A Coffee trade In Zage

1

Rivalry for Zegie Peninsula Coffee up until early 20th

century.

I. Introduction

Zegé peninsula, which is situated at (11° 40’ to 11° 43’ N and 37 °19’ to 37 °21’

E), is located at 600kms northwest of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.

It is at an altitude of approximately 1800 meters above sea level. Surrounded

by Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile,

Zegie Peninsula attached to dry land on its eastern part. As a place name

denotes the peninsula that encloses two rural qebele, the former monastery

and Zägé town, is situated in North West Ethiopia on the south-western shore

of Lake Tana. Administratively Zegé is part of the present day Bahir Dar city

Administration and is 32kms far away from Bahir Dar town, the capital of

Amhara National Regional State. Zegé peninsula is 1,347 hectares in size. The

origin of the term Zegié is somewhat obscure.1 Informants from Ura Kidane

miheret monastic church, one of the earliest church in the peninsula

associated the term to Debra Zegag and Abba Nahom; where as some monks of

Mahal Zegié attributed the term to Zengie (my shaft) and Abun Betre Maryam,

founder of Zegie monastery. Still another church scholar, Aleqa Aynakulu

Mersha, related the term to a name of a tribe called Zegie.

There are six Monastic- churches in the peninsula established between 14th

and 17th centuries. Until recently, farming practices using draft animals had

been forbidden and the main occupation of the people is coffee plantation and

fishing. Coffee has grown under shade of big trees. Nevertheless, the people

1ALEMNEW ALELIGN, Socio-economic factors affecting sustainable utilization of woody species in

Zegie Peninsula, Northwestern Ethiopia, Aba Bekalu, Ura, 06-09-2008; Aba HailGabrael,Mahal

Zegie,06-09-2008; In one of the articles of professor Tadesse Tamrat, one of the sons Melalo Selalo, Zage, had been settled in Northern Gojjam facing Beghimider and Aynakulu Mersha

mentioned the tribe as one of the earliest settlers of Zegié peninsula.

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have currently started farming and clearing the forest for agricultural

purposes.2

1. Introduction and production of Coffee in Zegie Peninsula

The people of Zegie or Zegegnas (as the inhabitants of the peninsula used to

call themselves) considered Abune Betre Maryam not only as their spiritual

father but also as a miraculous monk instrumental to the foundation of

natural coffee in the peninsula. Basing their belief on what is recorded in the

gedel (Miracle of Abune Betre Maryam, Zegégnas generally hold a view that

natural coffee was endowed to them through the saint’s prayer. Accordingly, in

his way to and after settling in the peninsula, which was then barren land, the

miraculous saint attracted large number of adherents. With the dramatic

increase of his followers, the Miracle continues, the abun/saint/ worried on the

issue and asked in his prayer to God about what to feed those souls. God then

responded to his praying and ordered Abune Betre Maryam to give his shaft to

his disciple, Bertholomewos, to plant them after breaking it into three pieces.

Abune Betre Maryam did the assignment as had been ordered by God and

coffee, gesho, and lemon grew out of the abun’s Miraculous Stick for the

livelihood of Zegié.3 It is difficult to accept this tradition without reservation.

Based on the available sources, however, it is possible to perceive that the

discovery and introduction of coffee in to the peninsula is attributed to Abune

Betre Maryam.

2 Alamiraw Alelegne,“Diversity and Socio-Economic Importance of Woody Plants on the

Peninsula of Zagé, North Western Ethiopia; Implications for their Sustainable Utilization.” (M.A.

Thesis Submitted to Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2001)

3 Interview: Aba Haile Gabreal Alemu, Mehal Zegié, 19-03-2009,Aba Bekalu Tegegne,Ura-18-

11-09-2008; about Zegie coffee’s association to Abune Betre Maryam, see Enrico Cerulli,

“Gli Atti di Betre Maryam”, Rassegna Di Studi Ethiopici,Vol.29,No.1 3(Cambridge

University press,1988)pp.19-25.

