Through .Kablulla, Darod's son, descent is claimed by the Herti
Somalia, whose principal branches are the Medjertain, Dulbahanta,
and Wersengeli. Again, sub-dividing into innumerable septs, through
Darod's second son are descended the Ogaden who have branched into
the Mohamed ZuDeir, Aulihan, Magharbul, Habr Suliman, Abd Wak,
Ker Abduiia, and Her Mohamed; the last named three clans are now
found near the Kiver Tana. The Marehan Somalia are probably the
most direct descendants of Darod. Somali tradition places the advent
of Darod's father Jiberti bin Ismail, as two hundred years after the
Megira. from then onwards the families become less pagan, and in
1260 it is said that Said Yusuf El Bagdadi and Mohamed bin Yunis
-bil Siddik, two Arabs came across from Arabia, subdued an infidel
magician and settled among the Somalis.
In 1400 A.D. comes the almost certain descent of the Issak tribes
from Sheriff Issak bin Ahmed. The story runs that he, with forty-
four holy men from Hadramout, sat for four days on the hill Auliya
Jiombo in Somaliland planning the conversion of the country. The
Issak Somalis aver that the documents proving this descent were
stolen by Yemen Arab Sheriffs in order to discredit their noble origin.
By Magaden, an Abyssinian woman, Sheriff Issak begat Gerharjia,
Awai, and Arab, and, by a slave, Jalla, Sambal, and Eambar, all
these sub-tribes prefix the matronymic Habr, though it appears
doubtful whether a noble Arab would give his sons pagan names.
The descendants of Sheriff Issak and the forty-four saints with
their increasing number of proselytes so multiplied that about 1500
A.D. they drove the unconverted pagans to the West and South.
The nature of the country and its lack of grazing and water, forced
the Somalis to follow in the wake of the Galla, and about 1840 — 1850
the Ogaden and Marehan crossed the head-waters of the Juba and
encountered the Galla again. Ultimately the Galla were driven
through Biskaya (the Place of Battles) to the Tana Eiver where still
a dwindling remnant of the tribe is found, to be followed closely by
the Somali who is now moving Westwards to the Lorian Swamp.
To sum up this brief history of the Somali it appears that first
came an exodus from Southern Arabia of various pastoral Hamitiu
peoples who crossed the Bed Sea to the countries about Cape Gardafui.
They then became tinctured by religion and intermarriage with Sinbad-
like Arabs and thus formed the Somali tribes, destined to drive their
fore-runners the Galla Westwards and Southwards, and to follow
them, not for conquest but for grazing, until the present day.
The future of this intelligent, facile, inconstant, indolent,
avaricious and complex people is full of interest; the Arabs have it
that " God made Somaliland, then the Somali, then he laughed."
Somalia, whose principal branches are the Medjertain, Dulbahanta,
and Wersengeli. Again, sub-dividing into innumerable septs, through
Darod's second son are descended the Ogaden who have branched into
the Mohamed ZuDeir, Aulihan, Magharbul, Habr Suliman, Abd Wak,
Ker Abduiia, and Her Mohamed; the last named three clans are now
found near the Kiver Tana. The Marehan Somalia are probably the
most direct descendants of Darod. Somali tradition places the advent
of Darod's father Jiberti bin Ismail, as two hundred years after the
Megira. from then onwards the families become less pagan, and in
1260 it is said that Said Yusuf El Bagdadi and Mohamed bin Yunis
-bil Siddik, two Arabs came across from Arabia, subdued an infidel
magician and settled among the Somalis.
In 1400 A.D. comes the almost certain descent of the Issak tribes
from Sheriff Issak bin Ahmed. The story runs that he, with forty-
four holy men from Hadramout, sat for four days on the hill Auliya
Jiombo in Somaliland planning the conversion of the country. The
Issak Somalis aver that the documents proving this descent were
stolen by Yemen Arab Sheriffs in order to discredit their noble origin.
By Magaden, an Abyssinian woman, Sheriff Issak begat Gerharjia,
Awai, and Arab, and, by a slave, Jalla, Sambal, and Eambar, all
these sub-tribes prefix the matronymic Habr, though it appears
doubtful whether a noble Arab would give his sons pagan names.
The descendants of Sheriff Issak and the forty-four saints with
their increasing number of proselytes so multiplied that about 1500
A.D. they drove the unconverted pagans to the West and South.
The nature of the country and its lack of grazing and water, forced
the Somalis to follow in the wake of the Galla, and about 1840 — 1850
the Ogaden and Marehan crossed the head-waters of the Juba and
encountered the Galla again. Ultimately the Galla were driven
through Biskaya (the Place of Battles) to the Tana Eiver where still
a dwindling remnant of the tribe is found, to be followed closely by
the Somali who is now moving Westwards to the Lorian Swamp.
To sum up this brief history of the Somali it appears that first
came an exodus from Southern Arabia of various pastoral Hamitiu
peoples who crossed the Bed Sea to the countries about Cape Gardafui.
They then became tinctured by religion and intermarriage with Sinbad-
like Arabs and thus formed the Somali tribes, destined to drive their
fore-runners the Galla Westwards and Southwards, and to follow
them, not for conquest but for grazing, until the present day.
The future of this intelligent, facile, inconstant, indolent,
avaricious and complex people is full of interest; the Arabs have it
that " God made Somaliland, then the Somali, then he laughed."
