Misplaced Pages

#930069

78-563: The Rahanweyn ( Maay : Reewin , Somali : Raxanweyn , Arabic : رحنوين ), also known as the Digil and Mirifle ( Somali : Digil iyo Mirifle ) is a major Somali clan . It is one of the major Somali clans in the Horn of Africa, with a large territory in the densely populated fertile valleys of the Jubba and Shebelle rivers and the areas inbetween, which are mainly inhabited by settlers from

156-658: A Tunni saint called Aw-Ali and became the new capital for the Tunni Sultanate. The town prospered and became one of the major Islamic centers in the Horn , the Barawaani Ulama, attracting students from all over the region. Muslim scholars of that time, such as Ibn Sa'id , wrote about Barawa as "an Islamic island on the Somali coast." Al-Idrisi also described the construction of the coral houses and noted that Barawa

234-516: A camel in shape, an ox in size, and is of a yellow color. Its fore legs are five feet long, its hind legs only three feet. Its head is high up and turned upwards. Its skin is an inch thick. There is also (in this country) a kind of mule with brown, white and black stripes around its body. These animals wander about the mountain wilds; they are a variety of the camel (膝馬它之別種也). The inhabitants of this country, who are great huntsmen, hunt these animals with poisoned arrows. The Book of Tang also provides

312-528: A detailed account of Chung-Li, another region in Barbaria. This account offers a fascinating look into the customs, lifestyle, and unique phenomena of the area. Below is an excerpt describing Chung-Li: The inhabitants of the Chung-li country go bareheaded and barefooted, they wrap themselves in cotton stuffs , but they dare not wear jackets, for the wearing of jackets and turbans is a privilege reserved to

390-507: A host of other schemes to prevent food aid from reaching the Rahanweyn. Given the outcome of the mortality rate, (40% of the population, including 70% of the children) his attempts to prevent food aid, steadily kill the survivors, and colonize the lands with his own clan, could be concluded that there was a deliberate effort to destroy the Rahanweyn. At the same time the self-declared president Mohamed Farrah Aidid and forces loyal to him were

468-563: A peacemaking conference to unite the riverine clans which were held in Bonkain town in the Bay province. By 1994. Rahanweyn were successful in establishing their own administrations and Baidoa was no longer considered the city of famine. In 1995, Rahanweyn held a congress in Baidoa to promote their interest by uniting the interiverine communities and demanding an autonomous regional state. The vision

546-414: A strong centralized authority during its existence and possessed all of the organs and trappings of an integrated modern state: a functioning bureaucracy, a hereditary nobility, titled aristocrats, a taxing system, a state flag, as well as a professional army. The great sultanate also maintained written records of their activities, which still exist. The Geledi Sultanate's main capital was at Afgooye where

624-399: A sword in his hand, goes in and asks the mourners the cause of the person's death. "If he was killed by the hand of man," each one says, "we will revenge him on the murderer with these swords." Should the mourners reply that he was not killed by anyone, but that he came to his end by the will of Heaven , they throw away their swords and break into violent wailing. Every year there are driven on

702-519: A true census of the Somali Republic . The party also pushed for improving agricultural and animal husbandry practices. During the fight for independence, political parties were based on clan interest though these organizations claimed to act in the national interest and were against clan division. Thus, the anti-clan stance was an act in order to promote their clan interest. For example, the non-Rahanweyn, mainly Darod and Hawiye who dominated

780-457: Is a reference to the Reewin ancient origins which might indicate that they might have been the first Somali group to migrate to modern-day Somalia whilst the rest of the Somali clans slowly began to diverge and develop their own unique distinct dialects. Another theory states that the name Rahanweyn derives from the name of the ancestor of all Rahanweyn clans, one Ma'd or Mohammed Reewin. Each of

858-403: Is also not generally used in education or media. However, Maay speakers often use Standard Somali as a lingua franca . It is learned via mass communications, internal migration, and urbanisation. Although past scholars have maintained the assumption that Maay is not mutually comprehensible with Northern Somali it was done so without it being tested for. A more recent study by Deqa Hassan tested

