Waaq
Archaic name for God in Cushitic languages such as Oromo and Somali From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waaq (also Waq or Waaqa) is the name for the sky God in several Cushitic languages, including the Oromo and Somali languages.[1][2][3][4]
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History
Waaqa (Oromo pronunciation: [waːkʼa]) still means 'God' in the present Oromo language.[5] Other Cushitic languages where the word is still found include Konso Waaqa; Rendille Wax; Bayso Wah or Waa; Daasanach Waag; Hadiyya Waaʔa; Burji Waacʼi.[6][7]
Waaq is also a word in Arabic for protector ( واق ) and occurs in the Quran.[8][9] Some traditions indicate Waaq to be associated with the Harari region.[10] The Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi mentions in his Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya that Waaq used to be a generic name for God, in comparison to the Turkic people’s tenets of Tengri.[11]
In Oromo and Somali culture, Waaq, Waaqa or Waaqo was the name of God in their pre-Christian and pre-Muslim monotheistic faith believed to have been adhered to by Cushitic groups.[12] It was likely brought to the Horn by speakers of the Proto-Cushitic language who arrived from North Sudan in the Neolithic era.[2] In more recent times, the usage of the term has mostly declined since the arrival of Islam and Christianity to the Horn of Africa.[13]
Modern
In the present-day Somali language, the primary name of God is a somali word 'Eebe' or Rabbi. The Arabic-derived Allaah[14] used by muslims is now a synonym for God. Present Somalis know very little of Waaq and the term Waaq survives in proper names and placenames. The Somali clan Jidwaaq (meaning ‘Path of God’) have derived their name from Waaq.[15] Jid is path or road and added Waaq. Names of towns and villages in Somalia that involve the word Waaq include Ceelwaaq, ceel meaning a water well added waaq. Caabudwaaq, or cabduwaaq, Caabud meaning Worshipper added Waaq and Caabdu, meaning servant added waaq. and Barwaaqo.[16][17] as in Bar, a sign in somali added waaq and still Barwaaqo meaning plenty.
The insistence added shows that, the term Waaq, in itself has no meaning in Somali language unless you add a noun to make a meaning. For example, Bar, sign Ceel being a waterwell or Jid, a road/path will stand alone but waaq alone will not make a meaning.
See also
- Somali mythology, including pre-Islamic culture
- Waaqeffanna, traditional Oromo religion
References
Further reading
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