Somali people

This 2002 CIA map shows the distribution of Somali clan populations.

Somalis are split up into many clans and sub-clans, including but not limited to the following:
*Dir
*Darod
*Hawiye
*Isaaq
*Rahanweyn (Digil and Mirifle)

Genealogical claims are an important part of Somali tradition and can appear to outsiders as a form of xenophobic isolation.[1] Loyalty to one's clan is important and in Somalia it often supercedes any central government authority.

Somali nationalism often relates to ancestral claims of a biblical and Quranic nature as most Somalis claim some sort of relationship with ancient Near Eastern religious figures and peoples. A hierarchical system exists as competing groups claim varying degrees of important ancient ancestral ties. These differing claims of ancestral origin have been historically used by imperialists such as the British and Italians to divide the Somalis and the civil war of the 1980s corresponded to this somewhat artificial ethnic cleavage between the Isaaq clan and southern Somalis. These tribal rivalries have continued to afflict the Somali people into the 21st century as no central government has managed to unite the disparate and sometimes hostile tribes.

Culture and society

Many Somalis believe that they descend from a common ancestor called Samaal. Culturally even disparate tribes share the common traits that unite Somalis including their language, religion, and history.

Modern wars have led to substantial deterioration in Somali life. Refugees have streamed out of the country and national health and human services have become largely absent except in Somaliland, which since independence in 1991 has managed to create some measure of stability while at the same time attempting to break away from the country of Somalia.

Many Somalis continue to subsist upon agricultural and pastoral livlihoods as trade remains fairly limited. Due to the relatively arid conditions found throughout much of the Horn of Africa, water and irrigation are crucial to farming and the various internecine wars have ravaged much of the country's infrastructure and led to famines. Due to the turmoil experienced by various civil wars, the average Somali life expectancy hovers around 46 years.[2]

Education remains an important consideration for most Somalis, but, according to the CIA Factbook, only about 37.8% of the country is believed to be literate.[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/so.html#People] Clan rivalry, a rise in religious fundamentalism, and gender discrimination are some factors that continue to hamper Somali society as well.

There has been a great deal of concern sparked by Somali youth born abroad and losing touch with their culture and homeland. A lot of these youths live in various Western countries and it is not uncommon to see the great majority of them with an under-average grasp of the Somali language and what may be seen as a disdainful attitude towards Islam as a tradional, as well as a central, force in the typical Somali household. A lot of these Westernized children of Somalia (especially those living in the US, England, and Canada) grow use to, and gradually adopt Western culture as their own. As they are more deeply assimilated into their adopted country's culture, they begin to lose touch with their native culture. In the majority of cases, this entails deteriorating Somali language skills, lack of knowledge regarding Somali customs, lack of respect for Somali tradition, and the rejection of Islam.

There has been considearble debate among concerned parents of Somali youth. The most common strategy to prevent what is seen as a complete rejection of Somali values, customs, beliefs, and religion has been to immediately send the 'troubled child' to relatives living in the Somali homeland. The sheer violence and destruction that has plagued the country does not seem to deter the efforts of the parents of these Somali youth.

Religion

Somalis are predominantly Sunni Muslim.

References

*Ethnologue population estimates for Somali speakers
*US Library of Congress Country Study of Somalia
*European Journal of Human Genetics-High frequencies of Y chromosome lineages characterized by E3b1, DYS19-11, DYS392-12 in Somali males
*American Journal of Human Genetics-The Making of the African mtDNA Landscape
*The History and Geography of Human Genes, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza et. al, Princeton University Press (1994)
*A Modern History of Somalia: Nation and State in the Horn of Africa, Longman Publishing Group (1980)
*National and Class Conflict in the Horn of Africa, Cambridge University Press (1987)
*Somali Planet Networks