I am Hawiye/Degodia, but i am really starting to think that the prior to the Somali–Portuguese conflicts of 1507 and Ahmad Gurre, i dont think the identities really existed, even when ibn batattu visited both ports in somalia, he never refered to them as Somalis in 1300s.
Discussion: Did Somali/Oromo identity did not exist prior to 1500s?
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IIRC the Region known as the Somali Peninsula was recognized and called Somali many many many many centuries ago
But as for Identity not sure.
But as for Identity not sure.
No they very much did. The oromos only began to expand into their current terriotry in the 1500s and in those first few centuries they were pagans.
Current somali clans have essentially not changed their territories in the last 500 years. The somali identity is very clearly preislamic its just that are culutral similarities with the arabian penisula hides how little our culutrre has changed even with the conversion to islam
Current somali clans have essentially not changed their territories in the last 500 years. The somali identity is very clearly preislamic its just that are culutral similarities with the arabian penisula hides how little our culutrre has changed even with the conversion to islam
Its intresting that the Oromo expansion happened only after the war (timeline adds up).
Here is my thinking:
During the war, all the Muslim clans (predominately on the coast) that sided with ottomans, became Somali, and all the clans who sided with portuguese were known as "Gal/Gallo"(none-Muslim/outsider, old name for Oromo). maybe both the clans unified and operated like military divisions during war and economic colective during peace (japanese style), and it was during the war that both sides formed Somali and Oromo identities.
Anyway once Ahmed gurre, and the barawa did their thing and pushed the portuguese out of the Somali coast, the "Gallo/Oromo" became more africanized and later ethiopians (language changed). and that maybe we were all a collections of different clans and towns/cities in a part of the world that didnt have unified state structures but formed different nations due to religious differences.
Side note: i find it odd that SL wants to breakaway from the state they helped create. Ahmed gurre would be rolling in his grave right now.
If you guys are intrested in some intresting reads i discovered today.
Really intresting sources you posted. I think rhe idea that somalis used the word gallo not just for non-Muslims but also against other somalis makes a lot of sense. This practice which we see the sayyid and other 19th/20th century reforms use is probably a very old tactic.
This section was Particularly enlightened. Those gaal madow wars in the north and other such stories are not about some pagan group. But just sectarian infighting between somali mislims and are just the memory of them defeating earlier somali clans who lived here.
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