Bahta Segeneti said " tsaeda temen entenekisu Ayrikebin fewsu" calling for Italians or white people " white snake.
compiled by Resoum Kidane
“Bahta, Bahta of Segeneiti, master of the Italians, master of Segeneiti. Could a lion be born to a woman?’’ This was part of a song which told the boldness of an Eritrean hero whose revolt in December 1894 brought on an independence struggle against early colonialism. emnetu.com
In Eritrean history, he is well known for his resistance against foreign invasion. Born in the mid-1800s in the town of Segeneiti, Debub region, Degiat Bahta Hagos – Aba T’mer – was killed while fighting against the Italian Colonial Army on December 19, 1894.
He was born to a wealthy family and spent his childhood herding some of the numerous cattle his father had acquired after settling in Segeneiti. Almost nothing is known about Bahta’s life during the time he spent farming his father’s land. In his early thirties, he got married to a woman from his village.
Bahta Hagos became an outlaw on the eve of the Ethio-Egyptian war of 1875-6 because of a blood feud with the family of Emperor Yohannes’s – Tigrean Emperor – specifically his uncle, Araya.
Emperor Yohannes had appointed Araya as overlord of the area. In the first week of October 1875, Araya’s 18-year-old son, Embaye, visited Segeneiti to demand money. Having milked the part of the province assigned to him, Embaye shoved aside the commander of the troops his father had appointed there, wounded a priest who tried to intervene, and killed a brother of Hagos Andu, Bahta Hagos’s father.
This provoked fury and the villagers rioted. Embaye’s men fired, but the enraged villagers allowed them no time to reload their single-shot muskets. The villagers killed two-dozen of Embaye’s men. Half a dozen men of Segeneiti also died, including kinsmen of Bahta Hagos. Subsequently, Bahta avenged his relatives by killing the prince with a spear. He, together with two of his younger brothers – Kahsu and Sengal – and other young men, fled to another village below the escarpment.
In 1876, Alula, Yohannes’s trusted lieutenant, replaced Araya. Alula burned Bahta Hagos’s house and those of his relatives and confiscated their cattle and other property. Bahta and his brothers made a permanent camp at Agameda. There, the brothers added to their stock of firearms and ammunitions by waylaying the escorts of Araya and Alula who happened to pass by from time to time. Like the other Eritrean tribal leaders, Degiat Bahta Hagos was in constant conflict with the Ethiopian invading forces. He evaded the Tigrean Rases’ repeated attempts to capture him and allied himself with the Egyptian garrison in Keren.
In 1885, Italian colonial presence replaced the defeated Egyptians and they controlled Massawa. Degiat Bahta Hagos moved to ally himself with them and their General, Oreste Baratieri. In 1893, the Italians reserved some 19,000 hectares of land for European use. A year later, almost fifteen times that amount was set aside and the first half a dozen Italian families began arriving to settle in the Eritrean highlands.
Degiat Bahta became frustrated and could not accept the conduct of the Italian Colonial Government and their soldiers. In the evening of 14 December 1894, he began his revolt against the Italians. After gathering his people at the market, Degiat Bahta issued a call for resistance and said, “The Italians curse us, seize our land. I want to free you. Let us drive the Italians out and be our own masters.”
Following that, Degiat Bahta, with his brother Sengal and his son Ghebremedhin, cut telegraph wires north to Asmara and arrested Lieutenant Giovanni Sanguineti, a new Italian resident at Segeneiti. On hearing the news, Baratieri, who was in Keren supervising dealings with the Mahdists, telegraphed Asmara ordering major Petro Tosselli to march his battalion down to Segeneiti.
.Upon arrival, the Major entered negotiations with Hagos who stalled him with excuses and promises of loyalty. The Italian reinforcements started to arrive and by the evening of December 17th, Tosselli had 1,500 men and two artillery pieces. He went to move against Hagos on the morning of December 18th, but found him gone.
Hagos had secretly abandoned Segeneiti in the night and had moved his forces north against the Italian garrison of 220 men at the small fort of Halay, commandeered by Captain Castellazzi. Tosselli correctly guessed this was Hagos’ plan, and marched his men towards Halay
Bahta Hagos called for Castellazzi to surrender and abandon the fort. Negotiations continued until the afternoon, when Hagos’ patience came to an end and the attack was ordered. Though low on ammunition, the Italians held out until late afternoon. Toselli’s forces arrived at that moment and launched an attack on Hagos’s army rear. Degiat Bahta Hagos was shot during the battle and died at Ona-keran in Halay.
