Origins of the Somali people

[Som]

According to historians Hawiye Somalis lived in the south in the 13th century, but we don't know if they came from the northern part of the horn or from southern Ethiopia.
According to sources central and southern clans like marrehan and hawiye were also present in the Adal empire which suggests that Somalis originally came from the red sea area.
Somali clan myths and stories also suggest a northen origin fir most somali clans.
The southern origin theory is also strong, af maay spoken in the south has an oromo substratum so it is possible that Somalis came from southern Ethiopia just like oromos and diverged at some point

 

[CaliTedesse]

Dude what about Northern Kenya?

 

[land owner]

The Somali ethnicity more than likely formed in Southern Somalia (between the jubba and shabelle river).

 

[Apollo]

Somalis originate from Somalia as an ethnic group.

The theories that they are from the Southern Ethiopian Highlands are total bogus. Some of those minor groups in South Ethiopia/North Kenya speaking Somali-like languages descent (only partially, not even fully) from people who used to live in the Eastern side of the Horn (Greater Somalia) and migrated Westwards to those regions rather than vice versa.