A Historical Survey of Mareka Wȃrȃda, South West Ethiopia to 1991

The thesis tries to reconstruct the socio-economic and political history of Mareka Wäräda of Dawuro Zone, focusing in the periods between 1941 and 1991. It mainly depends on the critical analysis of archival sources and oral information. The traditional socio-economic and political system of Mareka was replaced by a new system after the area became part of imperial Ethiopia in 1894. Especially after 1974, the land distribution and the subsequent institutionalization of the näfŃäňa gäbbar system in the area completely changed the local people’s traditional way of life. The socio-economic and administrative changes made by the imperial government in the post-1941 period also brought little development in the life of most of the local people of the district. The economic exploitation and socio-cultural suppressions continued until 1974. The administrative unfairness in the district also continued unabated throughout the imperial period. This was worsened by the unwillingness of local governors to implement the rules and regulations of central government properly in the area. Opposing this, the local people made successive petitions to the higher administrations; sometimes up to the central government but such petitions often bore no result.