In the waaqeffannaa spiritual society Argaa-Dhageettii the sacred Ayyaantuu tells how the Walaabuu was created out of muteness by Waaqaa. The term Ayyaantuu comes from the concept Ayyaanaa and aantuu. The tem ayyaanaa refers to the spiritual connection, the divine holy spirit of Waqaa gurraachaa, the power through which Waaqaa creates the Walaabuu and it’s constitute. The term aantuu itself derived from the term aantee which literally stand for “family”, “relatives”, “kin”, or “cognate”. It means an association of people who share common characteristics. And therefore, the two words together form the concept ayyaantuu (ayyaana aantuu) and refer to that which related to the spiritual connection, the creative power of Waaqa Gurraachaa, or the cognate of the spiritual connection. It is a person he/she who belongs to the cognate of spiritual connection; he/she whom Waaqaa enlightened and blessed with His divine holy Ayyaanaa. And so the concept ayyaantuu refers to a person he/she who achieved the highest level of awakened spiritual consciousness and crowned to carry out the responsibility of guarding Creation and divine law of Waaqa (the Safuu and the Laguu of Waaqa). And therefore, the ayyaantuu have their own spiritual ways to communicate with Waaqa gurraachaa in order to consult with him on all matters related to all life and living. The ayyaantuu is a person He/she who is filled with the divine Holy Spirit (ayyaanaa) of Waaqa Gurraacha-Tokkichaa. He/she is a person who can communicate about the mystery and divine Laws of Waaqa.
And so Waaqaa appointed the ayyaantuu to influence events and act in a responsible way to live in harmony with other Waaqaa’s creatures. In the waaqeffannaa spiritual society cosmogony, man is both a logical abstraction in the sense of Ayyaanaa and a concretely existing being in the sense of Uuma. The ayyaantuu, the vessel through which Waaqaa wanted to live and influence the Lower walaabuu, is able to influence events in the Bishaan Godaa through the use of his/her will acting through thought upon his/her divine spirit. And therefore, an ayyaantuu is a fully developed man, he/she who has realized his /her divinity or spirituality.
The divine Law (heera) and quintipal principles of Waaqa revealed to human being through the ayyaantuu who were said to be able to hear “the whisper or Hasaasa” of Waaqa Gurraacha-Tokkichaa. Waaqa is regarded as the ultimate sources of all divine laws. These laws are called Dhuga ganama (the pure, the original law), which is considered as a fair and just law, clean and unspoiled, and it is a justice given at the beginning of human history. Waaqa enlightened the Ayyaantuu, those who strive to achieve the lightest level of awakened consciousness with his knowledge of His divine law, mystery (Raajii) and Will (Fedhii). They are people who are devoted to achieve that consciousness level and filled with Waaqa’s divine Holy spirit and gifts (kennaa), and enlightened to teach Waaqa’s Wisdom (Dhugaa, or truth), righteousness (Gaarummaa) and prosperity (Badhaadhina) of Waaqa.
The ayyaantuu detail the truth and ways of Waaqa; teach the wisdom of Waaqa Gurraachaa and the quintipal principles (yaayyaa shanaan Walaabuu) of the creator and guardian Waaqa; the ayyaantuu help to keeps and walk on the avenue of gaarummaa (righteousness) and badhaadhinaa (prosperity); maintain the Nagaa (Peace) and Araaraa (reconciliation) of Walaabuu as he/she heard from the whisper of Waaqa. The ayyaantuus are the people who refrains themselves from unworthy affairs and dedicates themselves to what Waaqa would like to be done. They are people who observe and obey Waaqeffannaa spiritual society’s duudhaa (values), and they are people who refrain from unwanted acts and conducts. He or she tells what Waaqa reveals to him or her. The Ayyaantuus are the chosen men of Waaqeffaannaa spiritual society who devotes to attain that level of spiritual consciousness and to have such a position in front of Waaqa Gurraacha-Tokkichaa.
The ayyaantuus are wise, patient people who are heard by Waaqa if they pray to Him because they respect Safuu and Laguu, and abstain from Cubbuu. Their blessings are also heard before Waaqa and it happens as they asked Him to be. The Ayyaantuus never lies, steals, utter bad words, discriminate, and misbehaves. He or she always speaks the truth. They abstain from different activities that involve carrying weapons, slaying animals, and engaged on activities that are against safuu, or that makes them to commit cubbuu. And thence they do not carry weapons; and do not slay animals as they are not expected to kill any life. They do not also enter someone’s house, use cups with others for drinking and use utensils with others. They are calm and speak gently. They do not get angry with others; never get drunk, and never shout at people.