SECTION 10

#1732772979931

936-436: Is also rich in putchuck , liquid storax gum, myrrh , and tortoise shell of extraordinary thickness, for which there is a great demand in other countries. The country brings forth also the (so-called) " camel-crane " (馬它鶴), which measures from the ground to its crown from six to seven feet. It has wings and can fly, but not to any great height. There is also (in this country) a wild animal called isii-la (但蝶); it resembles

1014-798: Is an excerpt from the Book of Tang, offering a glimpse into life in Pi-p'a-lo : The country of Pi-p'a-lo contains four cities (州); the other (places) are all villages which are (constantly) at feud and fighting with each other. The inhabitants pray to Heaven and not to the Buddha . The land produces many camels and sheep , and the people feed themselves with the flesh and milk of camels and with baked cakes (燒餅). The (other) products are ambergris , big elephants ' tusks and big rhinoceros horns. There are elephants' tusks which weigh over one hundred catties, and rhinoceros horns of over ten catties weight. The land

1092-427: Is categorized as a Type 5 dialect for the overlapping common cultural history it shares with Af Maxaa speakers which explains its somewhat mutual intelligibility. Maay Maay exhibits significant amounts of epenthesis , inserting central or high-central vowels to break up consonant clusters. Vowel length is contrastive; minimal pairs such as bur ' flour ' and buur ' mountain ' are attested. Maay Maay

1170-497: Is fairly agglutinative . It has complex verb forms, inflecting at least for tense/aspect and person/number of both subject and object. There is also a prefix indicating negation. In addition, verbs exhibit derivational morphology, including a causative and an applicative . Nominal morphology includes a definiteness suffix, whose form depends on the gender of the head noun, and possessive suffixes. Maay Maay exhibits SVO and SOV word orders, apparently in fairly free variation. When

1248-753: Is preserved today in the name of the Somali city of Berbera , the city known to the Greeks as Malao . According to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , a 1st-century travelogue written by a Greek merchant based in Alexandria , Barbaria extended from the border of Egypt just south of Berenice Troglodytica to just north of Ptolemais Theron . From there to the Bab-el-Mandeb was the kingdom ruled by Zoskales (possibly Aksum ), after which

1326-580: Is ruled by local chiefs. In the Periplus , the inhabitants of the first Barbaria, or the Barbarike chora (Barbarian region), include the eponymous Barbaroi (Barbarians, Berbers), but also Ichthyophagoi (fish eaters), Agriophagoi (wild beast eaters) and Moschophagoi (shoot eaters). These are probably the same people as the Trogodytes of other ancient geographers. The Moschophagoi may correspond to

1404-668: The Ajuran vassal state, the Silcis Kingdom . The Geledi Sultanate was a Rahanweyn Kingdom ruled by the noble Geledi clan which held sway over the Jubba and Shabelle rivers in the interior and the Benadir coast. The Geledi Sultanate dominated the East African trade and had enough power to force the southern Arabians to pay tribute to the noble Geledi Rulers like Sultan Yusuf Mahamud . The Sultanate of Geledi exerted

1482-687: The Darod and to weaken the Rahanweyn's political influence in the south. The Marehan were rewarded political powers to lead the Gedo region, Ogaden were rewarded political powers to lead the Middle Juba region, Harti , were rewarded political powers to lead the Lower Juba region, and finally, the Hawiye were rewarded political powers to lead Lower Shabelle. The major Rahanweyn historic towns located on

1560-740: The Jubba River such as Dolow , Luuq , Burdhubo , Bardheere , Saakow , Bu'ale , Jilib , Jamame and Kismayo , thus lost their Rahanweyn identity. The Rahanweyn were only positioned in the landlocked Bay region. Report of the Nordic fact-finding mission to the Gedo region in Somalia states: According to Abdirshakar Othawai, extensive settlement by the Marehan clans in the Gedo region had been going on for some considerable time. Back in 1977-1980,