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It is however pertinent here to signify the presence of a historical

substantiation that strengthened the widely held view that associates the origin

of Zege’s coffee to saintly father. One of our informants in Zegié recounted that

coffee has been served as source of livelihood in the peninsula since the arrival

of their ancestors and forefathers in the early 17th &18th centuries. In support

of this view two well-known historians, Pankhurst and Merid, noted that coffee

was cultivated in the Lake Tana region before the 19th century. Besides Zegie,

Qurata and Tana chirqos were centers of coffee production. However, before the

19th century Coffee exported from Ethiopia was almost nonexistent. The

inhabitants of the peninsula used coffee mostly for local trade and for home

consumption especially as a luxury for the ruling elite. Throughout the 18th

century up until 19th century there was very little or no coffee exported from

any part of Ethiopia. In the early 19th century, however, coffee from Zegie

peninsula becomes an important export item.4

When Zegie Peninsula became an important Centre of coffee trade, from the

19th century onwards, long distance traders who were in need of its coffee

frequented the peninsula from Yismala. From Zegie market coffee merchants

took the coffee to Metema market across Lake Tana. Its steadily growing coffee

4 Mered Welde Aregay, "The Early History of Ethiopia's Coffee Trade and the Rise of

Shewa." Journal of African History, Vol.29, No. 1-3, (Great Britain: Cambridge

University Press, 1988), pp.19-25; Richard Pankhurst, Economic History of

Ethiopia1800-1935, Addis Ababa 1968, p.202&302; Abdussamad H. Ahmad, Priest

Planters and Slaves of Zegie(Ethiopia),The International Journal of African Historical

Studies,vol.29,No. 3 (1997)p.543; Informants(Mezgabu Yinger, Aba Haile Gabreal,

Mehal Zegie interviewed on 06-07February 2009. They recounted that until the

arrival of the first Amhara settlers in the late 17th century, Zegie peninsula was

cenobites Monastery exclusively inhabited by monks.

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trade had therefore substantial contribution for Zegie to become one of the

principal towns in the Lake Tana region.5

2. Zegie’s Coffee as a bone of contention among rival powers.

Its strategic importance as a port and center of coffee trade brought Zegie a

good fortune to be one of the prospected capitals and most frequently visited

towns by Emperor Tewodros (r1855-1868). Nevertheless, Emperor Tewoderos II

is noted in Zegié mainly for his punitive measures. He is said to have cut the

coffee trees down into hatches and turned the prosperous town of Zegié into

ashes. As he did in other parts of the Empire, the Emperor might have

unleashed his wrath on Zegie against his main opponents and rebels in

Gojjam.6 The peninsula & its natural endowments, however, continued to

attract the attention of sovereigns and traders.

From the late nineteenth century onwards, its growing demand in the British

and Italian colonies stimulated the inhabitants of Zegié to increase their coffee

production. Zegie’s coffee then rejuvenated and the peninsula soon becomes

famous for its coffee plantation. Among other reasons Coffee utilization by the

ordinary people in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan as a stimulant contributed for its

growing demand. With the increase of its market demand, the inhabitants’

labor alone found to be insufficient to produce large quantity of coffee.

Therefore, individual cultivators in the peninsula employed slave labor for their

coffee farm. Large scale coffee cultivation began by using slave labor

5 Abdussamad, “Trade and Politics in Gojjam” M.A. thesis, Addis Ababa university

1980: 53

6 Blanc,Narratives of Capitivity in Abyssinia,London,1968,pp143-163;Hormuz Rassam, Narratives of the British

Mission to Theodore, the King of Abyssinia,London,1969, pp18-20; Interview ,Aba Bekalu, an 80 year Monk and

servant of Ura kidanemiheret at the time of interview,24-09-2008. About Tewdros’s struggle with Gojjame rulers,

see Bairu Tafla, “Two of the Last Provincial kings of Ethiopia”, Journal of Ethiopian Studies Vol. xi

No.1(1973)p.30;see Hayes (1905)p.159.

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extensively. Zegie’s coffee production therefore reached its peak in the first

three decades of the 20th century.7

However, on Yemaheber Meret (the congregation land, land allocated for group

of church servants) coffee cultivation was carried out by priest community. As

devoted religious people, who joined the monastery leaving the Worldly life,

beginner monks known as re’ed/helper/ required to work on coffee farms that

was assigned to congregation of church servants. Their head known as liqered

was in charge of coordinating all activities related to the production,

transportation and transaction of congregation’s coffee.8

By the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a rich coffee trade

between the Lake Țana region and the British Sudan. Indeed, some coffee had

also reached Massawa. It flows toward British Sudan and Italy through her

colony Eritrea. The presence of the British and the Italians in the Sudan and

Eritrea respectively, thus had drawn the coffee trade to the Sudan and Eritrea.

