''The Somali's crossed over from Asia and then....''

''The Somalis, who have succeeded to their position, crossed from Asia at a later date, and were at first confined to the strip of land along the eastern coast of Africa, to the south of Cape Guardafui. The Somalis are certainly closely related to the Oromos; they have similar high foreheads, straight nostrils, thin lips, and long clinky hair. According to Somali tradition, the two ethnic groups were cousins; but the Somalis accepted light from Islam when they were offered it, while the Oromos clung to their ancestral paganism. This is not unlikely to be the source of the present difference between their positions. Their religion has given to the Somali a power and motivating force, which has enabled them, in spite of lack of cohesion among the clans, to advance southwards and westards. Oromos, Wadone, Wasaniya, Walangulo, Pokomo, have all gone down before their resistless march, and now only the agricultural tribes of the Wa-kamba and Kikuyu remain as buffer states between them and the Masai. Unless England intervenes these peaceful tribes seem doomed, and then the Masai and the Somalis, left face to face, will commence a fight for the mastery, which will turn East Africa into an even greater pandemonium than it is today.''

[The Great Rift Valley : being the narrative of a journey to Mount Kenya and Lake Baringo : with some account of the geology, natural history, anthropology and future prospects of British East Africa
by Gregory, J. W. (John Walter), 1864-1932: pages 365-370]


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‘’According to M. de Rienzi, the Somalis are remarkable for the beauty of their features; they have a singular custom of staining their hair of a yellow color, by means of lime, and of dressing it in imitation of the fleeces of their sheep, which have fleshy tails of enormous bulk. The same traveler says that they are very pacific in their disposition, and display great address in keeping peace and amity with their fierce neighbors, and even with the Oromos.
A similar account of the Somalis is to be found in a memoir communicated by Mr. Bird to the Royal Geographical Society. The author describes the Somali traders from Berbera. He says, ‘’their fine regular features, their ringlets of soft hair, artificially changed to a flaxen color, and allowed to flow negligently around their shoulders, present a contrast to the jet-black complexions, and woolly hair of the Suhailis from Ajan. He adds, ‘’The Somalis are yet more lightly clad than the Arabs, and in addition to a wrapper for the loins, have only a thin white sheet thrown negligently around their shoulders.
It might be suspected from the description of the physical traits of the Somalis that they are immigrants from India, as Professor Ritter conjectures the inhabitants in general of the ‘’Barbaric’’ coast of eastern Africa to be. But it seems most probable that the Somalis are only civilized or improved versions of the Oromos. ‘’
[Researches into the Physical History of Mankind, pages 156-161]
 

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