Oromo Tree Circle 
The Oromo people are part of a large minority African Muslim and indigenous group estimated at between 20-30 million people located predominately in Ethiopia with a small percentage also dwelling in the neighbouring border areas of Kenya.
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The Oromo people continue to share their wisdoms and to speak their language despite government hardships in order to preserve their own ecological knowledge in how to tend to both land and the management of their own people. The greatest concern for the Oromo is about finding balance across their own governance systems, people, and the environment. Living in harmony is important to the Oromo and the seasons, animals and flora are all well observed and celebrated through proverbs, myths, and/or festivals.

The Tree Circle is a special symbol to this project. 

​It coincides with an Oromo outlook on the Earth and time. Time is not linear in Oromo culture, it is circular and it rotates like the Earth in its own orbit. The same is true of Oromo law, Gada.

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For the Oromo people they see, live, and respect their world operating in cycles or interlocking circles. As such the concept of circular time and learning eludes to knowing the past, present and future as an assembly of equal parts that function and must be considered together.

The Earth offers land which encircles all things and gives it life. The rain, for instance, cloaks and encircles the Earth with much needed water that sustains animals, plants, rivers and oceans. This circular movement of water from earth to atmosphere and back helps life flourish.

The Earth and the land provides the world with shelter and food. The trees and plants provide shade, and refuge for animals. Trees and plants also offer food, medicine, fuel and shelter to communities.  

To honor and to promote good governance in communities – Oromo people sit under Oda trees in a circular ring in order to observe nature and to engage with each other and mandate local laws (Gada). In this instance, no one person is greater than the other - nature and people are linked together.  It is important to observe rainfall, plants, and the world in circular seasons.

Once you understand or can achieve circular knowledge you can understand what is present or absent in your community over cyclical time.

Other African communities are embracing circular gardens to assist in bringing back Nature ​and greater biodiversity to regional areas.

In the article, Senegalese plant circular gardens in Green Wall defence published July 29, 202, the author states
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• "The (circular) gardens hold plants and trees resistant to hot, dry climates, including papaya, mango, moringa and sage. Circular beds allow roots to grow inwards, trapping liquids and bacteria and improving water retention and composting.....When you grow one tree, over 20 years many people and animals will benefit from it..."

While in other parts of the world - communities and planners are trying to create 'tree circles' and 'tree libraries' or places where people can meet and experience first hand native trees.  See: EURONEWS - European cities make green pledge to improve civic eco-systems
https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/07/13/3-million-trees-and-roof-top-gardens-european-cities-in-green-pledge

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An overview to the Gada system can be understood from the following video produced by the UN (2016)