The ayyaantuu has two major functions: the first is that he or she should look after Waaqa’s Safuu so that they are not broken, twisted, overlooked, and everybody lives up to expectations. He or she teaches others to act in the righteous way according to the divine safuu. The second functions of the ayyaantuus is correcting and bringing back to the righteous track those who went out of way, who are involved in breaching safuu and laguu thing and commit cubbuu (have sinned), notifying their errors and helping them to repent and come back to the right way. Waaqa is not God of punishment rather He is God of forgiveness and reconciliation. Thus the ayyaantuu guides the sinned and the one who breached Safuu and do not abstain from Laguu to come to the right way. The ayyaantuu also offers blessings at rituals and gatherings. So Waaqa anoint the Ayyaantuu to look after his divine safuu and creation in the Bishaan Godaa. These ayyaantuus are the Qaalluu, the Maallimaa, the Ekerdubbistuu, the Dhahaadhooftuu and the Huchuu or Usalaaltuu
1.1. The Qaalluu-the hightest prophet of the waaqeffannaa spiritual society
The concept qaalluu stand for a spiritual and ritual authority that plays a major role in promoting high moral standards and the making of a cultured society among the waaqeffannaa spiritual society. The term qaalluu is derived from the word qaluu and qulluu of the Oromo. The term qaluu literally refers to “to cut a throat”, ‘to slay’, or ‘to kill’. It also stands for the sacrificial killing of animals for the sake of appeasing Waaqaa. And so in this sense qaluu refers to the act of killing animal (offering lives of animal) to a higher purpose, in particular divine being in order to propitiate Waaqaa so that the twisted course of nature is restored. It also meant to give thanks to Waaqaa for His deeds in the past (curing the sick, restoring the twisted course of nature, good harvest, prosperity, peace gain over the land) and forward their wishes for the future. Qaluu is a form (, or means) of communication with Waaqaa for seeking guidance or to offer praise, address blessing, and ask for forgiveness, fertility, victory and protection. The word itself means “to make holy”. And so qaluu includes objects of value, and symbolic significance that are given to Waaqaa to earn His favor. The gifts can take many forms, becoming sacred themselves through ritual consecration or blessing. In this ritual Waaqaa is offered a portion of the food or drink the waaqeffannaa spiritual society is using in their daily life in the form of dadarbaa and dhibaayuu for the sake of appeasing Him. In the qaluu ritual, both the bull and ram are considered sacred among the waaqeffannaa spiritual society and used as an offering to Waaqaa gurraachaa and they use these sacred animals in a qaluu ritual.
The term qulluu (intensive qulqulluu) which literally refers to “pure”, ‘clean’, ‘pristine’, ‘virginal’, ‘holy’, ‘having no faults’, ‘sinless’, ‘free from discordant qualities’, ‘chaste’, ‘harmonious’, ‘blameless’, ‘immaculate’, ‘undefiled’, ‘sacred, ‘being black’, or ‘ anointing to the color and quality of Waaqa’. And therefore, a person in charge of this qaluu ritual, the qaalluu bless and cut the throat of the sacred animal (Bull or Ram) in the congregational ritual. And so, the term Qaalluu (Qaluu Qulluu) originally stands for the name given to this spiritual ritual leader of the waaqeffannaa spiritual society. And through time the concept used to represent the Holy head of the spiritual institution of the waaqeffannaa spiritual society and it is officiated by this high ranking “priest” known as Qaalluu (or Abbaa Muuda) whom he is the most senior person of the society. And so the qaalluu also approves that the animals to be offered as sacrifice for rituals are faultless, determine when and where to hold rituals. They make sure that animals to be slaughtered for festivities have nothing wrong with them. Animals that are killed for festivity must have only one color and, therefore, spotted animals are not killed for festivals. This signifies that they, the Waaqeffannaa spiritual society, come before Waaqa Gurraacha-Tokkichaa with full conviction in undivided mind. The animal that would be killed must be uncontested; no claim of any sort should be made about it. If it is to be bought from someone, the seller should not be a person accused or suspected of murder, theft, betrayal, rape, or any other crimes contrary to Waaqeffannaa.
He, the qaalluu, or the Abbaa Muuda (the anointing father), is the most senior Qaalluu of the sacred ayyaantuu and he is elected on the basis of his intelligence, sound judgment, honesty, and spiritual quality. The qaalluu are referred as the guardians of the Law of Waaqa on the Bishaan Godaa. The Waaqeffannaa spiritual society describes the qaalluu as ‘Makkala’, means the messenger of Waaqa. The authority of the qaalluu is divine in origin, and hereditary. The domain of Qaalluu is purely the domain of sacred and peaceful, and he is charged with ritual and spiritual affairs.
He, the Qaalluu, is hereditary spiritual leader whom Waaqa appointed to guide the waaqeffannaa spiritual society. The Qaalluus are those people who are filled with the divine holy Ayyaanaa (of Waaqa) and who achieved the highest level of spiritual consciousness. They are the Ayyaantuus who are anointed by Waaqa to define and enlighten the Will of and Seera Waaqa. The qaalluu is a Waaqa sent prophet, a spiritual leader responsible for conducting a Muudaa or anointment ritual, and hence referred to as Abbaa Muudaa (the father of Anointment). In muudaa ceremony, the expedition is made to the sacred place where there is a ritual leader who takes offerings and in turn blesses those who made a long and arduous journey. And so for the waaqeffannaa spiritual society, the first qaalluu, a high priest, the spiritual leader was of Diven Origin, comes from the “Bishaan Gubbaa” with the first Black Bull in the primordial time.
In addition, the term Qaalluu also stands for a name given to a spiritual institution of the Waaqeffannaa spiritual society. The Qaalluu institution is a ritual institution which aim to promote identity feeling and brings the people together as one family of Waaqa Gurraacha and stand as symbol of unity. It emphasis the recognition of a sacred realm from which the Supernatural force (Waaqa) operates as well as the importance of practicing rituals to establish a proper relationships with the holy and to perpetuate as sense of mutual respect in the society.