1638-511: The Ogaden War between Somalia and Ethiopia triggered large movements of people, with many Marehan members being transferred from Ethiopia to Luuq and Burdhubo in particular. The Somali government at the time, headed by Siad Barre , assisted Marehan settlers in Gedo with farm implements, among other facilities, while a Japanese NGO tried to persuade the Rahanweyn clans to accept the new Marehan settlers, arguing in particular that this time

SECTION 20

#1732772979931

1716-537: The Somali Region of Ethiopia and the North Eastern Province of Kenya . Reewin groups were the first Somali / Cushitic group to enter what is the southern part of modern-day Somalia , around the end of the second century B.C. The Rahanweyn clan were mentioned as the people of Reewin who lived in the fertile lands and coastal provinces and were very wealthy and powerful people during

1794-534: The United Kingdom 's Home Office publication, Somalia Assessment 2001 . In the south central part of Somalia the World Bank shows the following clan tree: Christian Bader lists the principal Digil and Rahanweyn subclans as follows: Maay language Somali linguistic varieties are divided into three main groups: Northern, Benadir , and Maay. Northern Somali (or Northern-Central Somali) forms

1872-505: The epic poem , soldiers from Barbaristan march upon the orders of their king, coordinating with Himavarin. Their forces capture renowned Persian warriors such as Giv, Gidarz, and Tus. Ka'us, the epic's protagonist, responds by rallying his forces, leading them towards Barbaristan. The encounter is fierce, with Barbaristan's forces ultimately becoming overwhelmed. The elders of Barbaristan, recognizing their defeat, seek peace and offer tribute to Ka'us, who accepts and imposes new laws. Later,

1950-626: The "rest of Barbaria" extended to Opone . This second Barbaria was the location of the so-called "far-side" ports. In the Geography of Ptolemy (2nd century), Barbaria is said to extend even further, as far south as Zanzibar , although the land south of Opone is called Azania in the Periplus . Ptolemy describes the city of Rhapta as the "metropolis of Barbaria". Barbaria is also mentioned in Marcian of Heraclea . Later sources ( Cosmas Indicopleustes and Stephanus of Byzantium ) place it on

2028-681: The 17th century, the Ajuran Sultanate was on its decline, and various vassals were now breaking free or being absorbed by new Somali powers. One of these powers was the Geledi Sultanate which was established by Ibrahim Adeer a former Ajuran general that successfully pushed the imperial Ajuran army out of Afgooye . He subsequently established the Geledi sultanates ruling house, the Gobroon dynasty, after having first defeated

2106-708: The 1920s as the Hizbiya Dastur Mustaqil Al Sumal which was formed as an anti colonial organization that educated the inter riverine peoples and provided health and other charitable motions. Later the Hizbi Dhigil & Mirifle formed in 1947 and would be the main opposition party winning the 2nd most seats in parliament after the Somali Youth League . Its main goals were to advocate for the Digil and Mirifle peoples of Somalia and

2184-590: The African side of the Arabian Sea . The first contact of the Greeks with Barbaria came in the 3rd century BC, when the Ptolemies set up bases for elephant hunting . These bases remained in use as ports for the export of myrrh and frankincense throughout antiquity. There were many smaller ports that exported tortoiseshell and ivory . In the Periplus , Barbaria is said to lack a central government and

2262-418: The Digil and Mirifle lineages. Anthropologists and northern Somalis have helped coin the term Rahanweyn . The name is said to be a combination of Rahan (grindstone) and Weyn (large) which means (large grindstone) suggesting the name's semantic relation to the Reewin economy. Another more interesting term is said to combine the names of Rahan (crowd) and Weyn (large) which means (literally 'crowd-big' or

2340-703: The Geledi ruler: Osman Ahmed who signed multiple treaties with the Italian colonials and the Kingdom ended with the death of Osman Ahmed in 1910. The Hizbi Dhigil & Mirifle (1947–1969) was a Somali political party formed by members of the Rahanweyn clan however Jeilani Sheikh Bin Sheikh was the first to be elected as the leader of (HDMS) and was among the first to call for Federalism in Somalia . It had its roots in

