Ethiopian Women, the Law of Safuu, and Ecofeminist Climate Justice in Genesis 2
Main Article Content
Abstract
Mainstream eco-theological readings of Genesis 2:4–17 have emphasized “stewardship” or “dominion” without engaging African Indigenous legal systems or the concrete climate knowledge of Ethiopian women. The Oromo moral-ecological law of Safuu, a system of prohibitions against pollution, deforestation, and over-extraction remains largely absent from biblical interpretation and climate justice discourse. This article advances an Ethio-ecofeminist reading of Genesis 2:4–17, arguing that the creation narrative, interpreted through Safuu and the lived agency of Ethiopian women as seed-keepers, water fetchers, and sacred-grove guardians, yields a juridical-ecological mandate for climate justice. The study employs decolonial feminist biblical criticism and Oromo epistemology, conducting a verse-by-verse exegesis of Genesis 2:4–17 alongside ethnographic and policy analysis of Ethiopian women’s climate burdens, the Gadaa governance system, and forest carbon offset schemes. Findings: The Hebrew adam-adamah kinship resonates with Oromo Uumaa (creation as family); the prohibition of the tree of knowledge functions as a Safuu boundary protecting interdependence; and the mandate to avad and samar (to till and to keep) charges humans with sacred service and protective guardianship. Ethiopian women’s watershed councils, seed cooperatives, and liturgical forest rituals enact this mandate against extractive agriculture and carbon offset projects that displace them. Conclusion: Genesis 2, read through Safuu and Ethiopian women, replaces the “dominion” model with an indigenous, gendered framework for climate justice grounded in communal land trusts, water commons, and restorative enforcement. Policy makers should recognise women’s Idir assemblies as official water governance bodies, mandate free prior informed consent for forest carbon projects, and integrate Safuu-based dispute resolution into land administration.
Article Details
How to Cite
Goshu, B. S., & Muhammad Ridwan. (2026). Ethiopian Women, the Law of Safuu, and Ecofeminist Climate Justice in Genesis 2. Polit Journal Scientific Journal of Politics, 6(1), 49-68. Retrieved from http://biarjournal.com/index.php/polit/article/view/1500
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References
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Lemma, T., & Bekele, M. (2023). Gender, agricultural extension, and climate smart agriculture in Ethiopia: A longitudinal assessment. Journal of Gender, Agriculture and Food Security, 8(2), 40–58. [No DOI available – provide journal URL if needed]
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Adam and Adamah: A feminist re-examination of gender and environment in the Yahwist’s narrative. (2025). DOAJ. https://doaj.org/article/114de7090f444cf1a2eef5bbae018e4f
Addis Standard. (2021). The interview: Researching the “Gadaa System and the role of women” in ensuring the protection of women’s rights. Addis Standard. https://addisstandard.com/the-interview-researching-the-gada-system-and-the-role-of-women-in-ensuring-the-protection-of-womens-rights/
Advocacy for Oromia. (2025, July 29). Harnessing Oromo wisdom for effective environmental conservation. Advocacy for Oromia. https://advocacy4oromia.org/2025/07/29/harnessing-oromo-wisdom-for-effective-environmental-conservation/
Alamayehu, H. (2012). Between modernism and heritage: The application of the parallel legal system to the Oromo women of Ethiopia (pp. 1 54). SIHA Network. https://franklin.library.upenn.edu/catalog/FRANKLIN_9977405130103681
Balehey, S. (2025). Traditional gender inequalities limit pastoral women’s opportunities for adaptation to climate change: Evidence from the Afar pastoralists of Ethiopia [Unpublished manuscript]. CORE. https://core.ac.uk/works/59398289
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BibleHub. (2025). How should “fill the earth and subdue it” be interpreted in terms of environmental stewardship? BibleHub. https://biblehub.com/q/Interpret_subdue_earth_for_stewardship.htm
Biru, Y. (2025, November 21). Asmarom Legesse’s Gadaa: Anthropological whitewash or political hackwork? Zehabesha. https://zehabesha.com/asmarom-legesses-gadaa-anthropological-whitewash-or-political-hackwork/ACT Alliance. (2023). ACT Climate Resilience Award 2023: Church forests project, Ethiopia. https://actalliance.org/our-work/climate-justice/awards/
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Chamber of Public Secrets. (2022, December 12). Living tree circles. Chamber Archive. https://www.chamberarchive.org
Chibsa, T. (2010). The Oromo indigenous knowledge and practices: Implications for environmental conservation: The case of the Oromo of Ada’a, Eastern Shawa Zone, Ethiopia (pp. 45 78). VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.
Chorito, A. B., & Assefa, E. (2025). Voices in the forest: Unraveling REDD+ discourse and narratives in the Bale Eco region, Ethiopia. Forest and Society, 9(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v9i1.35852
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Dube, F. (2023). Ubuntu: An underutilised foundational constitutional principle of South African environmental law. Journal of Law, Society and Development, 10, 15 pages. https://doi.org/10.25159/2520-9515/13512
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. (2024). Enset production and processing: Gender dimensions in the Sidama region. Ministry of Agriculture.
Filosofia Theoretica. (2022). The Oromo doctrine of God. Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions, 11(4), 5s. https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.4314/ft.v11i4.5s
Gebremeskel, F., & Tessema, S. (2026). Beyond victims and saviors: Gendered and intersectional vulnerabilities and the efficacy of adaptation strategies in Hamer pastoralists of South Omo, Ethiopia. Pastoralism, 16, Article 16015. https://doi.org/10.3389/past.2026.16015
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Getahun, R. (2026, April 1). Ethiopian women plant trees, restoring lands & livelihoods [Interview]. Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/ethiopian-women-plant-trees-restoring-lands-livelihoods/
Goshu, B.S. and M. Ridwan, (2025), Genesis, Gender, and Human Identity: A Theological and Philosophical Exploration, Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal, 8(2), 255-273
Grokipedia. (n.d.). Gadaa. Grokipedia. Retrieved May 4, 2026, from https://grokipedia.com/page/Gadaa
Hayal Desta. (2023, May 23). The slow death of an Ethiopian lake. Springs. https://springs-rcc.org/slow-death-of-lake-ziway/
Heckett, T. S. (2022). Guardians of the forest: Ethiopian Orthodox women and church forest conservation (Unpublished master’s thesis). Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology, Addis Ababa.
