OROMO IN MINNESOTA / OROMOO MINISOOTAA KEESSA ORAL HISTORY PROJECT:

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Oromo in Minnesota/Oromoo Minisootaa Keessa Oral History Project, Oral History Interviews of the Oromo in Minnesota/Oromoo Minisootaa Keessa Oral History Project. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Location of Master Files:

Digital masters of the files are maintained on the Society's secure digital collections storage servers and are managed and preserved in accordance with archival best practices.

Accession Information:

Accession number: AV2017.164

Processing Information:

The project was carried out with funding from the Minnesota's Clean water, Land, and Legacy Amendment.

Catalog ID number: 990088912720104294

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Biographical Information: Milko Abdurahman (Milkoo Andurahmaan / Milko Leti) was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the early 1990s. Her parents were immigrants from the Oromia region of Ethiopia. She moved with her family to St. Paul, Minnesota while still an infant. Her story and perspectives are representative of many second-generation Oromo immigrants. Milko is a writer and political organizer who participates in both American and Oromo politics.

Location

OH 177.1

Oral history interview with Milko Abdurahman, October 16, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (57 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (22 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Minnesota including family background, second generation immigrant experiences, identity, differences between Oromo culture and American culture, generational differences, Oromo cultural preservation and transmission, cultural change, assimilation, Oromo language, Oromo businesses, religion, Oromo community life, Oromo Sports Federation in North America, youth involvement in Oromo politics, and the 2016 presidential campaign; personal views on unrest in Ethiopia; return migration to Oromia; Oromo unity; and the importance of cultural transmission in Minnesota.

The interview was conducted and transcribed in English.

Digital version

Digital version

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Biographical Information: Meselech Bati (Milko Banso / Masu Batti / Massalech Baatii) was born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in the late 1960s. She graduated from a teacher training institute and worked for seven years as a teacher in Ethiopia. She fled Ethiopia in the face of government oppression, including surveillance and detention. Meselech and her husband and children lived for a time in Kenya before coming to the United States in 2004. She settled in Minnesota with her family.

Location

OH 177.2

Oral history interview with Meselech Bati, November 15, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (55 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, 1 transcript (Oromo language) (15 pages), and 1 English translation transcript (15 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, education, work as a teacher, oppression of the Oromo people, detention, prison conditions, and surveillance; immigration to the United States; life in Minnesota including first generation immigrant experiences, learning English, connecting with other Oromos, freedom of expression, personal safety, generational differences, Oromo cultural transmission, and assimilation; and personal views on the Oromo diaspora’s connections to Oromos in Ethiopia and Oromo unity.

The interview was conducted in Afaan Oromoo (Oromo language). The transcript is available in both Afaan Oromoo and English, translated by Hassen Hussein.

The interviewee reviewed the transcript.

Digital version

Digital version

Digital version - English translation

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Biographical Information: Abraham Dalu (Abrahaam Daaluu) was born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in the 1960s. He grew up in Kuyera, Ethiopia and attended Kuyera Adventist Academy. His father was an evangelist of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. As the socialist Derg came to power in Ethiopia in the 1970s, Abraham decided to leave the country for postsecondary studies in the Soviet Union. He earned a degree in agronomy from the Tashkent Agricultural Institute in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Following the completion of his studies, he defected to West Berlin, Germany and applied for asylum. He immigrated to the United States in 1985. Abraham earned his PhD in toxicology at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He lived with his family in a number of different locations in the United States. They eventually settled in Minnesota and had lived there for over twenty years at the time of the interview. Abraham is active in the Oromo community and the church.

Location

OH 177.3

Oral history interview with Abraham Dalu, December 8, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 14 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (19 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including Christian missionaries, family background, childhood, education, the Derg, socialism, suppression of religion under the Derg, and decision to leave Ethiopia; life in the Soviet Union and Germany including postsecondary studies in Uzbekistan, defecting to the West, and seeking asylum; immigration to the United States; life in the United States including first generation immigrant experiences, graduate studies, adjustment to American culture, decision to settle in Minnesota, sense of freedom, identity, Oromo cultural preservation, involvement in the Oromo community, human rights advocacy, and starting his healthcare business; personal views on the current political situation in Ethiopia; Oromo civic engagement; Oromo unity and disunity; Oromo political movements and leadership; and the future of the Oromo people.

The interview was conducted and transcribed in English.

The interviewee reviewed and edited the transcript.

Digital version

Digital version

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Biographical Information: Hawi Gamachu (Hawwii Gammachuu) was born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in the 1980s. She spent her childhood in a village in West Shewa, Ethiopia and attended grade school through high school in Finfinne (Addis Ababa), Ethiopia. In 2007, she began her university studies at Mekelle University. While at university, Hawi was an outspoken advocate for Oromo causes. She graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. In 2010, she received a diversity visa and immigrated to the United States the following year. She initially came to Dallas, Texas. She lived there for three years and then moved to Minnesota. Hawi is active in the Oromo community and continues to advocate for Oromo causes.

