J»C7It htltl Hi £^fl h^at^Vahir
£WlA?A ■ fcjf-J MUS'A ■
f WW-Arf
Affl4&
S5 "When our brothers,the few foreign-educated Ethiopians or those who succeed in learningfromthe Europeans
eifrl
d£A
x) Two Sects of the EthiopianOrthodoxChurch.
2) Tewahdo,Karra, or Waide Qib, is the Sect of the Coptic Orthodox
Churchthat representsthe state religion.
8) Awda Nagast, cit.
("Menelik
4) Gabra Heywat Baykadagn, frm,
and Ethiopia1')takenfromBerhanYekhunAsmara,1912, pp. 330-355.
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26
ai,em£eshet£
who came to Abyssinia,want to help their country,they are pushed
aside, branded as Catholics, Protestants,hereticsand foreignspies, and
live in want accused constantly. We can mention many names of
those who sufferthus. But the followingtwo names must certainlybe
mentioned:Kantiba Gabru and Alaqa Taye. During the three years
that I was in Addis Ababa, I have not met anyone who loves his country as much as these two people do. But this dispositionof theirshas
not been appreciated up to now; it is very sad. When one sees their
lot, one despairs,forone is bound to say, "the Ethiopian Government
is not gratefulto its friends".
P.S. - I. Concerningthe Ethiopian Books taken to Germany,on
which the Emperor Menelik wanted him to report Alaqa Taye sent
two lettersto the Emperor with a list of the books which he was able
to find1).
Iyistof Books in Letter of 3rd Pagume 1898 (September1905):
1- A£<DC4*
(Afewarq)
2- tC/lril
(Qerlos)
3.
KtttO*
(Haimanote Abew)
4- tltMC
(Sinksax)
5- IW hfiU-Xr
(Zena Ayehud)
6. H9
(Zena Abew)
7- h-fl£ V?/M;h
(Kebre Negest)
8- ^"<{h
(Tarike Negest)
....
9- fhfb HC
(History of Atse Zera-Yaqob)
JO-PAA. "V.9/1
(History of Atse Minas)
PAR. 4-rt.A
(History of Atse Fassil)
12....
(History of Tsadiqu Yohannes)
f'thttl
....
13- fh£?9° A
(History of Adyam Seged)
PdYl
14- PAX. nh4> P&l
(Historyof Atse Bakaffa)
15 PAX. -bPKCh PAn hA
• • (History of Atse Tewodros)
AAh
16. aoftfai. An fl*A
(Metshafe Abba Bulla)
17- It? hflTnlKC
(Zena Iskinder)
1) Haii/u KEBEDE, Ye-Alaqa Taye GebreMaryam Ye-HiywetTarik*
B.A. Thesisin Ethiopianlanguage,Haile SellassieI University,
AddisAbaba,
1963 E.C.
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"
*'
MARIAM
AlAQA TAYEGABRA
27
18. H.? ACtl.fl
• • (Zena Sorkis)
19- ih"IV*" ItCh ?6#1l
(Hateta Zera-Yaqob)
20(Hateta Wolde-Heywat)
(DA ft ehP-tD'l'....
21.
'flCy'}
(MetshafeBerhan)
22. XTh
(Henok)
23- Yl-4-A»
(Kufale)
24- i'Cd. h,C9°?tl
(Terie Ermeyas)
• (Barok)
25- <l(?h
26.
(Didsqelya)
27- h'&h0!. tDflfii
(Tirguame Wengel)
28.
....
(Tirguame Ebrawyan)
29- •ThC!lfll +A 9°A.tl
(Tirguame Qelemsis)
30.
fli
(Tirguame Sinefitret)
31- h.^7 HV*70
(Kidane Zenegeh)
32. aoRfhrf. '/J'T
(MetshafeGenet)
33- ft9°/"} Hh9°Xr
(Semon Ze'amd)
Tsemotewos)
34.
(Dirsane
JtV'tPft
35(Fitha Negest)
36. OhJlA,^jT'Alfl
(Wedase Amlak)
37.
(Mestabequ'e)
38. hC PVl
(Arganon)
39- 0°Kth&. 9°tim.C
(MetshafeMestir)
*
•
■
•
4°(Siltane Ze-Der which tells that
HfoC
hiUY.
Queen Elene gave a piece of land
to Abyssinian monks in JerusaUflTf
9°JtC
lem).
41. W-fl ?tA<U&.
(Yaqob Elbaradi)
...
42(a such of the historyof Barla'am)
£'&1n Ttl"
• • • • (Section 41 fromFisalgos)
43- h<£>4A?°A 41
(Herma)
44- %C 7
45- thV
(Hawi)
46. ®7C P>tlfh<
(Mar Yishaq)
¥
47- t&AllAP'A
(Filksiyos)
48(Aragawi Manfasawi)
(Matsehafe Bahirye)
49HACJ6
•
•
•
50. ooRfhiZ.
(Metsehafe T'aqebo Misle Fewis
9°tlA
Menfesawi)
Aahft
5X- ft1?Itfl 0tt0}ygnLt
(Zena Abba Benyamin)
52. £Af)il. mldtl mn.-fl ....