Hundee, R. A. (2014, July 13). Safuu, the Oromo moral value and doctrine. Advocacy for Oromia. https://advocacy4oromia.org/home/safuu-the-oromo-moral-value-and-doctrine/
Ibrahim, A. (2024, July 23). “BABO” Gedeo’s indigenous knowledge for climate resilience. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/babo-gedeos-indigenous-knowledge-climate-resilience-abadir-ibrahim/
Ibrahim, K. (2023). The search for climate justice in Africa. In K. Ibrahim (Ed.), The political economy of climate justice in Africa (pp. 1–28). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032712185-16
Jirata, G., Adugna, G., & Oljira, D. (2025). Sustaining a 400-year-old Ethiopian farming tradition: Interview with elder Gehano Guchoir. Mongabay. https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/sustaining-a-400-year-old-ethiopian-farming-tradition-interview-with-elder-gehano-guchoir/
Juma, D. C. (2025). African eco-spiritualities and climate justice: Afro-ecofeminism perspectives on Genesis 2:4–17. HTS Theological Studies, 81(1), a10449. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v81i1.10449
Karrayyuu book. (2023). Karrayyuu Siinqee and the women of Gadaa. In Karrayyuu book (p. 18). FlipHTML5. https://fliphtml5.com/rgehy/jgxm/Karrayyuu_book/22/
Kumsa, K. (2019, December 6). “Going back to the roots”: A seminar deliberating on the challenges and opportunities of women empowerment. Jimma University. https://ju.edu.et/going-back-roots-seminar-deliberating-challenges-and-opportunities-women-empowerment/
Kumsa, K. (2020). Waiting for Gadaa: A critical exploration through transnational Siinqee feminism. Gender, Place & Culture, 27(3), 341–359. [DOI request process initiated]
Lemma, T., & Bekele, M. (2023). Gender, agricultural extension, and climate smart agriculture in Ethiopia: A longitudinal assessment. Journal of Gender, Agriculture and Food Security, 8(2), 40–58. [No DOI available – provide journal URL if needed]
Maudlin Phelps, J. (2021, April 20). Tending and keeping. Centernet, Presbyterian Church (USA). https://centernet.pcusa.org/weekly-offerings/2021/04/20/tending-and-keeping/
Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia. (2025). Rural land administration and use proclamation implementation report: Joint certification and women’s land rights (Report No. 1324/2024). Government of Ethiopia.
Mponela, P., Aynekulu, E., Ebrahim, M., Abate, T., Abera, W., Zaremba, H., Elias, M., & Tamene, L. (2023). Gender gap in perspectives of the impacts of degradation and restoration on ecosystem services in Ethiopia. Land Degradation & Development, 34(10), 2945–2960. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.4764
NETBible. (2025). Genesis 2:5-6. NETBible. https://classic.net.bible.org
Oromia Tourism. (2025). Atete ceremony. Oromia Tourism. https://oromiatourism.gov.et/index.php/tour/cultural-attractions/cultural-events/atete-ceremony?tmpl=component
Oruwari, D. (2019, May 28). Waaqeffanna: The Ethiopian indigenous spiritual system that Christianity tried to erase. Data Oruwari. https://www.dataoruwari.com
PENHA (Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa). (2024). Annual report 2024: Women led seed cooperatives in Arato and southern Ethiopia. https://penhanetwork.org/reports/2024
Siftei Chakhamim. (2025). Genesis 2:5:1. Sefaria. https://www.sefaria.org
Tekle, A., & Ashine, M. (2025). Traditional gender inequalities limit pastoral women’s opportunities for adaptation to climate change: Evidence from the Afar pastoralists of Ethiopia. CORE. https://core.ac.uk/works/59398289
Telila, H., Kumsa, L., Lami, M., & Totoba, B. A. (2025). A review on Oromo Traditional Ecological Knowledge: A beacon for sustainable conservation. Journal of Equity in Sciences and Sustainable Development, 8(2). https://www.ajol.info/index.php/jessd/article/view/304366
The Oromo concept of reality or Dhugaa-Ganama. (2015, October 28). Oromian Economist. https://oromianeconomist.com/2015/10/28/the-oromo-concept-of-reality-or-dhugaa-ganama/
University of Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative. (2025, June 25). ND-GAIN releases latest Country Index update. https://environmentalchange.nd.edu/news-events/news/nd-gain-releases-latest-country-index-update/
Water Knowledge Hub. (2024). Ethiopia: Supporting women in watershed conservation and integrative farming – Organised women’s group building their resilience capacity. https://waterknowledgehub.org/es/node/4171
World Bank. (2025a, July 14). Water access means irrigation, empowerment, and a new chapter for rural Ethiopian women. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2025/07/14/water-access-means-irrigation-empowerment-and-a-new-chapter-for-rural-afe-ethiopian-women
World Bank. (2025b, July 3). Strengthening water resilience in Ethiopia’s rural communities. Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA). https://www.ciwaprogram.org/blog/strengthening-water-resilience-in-ethiopias-rural-communities
Yadeta, K. (2013). The role of traditional Gadaa system, an indigenous Borana-Oromo institution of Ethiopia in natural resource management. KCI. https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART001800382