2418-581: The Hawiye militia known as the United Somali Congress . The Darood and Hawiye militia used Rahanweyn lands as their battleground and conducted all kinds of human rights violations against the indigenous population in the interiverine region. In the Bay province, the Marehan militia members targeted women as means of genocide against the Rahanweyn clan. Barre had planned to resettle Darood clans in

Rahanweyn - Misplaced Pages Continue

2496-622: The Isaaq and Majerteen that formed their own autonomous states. The Rahanweyn Resistance Army founded the autonomous state known as South West State of Somalia which was able to establish its own government, economy, army and flag. The Southwest state was credited as an important pillar of stability in southern Somalia . The following listing is taken from the World Bank 's Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics from 2005 and

2574-541: The Rahanweyn as a "synthesis of old cultivating stock, and more recent and once nomadic immigrants from the other Somali clans", with almost every Somali lineage having some off-shoot living among them. This practice allows newcomers to integrate into resident clans in a pleasant manner. Furthermore, in riverine places such as Lower Shabelle or the Juba region, it adds to the complexity of lineage identity. The clan resides in rich fertile lands in southern Somalia and lives on

2652-525: The Rahanweyn as labourers, but were managed by Darood and only promoted Darood interest, not the nation's interest. Historically Jubbaland was Rahanweyn's stronghold and prior to Italian colonization, the region was ruled by Geledi Sultanate . In 1975, Mohammed Siad Barre, a member of the Marehan sub-clan of the Darood, created six different regions called Lower Juba , Middle Juba , Gedo , Bay , Bakool and Lower Shabelle for political reasons to favour

2730-535: The Rahanweyn communities were finally pleased they managed to establish their own autonomous state in the year 2002 and reaffirmed their autonomy from the hegemonic Darood and Hawiye factions. To them, they ultimately remembered their long-held dream for an autonomous federal state which their ancestors had advocated for in the early 1950s. The creation of the RRA and the declaration of the Southwest State of Somalia

2808-399: The Rahanweyn who descend from Sab, while the speakers of Maxaa Tiri (i.e. most spoken Somali ) belong to other clans ( Darod , Dir , Hawiye and Isaaq ) who descend from Samaale . Both Sab and Samaale are believed to have been fathered by Hiil (ancestral father of all Somalis ). Rahanweyn clans contain a high number of adopted members, with British anthropologist I. M. Lewis describing

2886-902: The Rhizophagoi (root eaters) and Spermatophagoi (seed eaters) of other geographers. Arabic sources refer to the coast as the Baḥr Berberā or al-Khalīj al-Berberī and its inhabitants as the Berbera or Berābir. They are the Somalis , distinguished from the Habash to their north and the Zanj to their south. From Arabic, this terminology for northeast Africa entered Hebrew ( Barbara ), Persian ( Barbaristan ) and even Chinese ( Pi-pa-li ). Most of these usages are associated with Somalia. The Chinese term, although probably derived from Berbera, refers to

2964-467: The Somali administration previously but who had already lived in tranquillity and harmony with Rahanweyn, declared the former pre-colonial loyalty of geeko mariidi (old days). Anti-clan laws were approved at independence that violated traditional land rights allowed the non-Rahanweyn to acquire gains at the expense of Rahanweyn. Under the disguise of nationalism, they promoted Darood and Hawiye interests. When Rahanweyn had political and numerical dominance in

3042-445: The Somali government. The Sultan in these poems was asked to help the community and reminded of his legendary Gobroon forefathers of the centuries prior. The poem The law then was not this law was performed by the leading Laashins of Afgooye, Hiraabey, Muuse Cusmaan and Abukar Cali Goitow alongside a few others, addressed to the current leader Sultan Subuge. It evoked the memories of the mighty Geledi Sultanate of years prior and