Because of his influence at the time, after his death, the Italian colonial government banned his burial fearing that his grave would become a source of further rebellions. However, his body was secretly interred in a grave by his loyal friend, Soquar Bahro Digsa, in Halay and later moved to Segeneiti in 1963. Following Eritrean independence in 1991, his remains were again interred in December 2007 with full honours in recognition of his struggles.
Bahta Hagos (Ge'ez: ባህታ ሃጎስ) was Dejazmach of Akkele Guzay, and retrospectively considered an important leader of Eritrean resistance to foreign domination.[1] He was born in the mid-19th century in the town of Segeneiti and was killed in a battle against the Italian Colonial Army on December 19, 1894.
Bahta originally gained recognition in 1875 when he killed Embaye Araya son of Rasi Araya, an Ethiopian Governor, in a skirmish precipitated by raiding of the area.[1][2] Bahta and other Eritrian tribal leaders were in constant conflict with the Ethiopian forces under Ras Alula and Yohannes (himself a Tigrian); for example, despite the best efforts of Ras Alula's lieutenant Balatta Gabru in 1880, Bahta evaded capture and later that year allied himself with the Egyptian garrison at Sanhit (latter Keren).[3] In 1885, as an Italian colonial presence replaced the defeated Egyptians, and their control of Massawa, Bahta moved to ally himself with them and their General, later provincial governor Oreste Baratieri. This was done in the hope that Eritreans would be able to maintain a certain amount of independence, at least more so than under Ethiopian influence.[1] As a consequence, Bahta came to control Akkele Guzay, and by 1889 his own forces formed an important flank in the Italian moves to create the Colony of Eritrea.[4] He fought alongside the Italians against the Mahdists at the Battle of Agordat in December, 1893....
..............Hagos called for Castellazzi to surrender and abandon the fort. Negotiations continued until 13:30, when Hagos' patience came to an end and the attack was ordered. Low on ammunition, the Italians held out until 16:45, when the situation became critical. Toselli's forces arrived at that moment, and launched an attack on Hagos' rear. Hagos was killed in the attack, and his forces fled, many joining Mengesha. Mengesha's army would lose at the Battle of Coatit, but Menelik would soon commit his forces, and destroy the Italians at the Battle of Adwa, ending their colonial hopes for Ethiopia.
Because of his influence, after his death his burial was banned by the Italian Colonial government.[9] They feared that his memorial would be nexus for further rebellion. His body was secretly buried at Halay, and later moved to Segeneiti in 1953. In 2007 he was interred once more in a newly constructed memorial with an honor guard in memory of his struggle Read more [ [Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahta_Hagos]
Excrept from Tarik Hzbi Eritrea. De gayt Bahta Hagos of Segeneyti. The opposition movement lead by Degayt Bahta was the largest and well-organized movement at the time in the Eritrean colony. He was born in 1839 and lived in Segeneyti until 1875, Fitewrari Embaye of Tigray began forcing the people of Segenayti to pay unfair amount of taxes. After a while the people of Segenayti were unable to accept or tolerate the amount of taxes imposed by the Tigrayan Fitewrari and began to demonstrate their unhappiness with the way things were going. During one such protest, Degyat Bahta killed the Fitewrari. After the death of Fitewrari Embaye, Degyat Bahta left his hometown to avoid retaliation from the rulers of Tigray and moved to Sahel. The governors ofSahel accepted him and gave him the title of “ Kentiba” where he assumed the command of troops and hefought many battles against Raas Alula. After the occupation of Massawa by the Italians, Degyat Bahta took nrefuge with the Italians and began receiving weapons from them. After the Italians took hold of the Akelguzay district, they made Bahta the administrator of the region and gave him the title 'Degyat'.
For five years Degyat Bahta served as administrator of the region and won the trust of the Italians, but he was never happy with they were doing. In the year 1893 almost all the farming land in kebesa was taken by the colonizers and was given to Italian farmers brought to Eritrea as a solution for the shortage of arable land in Italy. The Italians sought to take fertile the majority of the arable land in the Kebese and give it to Italian settlers. Natives who had migrated to other areas as a result of drought returned home to find the land of their forefathers at the hand of foreign white men. As a result, in December 1894 Bahta Hagos officially declared opposition against the Italians, and imprisoned the Italian commander Lt. Giovani Sangoneti with his brother and son by his side. Following this, Bahta sought to unite the entire Eritrean kebese against the Italians. After this, he confronted an Italian front at Halai on 18 December 1894 and was about to defeat them but the Italians were rescued by heavily armed reinforcements of 3,000 troops. Soon the legendary Eritrean warrior Degyat Baht a Hagos was martyred and his troops were forced to retreat. After Bahta’s death his brothe r and followers moved to Tigray. However, Degyat Bahta's death was not in vain; for the Italians realized that they cannot easily take land from the natives.
