Furra

Furra was a Nigist (Queen) of the Sidama region of Ethiopia, c.1300-1400’s. I have included her as a part of the mythical and legendary women series as her history is based solely on oral tales and there is no written record of her prior to this. Due to this, it is difficult to determine many facts about her, including the dates of her seven-year reign and even her clan, only that she hailed from the Sidama region. It has been suggested that she was from either Hawella Gadire, Yanassie, Kusaye or Sawolla.

 

Furra is a similar figure to another we have discussed, Arawelo, in that her reign was remembered for her encouragement of women. However, as with Arawelo, Furra oppressed men during her reign, showing special attention to the old, the short and the bald.

 

Furra was born the first child of a first wife; being born the first of the first gave her some status. It may have been due to this status that she was wed to the powerful chief, Dingama Koyya. Koyya was known for erecting stone statues and stelae, some of which still stand today. The accounts suggest that Furra had a daughter, Laango, and a son. Her son was so powerful and feared among the people that it is said both father and son were killed by them, leaving Furra to take her place as the sole ruler.

 

As with Arawelo, Furra enforced a matriarchal society and she was known as a Queen of the Women. She was known as a wise woman and encouraged her female subjects not to submit to men. She also encouraged them to cover their private areas and take care of themselves.

 

How she treated men differed. After seeing the cowardice of her male subjects in battle, she demoted them to menial duties, organising instead an army of female warriors, much like the Ancient Greek Amazons. She set the men impossible tasks, such as collecting water with a sieve.

 

As mentioned, Furra punished the men in her realm, especially, the bald, the old and the short. The old were punished as they were viewed as wise and were respected in Sidama society, which Furra believed may cause opposition to her rule.

The oppression of men continued throughout her seven years of rule, until one old man, who had been saved and hidden away in the mountains by the other men, advised them to capture a wild animal, like a giraffe. The men tricked Furra into riding the animal like one might ride a horse, but they tied her to it and her body was torn apart as the animal ran away.

According to the legend of Furra, her body parts fell in different places and this event is how these places got their names: Anga (hand), Leka (leg), and Oun (head).

Her shoulders dropped in Qorke,

Her waist dropped in Hallo

Her limbs dropped in Dassie

Her genitals dropped in Saala

Her remains dropped in Kuura

Today, in these places, men still beat the ground in disgust while women pour milk in homage. Men and women even have their own songs about Furra, the men a song of anger and the women a song of sorrow.