Location

OH 177.4

Oral history interview with Hawi Gamachu, December 26, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 5 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, 1 transcript (Oromo language) (19 pages), and 1 English translation transcript (21 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, education, urban and rural life, national education exams, university studies, political activism in high school and college, oppression of the Oromo people, and personal experience of ethnic discrimination; immigration to the United States including the diversity visa process; life in Texas and Minnesota including first generation immigrant experiences, reality and expectations of life in the United States, economic challenges, hopes, English language, weather, non-Oromo misperceptions of Oromos, Oromo community in Minnesota, difficulties in raising awareness of Oromo culture and causes, generation gap and language, Oromo cultural preservation and culture change, Irreecha, wedding traditions, cultural transmission, Oromo businesses, involvement in Oromo community events and activities, and barriers to pursuing postsecondary education; personal views on Oromo youth; the future of the Oromo people; and Oromo unity.

The interview was conducted in Afaan Oromoo (Oromo language). The transcript is available in both Afaan Oromoo and English, translated by Hassen Hussein.

Digital version

Digital version

Digital version - English translation

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Biographical Information: Bayissa Gerbi (Baayyisaa Garbii) was born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in the 1980s. His parents passed away when he was a child and through the help of extended relatives he was able to pursue a college education. Two years into college, Bayissa received a diversity visa to come to the United States and immigrated to Minnesota in 2003. Bayissa pursued his postsecondary education in Minnesota and became a dental assistant. After establishing his life in Minnesota, he returned to Oromia to marry his wife who then joined him in Minnesota. Bayissa is a community activist involved in Oromo causes.

Location

OH 177.5

Oral history interview with Bayissa Gerbi, September 10, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 18 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, 1 transcript (Oromo language) (22 pages), and 1 English translation transcript (19 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, childhood, loss of his mother and father, extended family support systems, and education; immigration to the United States including the diversity visa process and financial challenges; life in Minnesota including first generation immigrant experiences, challenges as a new immigrant, weather, culture shock, housing, immigrant sponsors, support networks, economic pressures, expectations and reality of life in the United States, education, career as a dental assistant, community service, long distance courtship, and return to Oromia for his wedding; and personal views on current Oromo politics and leadership.

The interview was conducted in Afaan Oromoo (Oromo language). The transcript is available in both Afaan Oromoo and English, translated by Hassen Hussein.

The interviewee reviewed the transcript.

Digital version

Digital version

Digital version - English translation

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Biographical Information: Utukana Gimbo (Utukaanaa Gimboo) was born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia around the early 1950s. His family were pastoralists. He attended school for the first time at fourteen and completed eleven grades. Utukana was conscripted into the Ethiopian military under the Derg regime. He spent much of his adult life as a coffee trader. In 2014, Utukana came to the United States with other Oromo leaders for a conference and decided to seek asylum. He lives in Minnesota and is a respected community elder.

Location

OH 177.6

Oral history interview with Utukana Gimbo, November 16, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (57 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, 1 transcript (Oromo language) (19 pages), and 1 English translation transcript (19 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, pastoralists, education, military service, contraband trade under the Derg, coffee trade, differences between life under Haile Selassie and the Derg, rise of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), conflict between the TPLF and Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), and oppression of the Oromo; immigration to the United States; life in Minnesota including first generation immigrant experiences, first impressions of the United States, the gadaa system (Oromo socio-political system), sense of welcome, learning English, seeking asylum, Irreecha, Oromo youth, Oromo cultural preservation and transmission, and current Oromo involvement in business and politics; and personal views on diaspora and exile, political situation in Oromia, unity and divisions among the Oromo people, and relationship between Oromia and the diaspora.

The interview was conducted in Afaan Oromoo (Oromo language). The transcript is available in both Afaan Oromoo and English, translated by Hassen Hussein.

The interviewee reviewed the transcript.

Digital version

Digital version

Digital version - English translation

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Biographical Information: Fuad Ibrahim (Fu’aad Ibraahim) was born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in the 1970s. After he graduated from high school, Fuad had to flee from Ethiopia. He went to Hargeisa, Somalia where he worked at a foreign guesthouse. In 1990, Fuad was sponsored to immigrate to the United States, coming initially to Houston, Texas. Within a year and a half, he was able to move to Minnesota with the help of friends. In Minnesota, Fuad pursued his postsecondary studies and worked as a network specialist and a radiology technician. He also contributed to establishing the Oromo Community of Minnesota (a nonprofit community organization) and the Oromo Sports Federation in North America (OSFNA).