(Feleski Wegris Tebib)
53- o»Xihd. AAA4(MetsehafeFelasfa)
(Tsewene Nefes)
54- 0fflV
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28
ai,em£eshet#
AdditionalList of Books in Letter of Genbot 1899 (May 1907):
55- 7JtA -HlA V
flfc • • (Gedle Tekle Haimanot, published
in English)
tl7£"A • • • (Gedle Meba Tsion with Gedle
Gebre Kristos with picture)
hV'dA-
56. 7JC"A
•MM hCft-fft
57- 7JtA ihVtfkr
(Gedle Hawariyat)
58. aoRAA. hMllRC
(MetsehafeEskinder)
59- 1W "Qdt,C ■IMb'i'}
(Zena Beher Betsu'an)
60- hC(l6"P tDJZ&i
(The Four Gospels)
61. 7-f]^ (WPd?"V ttC 7 • • • • (Gebre Hawariyat printed in
h'f*"? f-t-q0 fflT-frJiA
Rome)
"
h+"7
V
Manuscripts& Printed Books in Paris
"
62. frti
(Sinksar of Sene)
63- ?£*A
(Gedle Sema'etat)
....
64. iJtA
(Gedle Qedus Fassilides)
4-A.Aftft
65. 7£:A P-hPtl
(Gedle Yostos)
66- 7JtA
(Gedle Abadir)
67- 7JtA <{.4»rnc
(Gedle Fiqtor)
68. 7JC"AA*A7P"A
(Gedle Susineyos)
69(Ye-Qedusan Melke)
0°6iYld
• • • (History of Atse Sertse Dengel)
7°- $%» i**G0 R'ilfi
71. H.9"
(Zena Galla)
But it is not knownhow many,if any, of these books, Alaqa Taye
was able to bringback to Ethiopia.
II. ConcerningAlaqa Taye's relationswithLej Iyassu, the following
poem attributedto Alaqa Taye, suggeststhat the Alaqa held not a very
high opinionof the young monarch. Cf. Hailu Kebede, op. cit.:
mp-Aifi MlC 1 Ml Ybf'i H I
"7 Aft®* flniflh '
■fH I
«
l
flT^-fl flflhC hftl6a-i*Ti
flDf
0Df I flO/jfy fA7i "
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"
"
MARIAM
AI^AQA TAYBGABRA
29
"Beware (my) countryof your baby king,
And of the Mekuanent(nobility)who get drunk early in the morning,
Who tormentyou by theirextravaganceand drunkenness,
There is no hope foryou to recover,(my country)! "
III. Finally,the followingletter whichAlaqa Taye sent fromEurope
to EmperorMenelikin May 1907 showsmuchmoreclearlythe nationalist
feelingsof the writer:
"The whole world is created by God, who is Impartial. He has
not created a completeheart (mind) for one people and an incomplete
heart (mind)foranotherpeople. . . To one who asks why are the Europeans, the Asians, and some of the Africanpeople skilled while we, Abyssinians. . . do not progressin spiritual and secular wisdom,the reply is
a shortone. First,it is because the people (ofAbyssinia)are not educated
and have not heard enoughof the wordsof the Gospel; it is because there
is no true knowledgeand no true love and modesty. Secondly, it is
because in our countrypeople withsome knowledgeare insulted,despised
and badly treated,instead of being respected; (as a result) such people
have chosento live lazily withoutworking. The typesof skill (forwhich
:
one) is insultedinstead of being thankedfor (are the following)
Those learned in books are called koc h or o 1)-picking Dabtaras.
Those who have learnt how to writeare called magiciansand sorcerers;
he who is a silver-smithor gold-smithis called anteregna
; if iron-smith,
if
buda
evil
he is called qetqa6or
eyed person); carpenter,he is called
(an
anati or piercerof wood; if he works on hide, he is called prey-eating
faqi; if he digs,if he clears land, he is called Kancha Mechi,wood-cutter,
and digger;if he farmswith oxen,he is called dekko 2)-wearingfarmer;
if he is a mason, he is called stone-piercerand mud-mixer. By thus
givingnames and insultingall typesof work,skilledworkis disappearing
gradually. Therefore,if Your Majesty would think about this problem
and stop such insultsby an Awaj, so that all people engaged in skilled
work may be respected,if you make all people send their childrento
skills to come
school, if you could attract foreigneducatorsin different
abroad
so that
and teach, if you could importa printingmachine from
all usefulbooks will be printedand distributedto the people, if you could
x) Dried enjerabrokenintosmall pieces, kept in traditionalEthiopian
housesin orderto preservethe qualityof the enjeraforlong.
2) A kind of over-coatmade out of hide.
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30
ESHET£
AI<EM£
replacethe foreigncurrency,bearingforeignpictures,now in circulation,
by one that will bear the pictureof Janhoy,your independentgovernment will be self-sufficient
and complete"1).
Alaqa Taye wrotethisletterin Genbot1899 (May 1907). And about
this time (in January 1908) Menelik passed an Awaj declaringthat all
skilled workshould be respectedand that no one should be insulted on
accountof his work(cf.Mahteme Selassie, ZekreNeger)a).
x) Axaqa Taye, Ye-ItyopiyaHizeb Tarik, Addis Ababa, 1972. Introductionof Dr. Tadesse Tamrat,pp. 19-20 (my translationfromAmharic).
In anotherletter,Alaqa Taye advisesthe Emperorto sendEthiopiansabroad
to study modernscience and technology(see Haii/ij Kebede, op. cit
p. 18).
2 AiyAQA
Taye, op.cit.,p. 20 and footnote15 (by Dr. Tadesse Tamrat).
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