Besides the system, before their conquest by the Ethiopian Empire in the 1890s, the Gedeo lived in a federation of three territories called Sasserogo, or "three Roga". These Roga, Sobbho, Ributa and Rikuta, shared one Aba Gada, which was similar to the Oromo office, and every eight years was passed to a new office holder in the next age set at a ceremony also known as . According to Gedeo tradition, all leadership positions from Aba Gada at the top down to the office of Hyiticha were assumed at the ceremony, while specific roles were held by specific clans or sub-clans."Ethiopian Village Studies: Adado, Gedeo", CSAE: Ethiopian Village Studies, June 1996 (accessed 18 November 2009), p. 2
