The region under study was important in that it constituted the core area for the commencement of a new land ownership system which later spread to various parts Ethiopia.However, no attempt has been made to study the avenues of land acquisition and taxation system in the region. The present study conceived as a first installment towards a full land tenure and taxation history of northern Ethiopia, is primarily descriptive.It is intended to present a survey based on archival sources, and thereby to lay a groundwork for other writers to develop more ambitious, comprehensive and interpretative, studies of modern-time Ethiopia life. Finally, this important work will be essential reading for all students of Africa as well as those interested in such more specialized subjects as the impacts of land tenure and taxation in the northern Ethiopian societies.