SOMALI WOMEN FROM 1800 TO PRESENT

[Warrior of Light]

Asalaam aleykum my fellow nomads

 

I've have had this paper in my hand for almost 6 months .* thinking should i share it or not?? :confused: Given to me by a brother in Islam who has been trying to help me learn and appreciate our Somali culture. Due to copyright purposes This paper was written by a Amina H. Adan for History 596 class. I beleive supervised by a Dr. Ehret. She is I presume a Kenyan Somali who had written and presented this paper before the civil war in Somalia.

 

Prefered to share it especially recently with the increase of articles -where are the good somali women etc.topics which pop up and you find that that rare- Somali lady is put to trial sometimes put to death by the delight of some. So I hope we can appreciate this paper and discuss the real role of that Somali lady who has been addressed here by the usage of poetry our national heritage and see by examples how she changed through the years.

 

Just a little peice of advice be patient chew it as a whole then start the discussion pls.

Ps. I have divided the paper into 3 parts. This is the first.

 

 

SOMALI WOMEN FROM 1800 TO PRESENT by Amina H.Adan.

 

Since poetry is the most valuable artistic possession of the Somali, it is no wonder that poetry is classified into different categories. Poems are divided into (1) gabay , (2) geerar , and (3) jiifto . The most serious is the gabay and all three are considered man’s dominion. The jiifto and the geerar are sung, the gabay is usually recited. Traditionally in the nomadic areas gabay is never accompanied with music, stepping or clapping. It is too serious, too solemn to be accompanied by anything but the poet’s voice. However, in all these three areas women do not compose often. One can find a female gabay poet occasionally but it is not a common affair.

 

First of all, traditionally, poets are spokesmen of their clans. And a great poet is considered a great value to his clan. Interclan politics always gives a poet a tremendous voice. Perhaps because of that women are excluded from this type of expression. The Somali saying goes. “ Three qualities that are considered virtue for men are considered vice for women: gessinimo, deeqsinimo and aftahanimo.†These three are courage, generosity, and eloquence. This shed s some light why women shun gabay poetry, the explanation given to why these noble characteristics are denied to women are that if a woman is courageous she will fight her husband, if she is generous she will give away her husband’s property which is entrusted upon her and if she is eloquent she will debate or address daringly her brother-in-law. A brother- in-law inherits his brother’s wife and there is always a great respect expected from both partners.

 

Poetry occupies a large and important place in Somali culture, “interest in it is universal and the skill in it is something which everyone covets and many possess. The Somali poetic heritage is a living force intimately connected with the visissitudes of everyday life.â€1 (Somali poetry)

 

An apt description. The poet in Somali society is the innovator of new styles of speech. He is the critic of despotic chiefs and he is the artist whose verse gives pleasure to the mind. He is also the agitator and he is the newscaster who informs his listeners what is going on in the outside world. Somali poetry is sometimes a political comment as the following verse shows which was composed during the 1800’ S when Africa in general was divided between the European powers and in particular Somalia was sliced between the conquering factions.

 

 

 

Ingriis, Amaxaar iyo Talyaan way akeekimiye

Arladaa la kala, boobaya

Ka u itaal roon

Waa duni la kala iibsaday

aan nala ogaysiin.

 

The British, the Ethiopians and the Italians are squabbling,

The country is snatched, divided by whosoever is strong

The country is sold without our knowledge!

 

 

 

The poet, Faraax Nuur, was lamenting against the partition of Somalilands and infact alerting his people to the tragic plight that had befallen them.

 

The reason why we are citing these verses is to show that poetry is not only a classic expression but it is the daily journal which makes the masses aware of the daily issues which concern their world.

 

All in all, women are denied three noble aspects of life. To come to my point Somali women compose poetry but it is a special type of poetry which is not considered serious enough for the taste of the nomadic man. It is called Buraanbur . Buraanbur is usually shorter and lighter than [gabay , jiifto or geerar . It could be accompanied by drums, clapping or stepping. Men compose some buraanbur verses but it is considered as a king’s visitation. In other words a great poet might compose a buraanbur verse in recognition of a female relative.

 

Another form of buraanburis the hoobeyo . Hoobeyo is the lullaby sung to children. Women can compose new lullabies but there are traditional ones which are passed from generation to generation. We will survey a cross section of the hoobeyo because these convey different messages. A song is multi-purpose. It is not only to entertain a child but the mother or the singer is always addressing someone else too. This could be a husband, a brother, a mother-in-law, co-wife or men in general. A lullaby song maybe a complaint about a heavy- handed husband, a bad drought or just a joyful entertainment for a child.

