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Hawiye, Dir clan,other Somali clans |
The Rahanweyn (Somali Maay: Reewing; traditional Somali: Raxanweyn, Arabic: الراحانوين) is a Somali clan, composed of two major sub-clans, the Digil and the Mirifle.[1] It makes up about 20% of the population of Somalia, and is one of the five major Somali clans residing in the Horn of Africa.
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Overview
The Digil sub-clan mainly consists of farmers and coastal people, while the Mirifle are predominantly nomadic pastoralists.
According to the Rahanweyn, Somalis are linguistically grouped into Mai Terreh and Maxaa Tiri. The speakers of Mai Terreh (also known as Mai-Mai or Af-Maay) are the Rahanweyn, while the speakers of Maxaa Tiri (i.e. Standard Somali) belong to other clans (Dir, Darod, Isaaq, and Hawiye).
The Digil and Mirifle are mainly concentrated in southern Somalia, including Mogadishu, Upper Juba (Gedo, Bay, Bakool, most parts of Jubbada Dhexe) and Shabeellaha Hoose. They are also found in the Somali Region and the North Eastern Province (currently administered by Ethiopia and Kenya, respectively).
Rahanweyn sub-clans
A 2001 report by the United Kingdom Home Office summarizes thirty-three Rahanweyn sub-clans in two loose alliances:[2]
- The "Eight":
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- Maalinweyna
- Harien
- Helleda
- Elai, and others
- The "Nine":
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- Gassa Gudda
- Hadama
- Luwai
- Geledi, and others
Notable Rahanweyn people
- Sheikh Mukhtar Mohamed Hussein, former speaker of parliament, from 1965-1969 and briefly interim president.
- Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, speaker of the parliament of Transitional Federal government 2004–2007.
- Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud, leader of the Rahanweyn Resistance Army, president of Southwestern Somalia, Minister of Finance and Agriculture of the Transitional Federal Government
- Mohamed Haji Mukhtar, professor of African and Middle Eastern History at Savannah State University
- Abdi Kusow, professor of sociology and anthropology at Oakland University
- Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Mansur, leader and spokesman for Al Shabaab
- Abdallah Isaaq Deerow, late Minister of Constitutional Affairs of the Transitional Federal Government
- Adan Mohamed Nuur Madobe, current Speaker of the Parliament of the Transitional Federal Government, and former interim President of Somalia
Notes
- ^ HAAN Associates, p.260
- ^ Somalia Assesment 2001, Annex B: Somali Clan Structure, Country Information and Policy Unit, Home Office, Great Britain
References
- Rebuilding Somalia: issues and possibilities for Puntland. HAAN Associates. 2001. ISBN 1874209049. http://books.google.ca/books?id=BHzaAAAAMAAJ.
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