ORAL SONGS IN THE CULTURAL RESISTANCE OF SALAALEE OROMOO

The main objective of this paper is to collect and analyze oral songs in the Cultural resistance of Salaale Oromoo. In the history of written literature of a given society, poetic compositions constitute one of the most important elements of the literature. One of the ways in which these poetic compositions are expressed is through songs by individuals or bands. In one way or another, the songs by individual vocalists or bands express the life situation of the society. The contents of the songs might be political, economic or social. In line with this, through oral songs, the Salaale Oromo expressed how much their incorporation with Ethiopian empire brought about significant socio-economic and political changes with far reaching consequences. The researcher found that the lives of slaves were better than that of Salaale gabbar under the four distinct political systems namely: Menilik II, the imperial, the Derg and Tplf. Besides commenting on the military regime, oral songs also advised the Oromo to have patience if they wanted to use their language for public purposes. The Salaale internal migration to Arssi and Baale has been repeatedly described in their songs. In Salaale, heroes are celebrated and their deeds retold as a role model through songs and folklore. The purpose of these oral songs is to portray the extent and form of the economic subjugation of peasants. They also show the peasant protest and social critique about local official?s confiscation of land, corruption and policy change. In dealing with the paper, qualitative research methods (narrative and descriptive research methods) have been used. The necessary data for this study were collected from primary and secondary sources. The data from primary sources were collected during field work. On the other hand, secondary sources relied on documents that used before and after fieldwork. As a result, the study is the product of two types of works; library and fieldwork. The main purpose of this study, hence, is to produce academic research in the cultural heart land of Salaale Oromo. Little has been done on this subject. Hence, the researcher has recommended that oral songs should be appropriately collected and recorded. Efforts should be made to preserve and maintain oral songs as cultural heritage as well as history. Studying oral songs contributes to the recording and preserving of the Oromo literatures that is part of the oral literature of the region .In such a way, it would have significance for academic research activities, general public and could advance the frontier of our knowledge on Cultural resistance of Salaale Oromo through oral songs.