3120-594: The UNOPS SRP, regarded that seizer of power as the culmination of a long-term strategy by the president at the time, Siad Barre with the Gedo region being established back in 1974 in order to create a regional base for the Marehan clans. A similar fashion was happening in the Lower and Middle Juba regions where during the Ogaden War a huge number of Ogaden refugees were being resettled in Middle Jubba and during

3198-457: The USC's different factions to eject remnants of president Siad Barre's forces from their lands. Indeed, clans elders from these regions asked general Aideed to help them liberate their land from forces loyal to president Siad Barre, which were committing atrocities in the region. As it turned out, General Aideed's USC faction betrayed them politically when its militiamen occupied Rahanweyn regions under

Rahanweyn - Misplaced Pages Continue

3276-737: The antiquity period in southern Somalia. They were said to be a sub-group of the Barbaroi , ancestors of the Somali people . The Tunni Sultanate (r. 9th century - 13th century) was a Somali Muslim Sultanate located in southwestern Somalia , south of the Shabelle river. It was ruled by the Tunni Rahanweyn people, who spoke the Af-Tunni . The historical Tunni area correspondence to modern-day Lower Shabelle region Barawa founded by

3354-594: The area and made secret plans with his son-in-law General Morgan to exterminate the Rahanweyn clan. In fact, this had been a long-term aim as evidence pointed out in the infamous documents "death letter one" and "death letter two" of 1987. In these Morgan proposed the idea for the annihilation of both the Isaaq in the north and the Rahanweyn in the south. Apart from the massacres, general Morgan used other kinds of cruel and barbarous methods such as using starvation as his key tactic by plundering NGO warehouses, raiding convoys, and

3432-499: The backbones for door leaves, and they cut off vertebrae to make mortars with. There is a mountain (or island, 山) in this country which forms the boundary of Pi-p'a-lo. It is four thousand li around it — for the most part uninhabited. Dragon's-blood is procured from this mountain, also aloes (廣蒼), and from the waters (around it) tortoise-shell and ambergris. It is not known whence ambergris comes; it suddenly appears in lumps of from three to five or ten catties in weight, driven on

3510-568: The banks of Somalia's two major rivers, the Shebelle and Jubba rivers. The Rahanweyn make up the majority in the southwestern regions of Bay , Bakool , and Lower Shabelle . They are also believed to be the silent majority in Jubbaland specifically in regions such as Gedo , Middle Juba , and Lower Juba . They are the second-largest clan to reside in Mogadishu . They are also found in

3588-550: The basis for Standard Somali. Maay is principally spoken by the Digil and Mirifle ( Rahanweyn ) clans in the southern regions of Somalia , particularly in South West . Its speech area extends from the southwestern border with Ethiopia to a region close to the coastal strip between Mogadishu and Kismayo , including the city of Baidoa . Maay is not mutually comprehensible with Northern Somali or Benadir , and it differs considerably in sentence structure and phonology. It

3666-449: The civil war as hundreds of thousands of people died because of the conflict and other war-related causes. At the beginning of the year 1993, the constant war and communal suffering the Rahanweyn endured, the Rahanweyn community came to the realization that they shared the same history and experience of political marginalization and victimization throughout modern Somali history, had emerged. By March 1993, Somali Democratic movement organized

3744-423: The coast a great many dead fish measuring two hundred feet in length and twenty feet through the body. The people do not eat the flesh of these fish, but they cut out their brains, marrow, and eyes, from which they get oil, often as much as three hundred odd tong (from a single fish). They mix this oil with lime to caulk their boats and use it also in lamps. The poor people use the ribs of these fish to make rafters,

3822-521: The coast and hinterland and not just the port. In the historical work known as the Book of Tang, an extensive chronicle compiled during the Tang dynasty, a region of Barbaria is described in great detail. This area, specifically the Berbera coast, is referred to as Pi-p'a-lo (皮波羅). The text provides valuable insights into the geography, culture, economy, and unique fauna of this part of the world. Below

