Yejju Oromo is a tribe of the Barentu branch of Oromo people. They are one of the northernmost tribes of the Oromo people, which is the second largest ethnicity in Ethiopia.
The Barentu (also Barento/Barentuma) is one of the two moieties of the Oromo people, the other being the Borana. Yejju Oromo is often categorized inside the Barentu branch and other neighboring tribes include the Wollo Oromo and the Raya Oromo. Due to Oromo migration to the north, these northern Oromo communities are minorities and they are found in the ethnic Amhara and Tigray dominated regions of northern Ethiopia.
During the 17th century, the Oromo Yejju dynasty ruled much of the Ethiopian empire during the Zemene Mesafint or "Age of Princes", changing the official language of Amhara people to Afan Oromo, including inside the court of Gondar.[1] Throughout the era, different ethnic groups, clans and communities made short-term alliances to acquire economic advantage and political power.
Currently, the territories of these northern tip Oromos is officially located inside Amhara Region and Tigray region[2] while the boundaries are rejected by Oromo nationalists, including the Oromo Liberation Front[3]
