Wak mythology
| Preach to the choir Religion |
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| Crux of the matter |
| Speak of the devil |
| An act of faith |
Among the Oromo of Ethiopia, there is a distinct story that underpins the gadaa social structure of the ethnic group, even though few believe it these days. It holds that their one god, Wak, lived in the clouds.
Wak this way[edit]
Wak is described as a creator god (no definite pattern of capitalizing "creator" or "god" is consistent) who lived in the clouds. He asked humanity to build itself a coffin in which they buried themselves; Wak proceeded to make it rain fire for 7 years to create mountains.[1]
Wak is a benefactor who does not punish; this is a mild contrast to the Abrahamic religions.
Woman was supposedly made from the blood of Man, who was then married by Man.[2][3]
Man reproduced creating 30 children. Man, who was apparently shamed by having so many, hid 15 of them, which Wak made into demons and other animals.[4]
Tak this way[edit]
The Gadaa belief system, though little-believed today except by one or two local groups within the Oromo, had a strong influence of establishing the social system used by Oromo men, and as the Oromo form over one-third of Ethiopia's population, that's quite some influence for a mythical cloud deity. On the positive side, the system encourages men to change their social role every 8 years, and is apparently democratic and egalitarian.[5] Perhaps the autocrats who have run Ethiopia for most of its history would have served their land better by having a little more gadaa in their activities, even if it's not based on firm rational principles.