3900-650: The combined forces of Barbaristan and Himavarin, consisting of over two hundred elephants and a two-mile-long battle line, clash with the Persians. Rustam captures and subdues key figures, including the king of Himavarin, significantly weakening the coalition. Guraza, a key Sassanid figure, captures the monarch of Barbaristan and forty chiefs. The great Shah unlocks his treasury to celebrate his victory. He distributes lavish gifts, including jewels, crowns, finger-rings, brocade, and slaves adorned with earrings and crowns. Among these gifts were items from Barbar, which included

3978-445: The destruction of the farmlands and properties and confiscation of farms by the warring factions. And also because of what was described as 'genocidal policy' under which Hawiye and Darood factions were determined to exterminate Rahanweyns. If you compare Rahanweyn's experience with any other clan's experience, it becomes obvious that they were not only marginalized throughout Somali history but also suffered more than any other clan during

SECTION 50

#1732772979931

4056-599: The famine crisis in northeast Somalia, the Harti clans were being resettled in Lower Jubba . During the civil war, the less aggressive and peaceful Rahanweyn suffered the most out of any clan in Somalia . General Morgan the nephew of Siad Barre unified the Darood factions in Jubbaland and founded the Somali National Front and waged war against the self-declared president Mohamed Farrah Aidid who led

4134-412: The giver of judgment Ibraahim Cumar Xaaji the pillar of the world was alive and Aw Gaduud Cali Is it not so ? - Aw Gaduud Cali Abukar, and Yusuf Maxamuud the pillar of the world While they were alive the law was not this law When the giver of decisions Aw Cumar Adeerow was in the world the law was not this law Now everyone crowds in, they have taken the cleared farmland, They have taken

4212-426: The ignorant people in a state of terror. If some of them, in trading with some foreign ship, have a quarrel, the sorcerers pronounce a charm over the ship, so that it can neither go forward nor backward, and they only release the ship when it has settled the dispute. The government has formally forbidden this practice. Every year countless numbers of birds of passage (飛 禽) alight in the desert parts of this country. When

4290-545: The indigenous people had disturbed the region's socio-political and local businesses. It wasn't until late 1995 where the Rahanweyn Resistance Army was founded to liberate the Rahanweyn lands and launched a series of military campaigns against Aidid's militiamen. By 1999, RRA forces successfully drove out the Habar Gidir fighters from the Bay , Bakool , and Lower Shabelle regions. The next target

4368-410: The infidels Did you not separate from the Geelidle and come to Gooble (Afgooye)? We endured war and the point of the spear For the love of Gooble we left our first home And now everyone crowds in here, they have taken our cleared farmland They have taken the pasture where the herds grazed - where will the people be led ? The Gobroon who first arrived here are not these Gobroon When

4446-436: The interiverine region there was a petition to divide the region into nine provinces, only two remained in Rahanweyn's political control while the rest was Darood-led. This was supposedly a national development that turned out to be a hegemonic act and was aggravated by the Cooperative Development in 1974 under president Siad Barre when Rahanweyn land's was seized and annexed under an eminent domain law. The state farms thus used

4524-428: The large crowds) indicating that the Reewin clans are a confederation of diverse Somali clans that migrated elsewhere. However, all these definitions are based on the Northern Somali dialect rather than the southern Somali dialect therefore these definitions should be deemed inaccurate. The name is correctly pronounced Reewin which can be divided into Ree (family) and Wiin (old) which means (old family). This name

4602-422: The market cultivation which it had utilized from the Shebelle and Jubba valleys but also trade from their involvement in the slave trade and other enterprises such as ivory, cotton, iron, gold, among many other commodities. Generally, they also raised livestock animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and chicken. The Geledi Sultanate was eventually incorporated into Italian Somaliland Protectorate in 1908 by

4680-546: The ministers and the king's courtiers. The king lives in a brick house covered with glazed tiles, but the people live in huts made of palm leaves and covered with grass thatched roofs. Their daily food consists of baked flour cakes, sheep's and camel's milk. There are great numbers of cattle , sheep , and camels . Among the countries of the Ta-shii, this is the only one which produces frankincense . There are many sorcerers among them who are able to change themselves into birds, beasts, or aquatic animals, and by these means keep

