Rahanweyn
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Languages | |
| Standard Somali, Maay | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Sunni) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Hawiye, Dir clan, Isaaq, Darod, Carab Saalax (Meheri) other Somali people |
The Rahanweyn (Somali Maay: Reewing; traditional Somali: Raxanweyn, Arabic: رحنوين) is a Somali clan, composed of two major sub-clans, the Digil and the Mirifle.[1] and is one of the five major Somali clans residing in the Horn of Africa.
Overview[edit]
The Digil sub-clan mainly consists of farmers and coastal people, while the Mirifle are predominantly nomadic pastoralists.
According to the Rahanweyn, Somalis are linguistically grouped into Mai Terreh and Maxaa Tiri. The speakers of Mai Terreh (also known as Mai-Mai or Af-Maay) are the Rahanweyn, while the speakers of Maxaa Tiri (i.e. Standard Somali) belong to other clans (Darod, Dir, Hawiye and Isaaq).
The Digil and Mirifle are mainly concentrated in southern Somalia, including Mogadishu, Upper Juba (Gedo, Bay, Bakool, most parts of Middle Juba) and Lower Shebelle. They are also found in the Somali Region of Ethiopia and the North Eastern Province of Kenya.
Clan tree[edit]
There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures and many lineages are omitted. The following listing is taken from the World Bank's Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics from 2005 and the United Kingdom's Home Office publication, Somalia Assessment 2001.[2][3]
- Rahanweyn
- Digil
- Dabarre
- Jiddu
- Garre
- Tunni
- Geledi
- Mirifle
- Sagaal
- Jilible
- Hadame
- Sideed
- Harin
- Eelay
- Jiron
- Leyasn
- Sagaal
- Digil
In the south central part of Somalia the World Bank shows the following clan tree:[4]
- Rahanwayin
- Digil
- Geledi
- Tunni
- Garre
- Jiddo
- Begedi
- Shanta-Alen
- Digil
Christian Bader lists the principal Digil and Rahanweyn subclans as follows:[5]
- Sab
- Amarre
- Daysame
- Digil
- Maad
- Rahanweyn
- Jambaluul
- Midhifle
- Begedi
- Aleemo
- Maatay
- Irroole
- Dabarre
- 'Ali Jiiddu
- Dubdheere
- Waraasiile
- Tikeme
- Duubo
- Digiine
- Iise Tunni
- Rahanweyn
- Maad
- Digil
- Daysame
- Amarre
One should note that the Garre do not actually claim descent from Rahanweyn or Digil and Mirifle. Only in the Southern Somalia do they come under the Rahanweyn confederation due to their isolation from other Garre's and assimilation into the Digil umbrella. Garre are divided into the Tuff and Quranyow sub-clans. While the Tuffs are further divided into the Ali and Adola groups, the Quranyow are divided into the Asare and Furkesha. Kuranyo(Quranyow who was married to Tuuf's daughter make and agnatically descend from Dir son of Irrir son of Samaale. [6][7]
Notable Rahanweyn people[edit]
- Abdallah Isaaq Deerow, former Minister of Constitutional Affairs of the Transitional National Government
- Abdi Mohamed Kusow, Professor of Sociology at Iowa State University
- Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi, former Minister of Defence of Somalia
- Abdullahi Haji Hassan Mohamed Nuur, former Foreign Minister of Somalia, and former Minister of Agriculture and Livestock
- Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe, former Speaker of the Parliament of the Transitional Federal Government, and former interim President of Somalia
- Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, former chairman of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army, former Finance Minister, first President of Southwestern State of Somalia
- Mohamed Haji Mukhtar, professor of African and Middle Eastern History at Savannah State University
- Mohamed Ibrahim, former Minister of the Transitional National Government
- Mohamed Osman Jawari, Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia
- Mohamed Sheikh Hassan, Minister of Defence of Somalia
- Muhammad Ibrahim Habsade, former rebel and Minister Agriculture in the Transitional Federal Government
- Mustafa Mohamed Moalim (Mustafa Maxamed Macalin), first fighter pilot in Somalia, Chief of Somali Air Force School and Chief of Somali Air Force Operations
- Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, MP and former Speaker of Parliament
- Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein, former Speaker of Parliament and interim President of Somalia
- Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Mansur, member of and spokesman for Al Shabaab
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ HAAN Associates, p.260
- ^ Worldbank, Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics, January 2005, Appendix 2, Lineage Charts, p.55 Figure A-1
- ^ Country Information and Policy Unit, Home Office, Great Britain, Somalia Assessment 2001, Annex B: Somali Clan Structure, p. 43
- ^ Worldbank, Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics, January 2005, Appendix 2, Lineage Charts, p.56 Figure A-2
- ^ Bader, Christian (1999). "Genealogies Somali". Le sang et le lait: brève histoire des clans somali [Blood and milk: A brief history of the Somali clans] (in French). Paris: 9782706813733. p. 246. ISBN 2706813733. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ^ Hayward, R. J.; Lewis, I. M. (2005-08-17). Voice and Power. Routledge. p. 242. ISBN 9781135751753.
- ^ The Quranyo section of the Garre claim descent from Dirr, who are born of the Irrir Samal. UNDP Paper in Keyna http://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/Amani%20Papers/AP_Volume1_n2_May2010.pdf
References[edit]
- Rebuilding Somalia: issues and possibilities for Puntland. HAAN Associates. 2001. ISBN 1-874209-04-9.
