International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) ISSN: 2277-3878, Volume-8, Issue-3S, October 2019 554 Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering & Sciences Publication Retrieval Number: C11131083S19/2019©BEIESP DOI: 10.35940/ijrte.C1113.1083S19 Abstract: The purpose of this article is to asses the settlement and clanship of Wolaitta in Omo River Valley of Ethiopia. The existing evidences do not indicate the settlement and clanship of Wolaitta in Omo River Valley of Ethiopia. The study was conducted through qualitative research method. Both primary and secondary sources were used. Based on the sources, the study proved that Dolla-Woyisha clan has been first born inhabitants of Wolaitta in Omo River Valley, and the study avoids confusion on the settlement and clanship of Wolaitta in Omo River Valley. Thus, early inhabitants known as Dolla-Woyisha clan has been assimilated with the immigrant clan of Tossa-Woyisha which led to the developments of settlement and clanship in Wolaitta. Finally, based on findings, the existence of early clan along with the domestication of crops such as uta (false banana), and Wolaitta-donuwa (Wolaitta-potato) and animals such as so-mehiya (cattle) proves the settlement and clanship of Wolaitta in Omo River Valley of Ethiopia. Keywords : settlement, clanship, Wolaitta, Ethiopia. I. INTRODUCTION Settlement and complex social organization such as clanship are related with the Neolithic Revolution in river valley civilizations. During pre-Neolithic age (before 11,000 years ago), humans lived as hunters and gatherers. They also invented fire, and the stone was their dominant tool. For this reason, historians call ed it as a ‘Stone Age.’ The Neolithic period or late stone age was begun after 11, 000 years ago and followed with the domestication of plants and animals. The Neolithic period was also characterized by settlement, relatively advanced knowledge and complex socialization (Shillington, 2005; Scanes , 2018). Thus, the beginning of settlements in fertile lands of River Valleys paved the way for the domestication of plants and animals. It also facilitated to various socio-cultural developments such practicing religion, shelter, and family formation. Human being started ploughing and produced crops, built their shelter and family establishment. The organization of family enabled to defend itself from others via war. The practice of religion needed to protect it from all calamities. They began religion and believed that the practitioners of the religious rituals as their agents with creator. They allowed leaders to guide and govern Revised Manuscript Received on October 15, 2019. * Correspondence Author Abesha Shirko Lambebo, Assistant Professor, Department of History and Heritage Management, Wolaitta Sodo University, Ethiopia; PhD Research Scholar, Department of History, KISS, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India Ratnakar Mohapatra, Assistant Professor, Department of History, KISS, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India. themselves. The leadership to control their area by war indicated the beginning for the formation of state. Other factors of socialization such as categorization of classes among the society such as religious agents, rulers, fighters, merchants, commoners, artisans and slaves were evolved (Spencer, 2010; Clark, 1962; Allen, 1997; Turchin, Whitehouse, Korotayev, Francois, Hoyer, Peregrine, and Currie, 2018). Besides, various evidences about the beginning of sedentary way of life confirm that the settlements which were begun in River Valleys such as Nile, Tigris ans Euphrates, Yellow River and Yangtze, Indus and Ganges rivers were associated with various human achievements (Wescott, Feary, Brown, Marshall, Lilley, McKinnon, Verschuuren and Wild, 1970). The investigation of Brandt, Fisher, Hildebrand, Vogelsang, Ambrose, Lesur and Wang (2012) confirmed that Africa was a home for human origin. In similar way, Mokhtar (1981) confirms the Nile River valley is one of the indications of African settlements and its source is dominantly flow from Ethiopia. According to linguists (Bender 1975, 1976, Fleming, 1976, 2006), Ethiopia is proto-Afroasiatic language family of four classifications. These are Nilo-Saharan, Cushetic, Semetic, and Omotic. Wolaitta is classified under the Omotic language family. The Omotic language is spoken to left and right side of Omo river, and Wolaitta is situated left bank of the river from its source of flow direction. The current zone of Wolaitta is situated between Hadiya and Kambatta, Aris and Sidama, Gamo-Gofa and Dawuro in the north, east, south and the west respectively. The site of Wolaitta exactly found between coordinate of 6° North latitude, and 37° East longitude. Wolaitta had various climate conditions such geziya (cold-highland), bariguwa (wet-midland), and gara (hot-lowland) (Lambebo, 2016; Jufare, 2008). Wolaitta is also vital area in South Ethiopia in its culture and history in Omo River Valley (Cavanna, 2005; Spencer, 2010; Clark, 1962, Allen, 1997; Brandt, et’al., 2012, 2017). The culture and history of Amhara is taken as the only representation of Ethiopia. However, there are more than eighty ethnic group whose history is not recorded, and their culture is masked by the Amhara culture. Thus, their culture and history were seen from the view point of northern Ethiopia context, which degraded the development of South Ethiopian culture and literature at least in the 20 th century. The way of life of the entire ethnic groups in South Ethiopia was overlooked and most anthropological, cultural, archaeological and historical studies were focused to Settlement and clanship of Wolaitta in Omo River Valley of Ethiopia Abesha Shirko Lambebo, Ratnakar Mohapatra