Its coffee was highly demanded in the Sudan and Eritrea as well as in some

European countries like Italy.9

Therefore, Zegie’s famous coffee attracted both long distance traders and

7 Abdussamad H.Ahmad, ibid (1997) p.544; Interview: Fäntahun Tsegaye, Ura, 18-03-

2009; Segid Ali Jibril, Zegié town 08-002 2009.

8 HaileIyesus Çhkol, Ura, 06-09-2008; Damte Fentahun, Fentahun Tsegaye, interviewed in Ura

from 4-5 february2009. As a monastery, Zegie had been administered by priesthood Echelons Memehir

(lit teacher , but chief official in charge of spiritual and secular affairs of Zegie monastery), the Meslenie,

representative and deputy to chief official and the liqared( lit. head of beginner monks or “ helpers”

)representative for the laity. Since members of the congregation (priests, monks and deacons) had to

give priesthood service to endowed churches, the liqared put among others in charge of coordinating

activities related to coffee cultivation and its transaction.

9 Abdussämäd Haji Ahmäd,“Priest Planters and Slavers of Zegé, (Ethiopia), 1900-

1935,” International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 29, No.3. (1997), p.

543; Abdussama H. Ahmad " Anglo-Italian conflicting Interests in the Lake Tana Region, 1913-1935” in

International conference of Ethiopian studies, Volume I,(1994),Pp.620-621.

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foreign coffee merchants to Zegie town. Some merchants like Mussie Dimitry

and Mussie Baslinyos, were engaged in this lucrative trade privately. These two

Greek merchants entered Zegie by way of Dangela. After their arrival in 1904-

1905, they involved in coffee trade. By then Zegie’s coffee reportedly had

exported mostly to Mettema and less went to Massawa.10 Another person with

similar interest in Zegie’s coffee trade was Gillagiyorgis Oqbit. With humble

background, Gila’s birthplace was Hamasen, Eritrea. Before he had become

one of the well-known personalities for abolishing slavery and for his patriotic

activities in the Zegie &Bahir dar in the1930s, Gilagiyorgis was a coffee

merchant in Zegié.11

Some people involved in Zegie’s coffee business on behalf of their country.

Colonel Peluso, a retired Italian army officer, was a case in point. Peluso was

an Italian agent who was sent Lake Tana region by the colonial government of

Eritrea. After his arrival to Zegie peninsula the colonel was put in charge of

establishing commercial relation between the two areas. He therefore started

coffee trade on behalf of his country. Before accomplishing his mission,

however, Peluso was murdered in Zegie in 1932.12

Nevertheless, his death did not bring the Italians plan to an end. They

continued to strive to establish commercial link between Zegie and their

10 Interview: Yehayis Engedaw, Zegié town, 04-08-2009; Mezgabu Yinger, Mehal Zegié,

19-03-2009; A.J.Hayes, The Source of the Blue Nile, London 1905,p.159;

Yashiwandim Wereta, “A Historical Survey of Bahir Dar Town 1941-1974.” (BA Senior

Essay in History, Yekatit 66 Institute of Political Education, 1990), p.12.

11 Cheesman, R,E, Lake Tana and the Blue Nile: An Abyssinian

Quest,Edinburgh,1936,p.150, Abdussämäd Haji Ahmäd (1996), OP.Cit.p.555.

12Charles Rey, In the country of the Blue Nile.(London: Duck worth, 1927),p.27, Harold G.

Marcus, A History of Ethiopia (London, University of California press, 1994),p.72; Abdussamad

(1994) Op.Cit, pp. 620-621.

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colony. Indeed, in the first three decades of the twentieth century the Italians

did their best to divert most of the coffee trade towards their colony. In 1910s,

Giuseppe Ostini, the Italian colonial agent in Gondar, recommended his

government an idea to connect Zegie and Massawa by water and land transport

systems. In 1915, Ostini himself had amassed 50,000 kilograms of coffee.