Location

OH 177.7

Oral history interview with Fuad Ibrahim, August 16, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 17 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, 1 transcript (Oromo language) (24 pages), and 1 English translation transcript (24 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, oppression of Oromos, childhood, education, economy, and fleeing to Somalia. life in Hargeisa, Somalia including refugee camps and work in a foreign guesthouse; immigration to the United States including the immigration process, immigration sponsors, and arrival; life in Texas and Minnesota including first generation immigrant experiences, expectations and realities of life in the United States, employment, English language, education, moving from Texas to Minnesota, Oromo support networks, Oromo cultural preservation, culture loss, generation gap, origins of the nonprofit Oromo Community of Minnesota, origins and activities of the Oromo Sports Federation in North America, reasons for Oromo immigration to Minnesota, and Oromo language; and personal views on the current political situation in Ethiopia and Oromo unity.

The interview was conducted in Afaan Oromoo (Oromo language). The transcript is available in both Afaan Oromoo and English, translated by Hassen Hussein.

The interviewee reviewed the transcript.

Digital version

Digital version

Digital version - English translation

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Biographical Information: Garibe Lolo (Gariibee Loloo) was born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in the late 1970s. She immigrated to the United States in 1995 as a teenager in the midst of the political upheavals that followed the collapse of the Derg regime. She originally lived in San Diego, California but moved to Minnesota within a year. Garibe settled in Minnesota with her family.

Location

OH 177.8

Oral history interview with Garibe Lolo, November 16, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 1 minute), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, 1 transcript (Oromo language) (18 pages), and 1 English translation transcript (18 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, childhood, regime changes in the 1990s, and her family’s political activities; immigration to the United States including push and pull factors, last weeks in Ethiopia, first experiences in the United States, culture shock and homesickness, and reasons for moving to Minnesota; life in Minnesota including first generation immigrant experiences, her American-born children, economic challenges, return migration, Oromo youth, Oromo cultural preservation, cultural change, Oromo businesses, engagement in Oromo and American politics, generational differences, communication with family in Ethiopia, and the Twin Cities Oromo community.

The interview was conducted in Afaan Oromoo (Oromo language). The transcript is available in both Afaan Oromoo and English, translated by Hassen Hussein.

The interviewee reviewed the transcript.

Digital version

Digital version

Digital version - English translation

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Biographical Information: Rammy Mohamed (Ramii Muhaammad) was born in Finfinne (Addis Ababa), Ethiopia in the late 1980s. She was raised by her grandmother and grew up in Finfinne until 1998 when her family fled the country to Kenya. She lived with family in Nairobi, Kenya, for about a year then immigrated to the United States in 1999. She came originally to the Twin Cities where she completed middle school, high school, and college. Rammy is an active member of the Oromo community including involvement in women’s organizations and youth organizations. She is also a founding member of the Oromo Media Network. Rammy is a fashion designer and owns a business called Kena Events.

Location

OH 177.9

Oral history interview with Rammy Mohamed, November 14, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 30 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (27 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, childhood, TV programming, Oromo language and Amharic language, her family’s political activities, oppression of Oromos, education, fleeing from Ethiopia to Kenya, and her neighborhood in Finfinne. life in Nairobi, Kenya including the Pangani neighborhood and police harassment; immigration to the United States including sponsorships, the journey, and first experiences in the United States; life in Minnesota including first generation immigrant and 1.5 generation immigrant experiences, learning English, encountering other races and ethnicities, her passion for art and event planning, immigrant identity, Oromo community, assimilation pressures on Oromo youth, Oromo women’s groups, Oromo community organizations and businesses, and practicing Islam; and personal views on Oromo civic engagement in the diaspora.

This interview was conducted and transcribed in English.

Digital version

Digital version

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Biographical Information: Nagessa Oddo (Nageessaa Oddoo / Nagessa Odo / Nagessa Dube) was born in a small town in the Oromio region of Ethiopia in the early 1980s. After completing high school, he moved to Finfinne (Addis Ababa), Ethiopia to attend Addis Ababa University. In college, Nagessa participated in and led student political protests. Despite numerous interruptions, including detention and expulsion for his political activities, he continued his studies and graduated in 2009 after nine years. Following his graduation, Nagessa was elected vice chairman of the Oromo People’s Congress and he also served as head of public relations for the Oromo Federalist Congress, two opposition parties in Ethiopia. Nagessa came to Minnesota in 2013 after winning a scholarship to study at Winona State University and subsequently applied for asylum. Nagessa continued his activism work in Minnesota.

