Dodota: History
The woreda is the site of the 1883 Battle of Dodota. Wheat and barley were introduced to the area when Emperor Menelik settled his soldiers there. These settlers land and started to plough and plant these grains. The local people imitated their farming system and began to produce these crops. However, the fact these soldiers came as landlords to Arsi, and the dislike of the Arsi Oromo for this new sedentary life, led to conflicts between the two. Interviews with local elders reveal that in 1912 Lenjiso Diga organized his fellow Oromos to attack the newcomers. They fought a battle at a place called Kedida that lasted 2 days. The soldiers won, and afterwards the representative of the government came to the area and is said to have made peace between the two groups.
Until the early 1970s the inhabitants of Dodotana Sire, being Arsi Oromo, were in chronic conflict with Karayu pastoralists from Fentale, as well as with Jille Oromos from in the neighboring woreda, over rights to grazing land and drinking water for livestock. This conflict was settled during the early 1990s by emphasizing overall ethnic affiliation over minor clan differences.
Inhabitants of this woreda were affected by the 1984-1985 famine, which forced them to sell off their cattle.