Fifteen years later another Italian consul at Gondar, Raffael Di Lauro, renewed

the Italian initiative. Basing him on scientific research, Lauro had advised the

Italian government to improve the Zegie - Dalgi transportation system so that a

sufficient and a better quality coffee would reach Italy.13

Great Britain, on her part, seems to have had a strong desire to keep much of

the trading merchandise from Ras Hailu’s kingdom, Gojjam, under her own

influence. In connection with this, one of her diplomats, Charles Rey, won a

tentative agreement from Ras Hailu in 1920. In that, negotiation the ras

confirmed the diplomat to keep much of the trade and its routes flowing

towards Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.14

As important sources of coffee commodity, Zegie peninsula also brought local

powers into a rivalry. The conflicting interest between Ras Hailu and Ras Teferi

Mekonnen can partially be mentioned as a case in point. As a governor of

Gojjam(1907-1932), Ras Hailu controlled Zegie peninsula in 1911and cornered

the customs at Zegie port. Besides revising the tax system, the ras began to

collect market dues in cash. Within a short span of time the governor

13

Ibid, Charles Rey; Teferi Mekonnen, Op.Cit.pp70-71

14Takla Iyasus " ya Ithiopia Tarik:Nigus Takla Haymanot " (Institute of Ethiopian studies, MS 254, Addis

Ababa University); Nebyu Iyasu, “Administrative History of Gojjam 1941-1974.” MA

Thesis in History, AAU, 2004, p.13.

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expropriated large sum of money and established vast coffee farms to extent of

considering Zegie as his own gult property.15

In 1920s, Ras Hailu grew in power and wealth and became one of the serious

rivals of Ras Teferi Mekonnen. Considering him as a security risk, Ras Teferi

and Empress Zewditu (r1916-1930) made every possible effort to undermine

Ras Hailu’s hereditary authority in Gojjam. They had, for instance, used

Fitawrari Sheiferaw, governor of Mecha, as a spy to watch the ras’s activities

closely.16 Meanwhile, through his opportunist neutrality Ras Hailu maintained

smooth relationship with the central government.

Among others his merciless taxation in his kingdom and his notorious

undertaking in Zegie such as inheriting moveable property& grabbing unmovable

property including coffee land, however, made Ras Hailu easy prey for his

adversaries.17 Ras Tafari, the later Emperor Haile Selassie I(1930-1974), used

the people’s dissatisfaction as an opportunity for removing his notorious rival. He

therefore called up on the people of Gojjam to bring complaints against their

hereditary governor. Soon afterwards a large number of complaints began to flow into

the Imperial court .Probably the pioneer ship in this move was taken by the zegegnas.

Being tired of shouldering the grievances imposed by him, they accused Ras Hailu for

15

Gilkes, Patrice, The Dying Lion; Feudalism and Modernization in Ethiopia. Julian Friedman publishers

Ltd,(1975)p.31

16Chritopher Clapham, Hailä Selassie’s Government.(New York, Praeger,1969.), p.18;

Nebyu Iyasu, Op.Cit, p.13; Interview: Géţyehun Kassa, Ura, 19-03-2009; Yehäyes

Engedaw, Sägid Ali Jibril, Zägé town, 08-02-2009:Bairu Tafla (1973)p.45.

14 Interview:Aba Haile Gabreal Alämu, Mähal Zägé, 19-03-2009,Aba Bekalu

Tegegne,Ura-18-11-09-2008;Seletene Seyum, Op.Cit.p.19; Tsega Endalew, Inter-

Ethnic Relations on a Frontier; Matakal(Ethiopia)1898-1991,Harrassowitz Verlag

Wiesbaden,2006,pp.77-87.

15 Interview Getihun Kassa, Ura, 19-03-2009, Yeheyis Engidaw,Segid Ali Jibril ,Zegie town08-02-2009.

17 Takla Iyasus ‘yaitopia…, p-155; Interview: Damte Fentahun, Fantahun Tsegaye, Ura Kidane Mihret, on

05Feb.2009.

