Kumsa Moroda

Dejazmach Kumsa Moroda (Oromo: Kumsaa Morodaa, Amharic: ኩምሳ ሞሮዳ; 1870–1924), Christian name Gebregziabher Moroda (Amharic: ገብረእግዚአብሄር ሞሮዳ), was the third and last Moti, or ruler, of the Welega kingdom also known as the Leqa Neqamte state. His father was Moti Moroda Bekere. Upon the conquest of Leka Neqamte by Ethiopia under Menelik II, he submitted to Ethiopian rule, converting to Tewahedo Orthodox Christianity, taking the name Gebregziabher (Amharic for "Servant of God"), and was appointed the Shum, or governor, of the expanded Welega Province.[1] He fought at the Battle of Adwa and was later awarded the title of Dejazmach.

Under his rule, Nekemte continued to prosper, despite the re-imposition of central authority; Russian explorer Alexander Bulatovich visited Nekemte on 13 March 1897; in his memoirs he describes its marketplace as "a very lively place and presents a motley mixture of languages, dress, and peoples", and carefully described the paintings in the town's newly constructed Ethiopian Orthodox church.[2] In 1905, a central government customs office was officially opened in Nekemte.

His cousin was the businessman and historian Blatta Deressa Amante, father of the senior statesman Lij Yilma Deressa.

See also

References
  1. Soszynski, Henry. "LEQA". members.iinet.net.au. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  2. From Entotto to the River Baro Archived 2017-12-16 at the Wayback Machine (1897), translated by Richard Selzer, Ethiopia through Russian Eyes: Country in Transition, 1896-1898 (Lawrenceville: Red Sea Press, 2000) ISBN 1-56902-117-1 (accessed 2 November 2009)
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