4758-431: The more powerful armed militia occupied Rahanweyn dominated regions such as Bay , Bakool and Lower Shabelle in the guise of liberation against Siad Barre regime forces. The Habar Gidir militia in Lower Shabelle overstayed, began illegally settling by looting properties and farmlands and using the local Digil population as labour similar to Darood clans in Jubbaland. Researcher and analyst Muuse Yuusuf states: During

SECTION 60

#1732772979931

4836-497: The mutual intelligibility between Af-Maay and Af-Maxaa speakers (Northern Somali). The study found that Af-Maay is partially mutually intelligible to Af-Maxaa (Northern Speakers) and that intelligibility increases with increased understanding of Standard Somali. Which implies understanding of standard Somali (Northern Somali) increases the chance of understanding Af-Maay. This accounts for the most significant linguistic factor that ties both language variations together. Therefore Af-Maay

4914-404: The object is postverbal, the prefix maay appears on the verb. Within the noun phrase, the head noun is generally initial. Possessors, adjectives and some strong quantifiers follow the head noun. Numerals and the indefinite quantifier precede the head noun. Maay has retained a rich oral tradition and evocative poetry that differs from the more well-known northern style. In southern Somalia,

4992-412: The pasture of the herds where will we move the herds? You who burnt Ganaane and chased away the infidels Have you reached a decision about the stolen pastures? Barbaria (region) Barbaria was the name used by the ancient Greeks for coastal northeast Africa . The corresponding Arabic term, bilad al-Barbar (land of the Barbar), was used in the Middle Ages . The name of Barbaria

5070-429: The poet and reciter would be one and the same. British ethnologist Virginia Luling noted during her visit to Afgooye that poetry was to be conceived and recited simultaneously with no prior preparation. The poets or Laashin relied on their wit and memory to construct beautiful poems and entertain the audience. Geledi Laashins during Luling's 1989 stay in Afgooye sang about the ever-present issue of land theft by

5148-460: The pretext that they had liberated them from the 'fallen' regime. Therefore, at the collapse of the military dictatorship, Rahanweyn clans and small non-Somali ethnic groups found themselves defenseless and trapped between marauding Hawiye and Darood factions in what became known as the 'triangle of death' in which Baidoa, the capital city of the Bay region, became the city of death. They suffered most when up to 500,000 people starved to death because of

5226-596: The rebellion against General Siad Barre's regime, there were some Rahanweyn rebel groups, such as the SDM. However, they were not strong militarily and their political elite did not have access to the state military arsenal like the high-ranking military leaders of other Hawiye, Darood, and Isaaq factions who looted state arsenal. Rahanweyn elites did not also have an economic power base and a diaspora community to support their movement, factors that helped other factions. They were also divided among themselves, supporting different rebel groups. For example, SDM had to ally itself with

5304-467: The rulers resided in the grand palace. The kingdom had a number of castles , forts and other variety of architectures in various areas within its realm, including a fortress at Luuq and a citadel at Bardera . The Geledi army numbered 20,000 men in times of peace, and could be raised to 50,000 troops in times of war. The supreme commanders of the army were the Sultan and his brother, who in turn had Malaakhs and Garads under them. The military

5382-511: The shore by the wind. The people of the country make haste to divide it up, or ships run across it at sea and fish it up. In the 6th-century Sassanid text, the Letter of Tansar , the third part of the world is designated the “ Land of the Blacks ” which stretches from Barbaria to India. Barbaria in this context alludes to the city of Berbera . The Persian Firdawsi in his epic, the Shahnama , refers to 'Barbaristan', which according to J. Darmester corresponds with modern-day Somalia . In