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a number of cases. Upholding the decision of the Zegie people, the charge against Ras

Hailu was taken by a group of seven elders.18

In the post Adwa period Emperor Menilik(1889-1913) did his best to facilitate

smooth transaction and to obtain good profit from trans- frontier trade and its

customs. He therefore prearranged Ethiopian frontier officials to protect

Ethiopian merchants not to enter the Sudan without paying custom dues.

Indeed, Sudanese merchants trading in Ethiopia too were taxed. For a mule

loaded with coffee a merchant was taxed one amole, which was salt bar served

by then as currency. There had been well established long distance trade

between the Lake Tana region and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. Before reaching

Zegie coffee traders of Gojjam went through Yismala Giyorgis. It took one day

for merchants to reach Zegie market. After buying Coffee from Zegie long

distance traders headed over to Mettema by way of Delgi across the lake and

reach Mettema after 6 days travel on foot. The coffee producers (both the clergy

and the laity) on their part either sold their coffee in Zägé market or took it to

Mettema. They had used tankwa (reed boat) to transport their coffee across the

lake. It was by then the only means of transportation to cross Lake Țana.19

Both the monastic community and the ordinary people had used to sell the

coffee either in a local market or in Mettema. Until the beginning of the 20th

18Interview: Fentahun Tsegaye, Damte Fentahun, Bakalu Tagegne. One of the informants and a son of

one of the members of the representives of Zegié, Said that his father got 90 sacks of coffee as his share

from Ras Hailu’s grain store. The names of the elders who took the charge to the internal court against

Ras Hailu were Liqrad Yiheyis Mirtneh, Maregeta Fantahun Wubshat, Mamhir Laeka Maryam Tsehayu,

Mislane Genet Bisewer (from Ura) ,Mislene Kokebu Tasfahun (yigarda),Fire Genet, Liqered Gadlu Lema

(Mahale Zegie)

18. Seleten Seyum,A History of Bahir dar Town(1988)pp.15-16; A.J.Hayes,( 1905)p.159;Kapiten

Negash Gurumu, Masetawosha, archive from National Arcives and Liberary

F.No.ከ.ተ.18.16,(written in 1937)p.4.; Abdussamad, “Trade and Politics in Gojjam” M.A.

thesis, Addis Ababa university 1980 p.53.

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century tankwa was the only means of transportation to cross Lake Tana. The

people &merchants had therefore used to transport coffee commodity by

tankwa in a south westerly direction from Zegie to Delgie town in Gondar. At

Delgie both the Zegegnas and other coffee traders had used to hire pack

animals to pack their coffee to Mettema market. The importance of the tankwa

in relation to Zegié’s coffee trade came to an end only when the Italians

introduced boats by 1930s.20

In the early years of the post occupation period, the pre-Italian form of trade

revived in Zegié. Both long distance caravan trade and local trade linked Zegié

town with several different markets. The removal of pre-war political barriers

such as custom tariffs and the use of currency encouraged trade. Coffee was

still a major export of Zegié. Some merchants used to export about fifteen pack

animals at once. Unlike pre-occupation traders of Zegié, post war coffee

merchants preferred the land route to the lake route. Now, they had no

problem of finding pack animals. Traveling in groups under the leadership of

chief merchant negadras, coffee traders used to tackle with the problem of

bandits. Following the land route that runs through Achefer and Wondgie,

merchants of Zegié entered Mettema and Basounda, a market located in the

Sudan, through Alafa. From the Sudan merchants brought bales of abujudid

and zeha (thread).21

Summary

Coffee production has been the source of socio –economic and political power

20

Interview Getihun Kassa, Ura ,19-03-2009, Yeheyis Engidaw,Segid Ali Jibril ,Zegie town08-02-2009

21 Interview:YehäyisEngidaw,Zägé town,11-08-2008;GéţyehunKassa,Ura19-03-

2009; Mäzgäbu Yenagär, Mähal Zägé 30-05-2009; See also Seletene Seyum (1988),

Op.Cit.,P.88; Abdussamad (1980) Op.Cit.,p.59.

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in Zegie Peninsula. The different social echelon; the ruling lords, ladies and

Church officials were depended on coffee and coffee related resources. With

growing demand for coffee a new social class, slavery and slave owning priest

planters came into existence. As a centre of coffee trade a port and a town that

attracted both local and international merchants developed in the peninsula.