What Ferdinado Martini wrote about Bahta Hagos (period 1891 -1895)
This was what he wrote when Bahta was an ally of Italy (1891):
Our destination was Segeneiti and Bahta Hagos met us half the way. Behind him was his brother and his son Geremedhin was also there. Bahta was in his mid forties. He was tall and thin. When you look at him you get the impression that he is cunning and crocked. But his land that extends from here to Mereb, doesn't know any one who was more honest than him. He was a Muslim who converted to Catholicism with his wife. His new faith bestowed on him a greater degree of integrity. There is no chief in his caliber in the area. One word from him would put an end to any conflict. Every body respects him and submits to his rule because he is humble, generous and committed to his friends and us, the Italians. He shows less pride than the other Eritrean chief's because he is more intelligent than them. Lastly, Bahta Hagos is not a saint because he killed his brother.
He belongs to one of the old families in Akle Guzai. Ras Alula harassed and followed him and Bahta Hagos took refuge together with his brothers with the Habab. Because the Habab were pastoralists, Bahta and his men protected the tribes from other invaders. After Bahta and his group were allowed to return to their homeland, one of his brothers wanted to be a robber to earn his living. Bahta tried to persuade his brother to stop robbery and help the family establish their rule in their land. He told his brother that by doing so they will be able to win more friends and to show in front of God that they will regain liberty for their people. His brother refused to listen. Later Bahta resorted to threats. He told his brother that he will either kill him or will he will surrender to Alula to kill him. His brother told Bahta, 'Go and surrender to Alula'. Bahta Hagos spent that night praying to God and at dawn went and killed his brother. But now he repents that and at times he suffers of nervous episodes. Unlike all the leaders that we met who treat their subjects with brutality, he resorts to asking for apology after any harsh measure, and treats his subjects like a father.
You cannot describe the Abyssinians through the character of Bahta Hagos. He was an exceptional character.
And this is what he wrote about him after he fought the Italians (March 1895):
What I wrote about him in 1891 was based on my own observations and based on the Italian officials who knew him closely. Ludwigi Marcatelli from Asmara wrote in the Newspaper 'Tribuna' on 12 February 1895, "If there was any one who had doubts about Bahta Hagos, no person could have believed him. Yet, he rebelled against us. What he did was not a sudden thing or a revenge. He must have planned this over a long time to kill the whites who had stayed at Segeneiti and who respected him. We paid him a decent pension and we showered him with a lot of gifts, some of which were expensive. We bestowed on him the highest authority and honours that was never given to any Abyssinian before him. Yet he died fighting us near Halai on the 18th of december.
It is said that the Frech Jesuits encouraged him to revolt against us. They were angered by our decision to drive them out of Eritrea. This may be possible , because Bahta loved them and converted to the Catholic faith on their hands. He had also contributed towards buliding a church in Akhrur. But I do not believe this was the only or the main important reason for his revolt. The day he decided to cut the negotiations with us and imprisoned Captain Sagouini and moved with his forces to Halai; He sent a message to the whole of Akleguzai. The messengers told the people, "We are going to liberate you from those who came from across the sea to take our land, and my move is coordinated with Ras Mengesha who is coming to support us with a force. I did not take a move until now because I was waiting for a response from a distant place.."
This is an important point, as I explained before, the Italian families that came were given land in Seraye, near Akle Guzai in the area that was under Bahta Hagos and he did not like this. Other Italians were also given 25 hectares from Akle Guzai. He wrote three letters to Menelik, complaining about the confiscation of land and asking for his permission to attack the Italains. If Menelik did not agree, he asked him to raise the complaint to Italy. Menelik replied twice asking for patience and that he was waiting for a response from Italy. It is not known if Menelik gave the permission for the attack, but he sent 35 thousand rifles to Ras Mengesha.
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From Ferdinando Martini’s memories and impressions in his book, ‘Nell’Affrica Italiane’ 1890.
He was a member of the Italian Parliament who was sent to evaluate the viability of Eritrea, as a colony. Pages 102 - 106 from the Arabic translated edition
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