5460-434: The sun rises, they suddenly disappear, so that one cannot find a trace of them. The people catch them with nets, and eat them; they are remarkably savory. They are in season till the end of spring, but, as soon as summer comes, they disappear, to come back the following year. When one of the inhabitants dies, and they are about to bury him in his coffin , his kinsfolk from near and far come to condole. Each person, flourishing

5538-408: The two subclans of the Rahanweyn comprises a great number of clans and sub-clans. The Digil sub-clan mainly consists of farmers and coastal people, while the Mirifle are predominantly agro-pastoralists. According to constitutional law, Somalis are linguistically grouped into Mai Terreh and Maxaa Tiri . The vast majority of the Somalis who speak Mai Terreh (also known as Mai-Mai or Af-Maay ) are

5616-407: Was Jubbaland and to expel the illegal settlers that came in the time of the military dictator Siad Barre . However, the plan was halted in 2000 when the transitional national government was established. Both the Hawiye and Darood clans feared Rahanweyn's growing political ambition and complained to the international community to pressure the Rahanweyn to accept the current status quo . Nevertheless,

5694-1042: Was a sharp contrast to their current situation. Here the richest selection of the poem Ganaane gubow gaala guuriow Gooble maahinoo Geelidle ma goynin Gembi iyo waran guraantiis aa loogu soo gayooday, Gooble Gacalkiisa guri curad aa looga soo guuray Haddana nin walba aa Soo gamgamohaayo, goofka beereed waa la goostay, gelgeshii Gaashada daaqeysana waa la goostay, gunta intee la geyn doonaa? Gobroontii soo gaartay Gobroontaan ma ahayn, gargooye Ibraahim Cumar Xaaji goodaalka adunyada markii joogeen, Awow Gaduud Cali - Mahinoo - Awow Gaduud Cali Abukar, Yusuf Maxamuud iyo goodaalka Addunka markii joogeen, ganuunka ganuunkan ma ahayn, Awow Gudgudoome Cumar Adeerow goodaalka aduunka markii joogeen Ganuunka ganuunkan ma ahayn. Beereed waa la goostay, gelgeshii Gaasha la la goostay, gaasha intee loola guuraa ? Ganaane gubowow, gaala guuriow-aa Gelgeshii la goostay go'aan maad ka gaart-aa (gaartay) ? You who burnt Ganaane and chased away

5772-588: Was a temporary arrangement. The Marehan settlers were at present living in those areas with the Rahanweyne clans being squeezed out there as a result. The civil war in Somalia in the 1900s promoted most of the Gabaweyn sub-clan of Rahanweyn to leave the Gedo region and go to live in Kenya and Ethiopia. This enabled the Marehan clans finally to secure political power in the Gedo region. Abdullahi Sheikh Mohamed, of

5850-463: Was ambitious and consisted of six administrative regions of Bay, Bakool, Lower Shabelle, Middle Juba, Lower Juba, and Gedo under this project the Rahanweyn were regarded as the rightful majority in these regions. However, despite this project sounding good to the interiverine clans, there were still some challenges lying ahead for example the Rahanweyn traditional territories were still being occupied by Darood and Hawiye militias and massive displacement of

5928-408: Was an indicator of the clan's victory over the dominant factions, originating from far away places like the central regions. By establishing their own state and army, the Rahanweyn clan positioned themselves to be a force to be reckoned with. A country that was already split along clan-based states. This historical action was nothing more than a coping mechanism that came about in the civil war just like

6006-533: Was full of both domestic and foreign commodities. The Ajuran would take over the region and end the Tunni Sultanate . Along with Hawiye , Rahanweyn clan also came under the Ajuran Empire control in the 13th century that governed much of southern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia , with its domain extending from Hobyo in the north, to Qelafo in the west, to Kismayo in the south. At the end of

6084-539: Was supplied with rifles and cannons by Somali traders of the coastal regions that controlled the East African arms trade . The kingdom maintained a vast trading network, trading with Arabia , Persia , India , Near East , Europe and the Swahili World , dominating the East African trade, and was a regional power. In the case of the Geledi, wealth accrued to the nobles and to the Sultanate not only from

#930069