Gadaa or Gada is the traditional social stratification system of Oromo males in Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Each class, or luba, consists of all of the sons of the men in another particular class. The entire class progresses through eleven different grades, each based on an eight-year cycle, and each with its own set of rights and responsibilities.

As of 1990, gadaa had active adherents only among the Borana and Guji groups near the Ethiopian-Kenyan border. Though the gadaa system itself is no longer widely practiced, it remains influential in Oromo society at large.

Reference

• Beckwith, Carol; Fisher, Angela; & Hancock, Graham. "Chapter 9: Spirit Worlds." African Ark. New York: Henry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990. ISBN 0-8109-1902-8

External link

• Information about Gadaa

Ethiopian culture | Ethiopian society | Kenyan culture | Kenyan society | Social groups

Gadaa