Location

OH 177.10

Oral history interview with Nagessa Oddo, September 15, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 13 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, 1 transcript (Oromo language) (18 pages), and 1 English translation transcript (20 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, education, origins of his involvement in Oromo politics, oppression of the Oromo people, Oromo activism and organizing on university campuses, Oromo and Amhara student organizers, Oromo student protests and boycotts, police brutality, detention, surveillance, and Oromo opposition parties; immigration to the United States including applying to college programs and departure from Ethiopia; life in Minnesota including first generation immigrant experiences, civic engagement, continued advocacy for Oromo causes, concern for family remaining in Ethiopia, assimilation, challenges, Oromo cultural preservation, and the Oromo community in Minnesota; and personal views on the ancient history of the Oromo, the Qubee Generation (Literature Generation) and Oromo youth, the psychological impact of oppression, the gadaa system (Oromo socio-political system), Oromo unity and disunity, and the future of the Oromo diaspora.

The interview was conducted in Afaan Oromoo (Oromo language). The transcript is available in both Afaan Oromoo and English, translated by Hassen Hussein.

Digital version

Digital version

Digital version - English translation

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Biographical Information: Ejero Usuu (Ejeroo Usuu) was born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia in the late 1980s and grew up near the city of Dodola, Ethiopia. As a young teenager, he immigrated to the United States with his family after his father obtained a diversity immigrant visa. His family lived first in Oregon and then moved to Minnesota in 2001. Ejero graduated from high school in Minnesota and then studied at the University of Minnesota where he majored in biology. Ejero is involved in Oromo community and culture in Minnesota including serving as president of the Oromo Sports Federation in North America (OSFNA) beginning in 2015.

Location

OH 177.11

Oral history interview with Ejero Usuu, August 19, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 13 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, and 1 transcript (21 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, education, and the Oromo language; immigration to the United States including diversity visa process, push and pull factors, challenges faced by new immigrants, and the decision to move to Minnesota; life in Minnesota including first generation immigrant and 1.5 generation immigrant experiences, involvement in Oromo culture and community life, learning English, employment, adjusting to American culture, generational differences, changing marriage traditions, ethnicity and identity, unity and division in the Oromo community in Minnesota, connections to family in Oromia, Oromo Sports Federation in North America, and assimilation; and personal views on political and social unrest in Ethiopia and the future of Oromos in Minnesota.

The interview was conducted and transcribed in English.

The interviewee reviewed the transcript.

Digital version

Digital version

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Biographical Information: Agitu Wodajo (Aagituu Wodaajoo) was born in the village of Nedjo, Wollega, in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, in the late 1950s. After graduating from high school, Agitu attended a public health college in northern Ethiopia and earned a degree in nursing. She worked as a public health nurse and also ran a nonprofit focused on women’s economic empowerment. In 1994, Agitu immigrated to the United States with her children. They moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where Agitu went on to complete a bachelor’s degree in human services and a master’s degree in public affairs from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She also started a nonprofit that assisted immigrant women in Minnesota called International Self-Reliance Agency for Women. Agitu is the author of The Secret to Finishing Well: Quest for Authentic Leadership, and at the time of the interview, she was writing a second book, Opportunity in Adversity: Life Without Waste.

Location

OH 177.12

Oral history interview with Agitu Wodajo, October 8, 2016. 1 master audio file: digital, WAV (1 hour, 3 minutes), 1 user audio file: digital, MP3, 1 transcript (Oromo language) (15 pages), and 1 English translation transcript (17 pages).

Subjects discussed: Life in Ethiopia including family background, religion, education, Christian mission schools, economic hardship in her childhood and adolescence, gender relations and gender discrimination, training to be a public health nurse, relations between different ethnicities, and bridal kidnapping; immigration to the United States; life in Minnesota including first generation immigrant experiences, language, and challenges adjusting to life in the United States; and personal views on Oromo literature, Oromo traditions, and unity and divisions in the Oromo community.

The interview was conducted in Afaan Oromoo (Oromo language). The transcript is available in both Afaan Oromoo and English, translated by Hassen Hussein.

The interviewee reviewed and edited the transcript.

Digital version

Digital version

Digital version - English translation

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Immigrants -- Minnesota.

Immigrants -- United States.

Oromo (African people) -- Social life and customs.

Oromo (African people) -- Minnesota.

Oromo language.

Persons:

Abdurahman, Milko, interviewee.

Bati, Meselech, interviewee.

Dalu, Abraham, interviewee.

Gamachu, Hawi, interviewee.

Gerbi, Bayissa, interviewee.

Gimbo, Utukana, interviewee.

Hussein, Hassen, translator.

Ibrahim, Fuad, interviewee.

Jiru, Ayano, interviewer.

Lol, Garibe, interviewee.

Mohamed, Rammy, interviewee.

Oddo, Nagessa, interviewee.

Usuu, Ejero, interviewee.

Wodajo, Agitu, interviewee.

Organizations:

Oromo Sports Federation in North America.

Places:

Ethiopia -- Politics and government.

Oromiyā kelel (Ethiopia)

United States -- Politics and government.

Document Types:

Interviews.

Oral histories (document genres).

Sound recordings.

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