Regarding the point about Daroods and their perceived Arab heritage, it's important to note that Daroods aren't the only ones who claim such heritage. Many Somalis, not just Daroods, associate themselves with the Banu Hashim lineage. However, perpetuating this Arab myth can provide fuel to our opponents' arguments, leading them to claim that we are foreigners or invaders in our own land. This undermines our indigenous identity.
Historically, Somalis are an ancient ethnic group that has undergone rebranding over time. Something significant may have occurred during our Islamization, many oral traditions and histories of our pre-Islamic past were condemned and forgotten, similar to what happened with the Arabs and their pre-islamic history.
The Islamization process provided an opportunity for clans to partly rewrite their genealogy or stories to enhance their prestige compared to others. When the saying "Sab iyo Samaale" was more widespread, Daroods were squarely considered part of the "Samaale''. I'd hypothesize that during the days when the pastrolist Somalis were less in number, the same way Hawadle and Gaaljecel are considered hawiye, Daroods were considered "Samaales'' because of the historical marriage, proximity and cultural identicality. This identity divorced itselfs once they spread out more and more and becoming more and more plentiful from the meaning of Samaale, becoming Somali our ethnic identity.
This process might have happenend dozens of time, genetic evidence do show at least at the oldest level of our Y-heritage some confederation between major sub-clans.
This phenomenon is evident in recent times as well. During the 1980s and 1990s, the majority of Isaaqs considered themselves a subclan of Dir and shared paternal lineage with Hawiye and other Samaales. However, when they seceded, stories were rewritten to emphasize their uniqueness and distance themselves from other Somalis.
Ultimately, what defines someone as Somali is a combination of various attributes, with a crucial one being whether others consider them Somali. While social attitudes may evolve over time, currently, there is a consensus that those with Somali heritage only from their mothers' side may not be considered Somali.
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