 

 

Gudowy weyno gefeene

Arda aan gabadhi joogin

Gudowy gell laguma maalo

Gamaan faras laguma raaco

 

Oh, my daughter men have wronged us

For in a dwelling where women are not present

No camels are milked

Nor are saddled horses mounted

 

 

This song is first of all to entertain the child. However, it is loaded with a message like many others that we will encounter in this paper. The child whom the song is addressed to is a female. Thus the child and her mother are in the same boat. The mother feels and illustrates their unity in being women together. She is not only addressing her child but a fellow woman to whom she is pointing out the wrongs which men have spread against them. One could ask what are these wrongs. Nomadic society believes that a woman belongs to another family. That is, the family she marries into. She does not contribute to the wealth of the family of her birth. So this song is an answer to this general belief. Since horses and camels are the brideprice paid to a woman’s maiden family by her suitor it should be considered a contribution to the wealth of the family. Thus the mother asserting herself and declaring autonomy because property of the family comes through the female side.

 

 

There are also other work songs like the “ salsal â€. Salsal is sung while loading a camel. “Hoyal †is sung while weaving mats. These songs are short. Sometimes a line or two is repeated and a chorus is formed. There are also religious songs and healing songs. All these songs have double purposes. Primarily entertainment but equally important is protest and voicing of female problems. In short, these songs are a platform of protest for the female population. Let us consider this “ salsal â€:

 

 

Nabad gale nin laba dumar le

Nabad uma soo gelin

 

For the polygamous my lovely camel

Worry and nagging are his companion

 

 

While singing these lines a woman’s own husband maybe helping her in loading the camels but there is no way he can stop her because she is singing a traditional work song which women sung for atleast the past two hundred years. This clearly shows that women are protesting against polygamy.

 

 

The Hobeeyo Chorus

 

 

The term “ Hobeeyo†is the chorus of the children’s lullaby which Somali women have been repeating meticulously for atleast the last two hundred years. The nomadic Somali women learn these songs ffrom childhood by listening to her mother or other older women. These songs are always for a double purpose as we have mentioned before. To the Somali women this is the history of the female population of the country. However, it always gives us glimpses of the history of the nation as a whole. We will go through a cross section of the hobeeyo and try to detect the message it conveys.

 

Dhibaay gabadh dhalatayee

Dhibaad soo doonisteeda

Ninkii u joogisteeda

Anaan dhalin bay ugu rooneed!

 

It is your troubles

The inconvenieces of the (dhibaad) ceremonies

And your constant whimpering cries

And your the –husband-has-beaten me complaints

Have I given birth to you to discomfort me

If only I didn’t (I might have saved myself these troubles

 

In this song the mother clearly is lamenting the situation of womanhood itself. She is alerting the baby daughter and schooling her to the problems which accompany womanhood. There are two important issues which are involved here. One is the ( dhibaad ) which is the dowry that women bring from their maiden families. When a young girl marries she is entitled to many gifts from her family. Dhibaad could be also a periodical gift from one’s maiden family. That means dhibaad could be continuous gifts draining the wealth of one’s family! The word dhibaad literally comes from dhib(hardship). This sheds light that it is a huge burdden on families who have many daughters. But of course the brideprice balances the scales. Dowry and brideprice are aspects that feature well in nomadic economy. Both are used politically as marriage is many times a political alliance for different groups. Another message embonded in the song is the complaint of wife beating. At that particular time in history the courts which protected a woman were a strong family. If you had no family there were always the clan , the elders or the chief. But the person who found this beating and complaining most loathesome was the mother. Perhaps because she herself went through it only a generation ago. It befits someone like her to comment so movingly.

 

Traditionally when a nomadic husband divorces his wife, the children are his. However, usually children maybe left with the mother. But at times children are snatched from their mother’s back. Women resent this and protest about it on their own ways. In essence what this song is saying that blood is thicker than water. That regardless of the distance between her and her child no one can deny her exclusive natural right. In here, the woman rejoices that what man has denied her, nature has vindicated. It is only her who gives birth and the child is hers and hers alone!

 

Haddaan Herar waaqla joogo

Assad howd halo ku haysid

Anuumba hooyada ah

 

even If I were in Heraar a god fosaken place And you were tending camels in the plains of the Howd

Even then my son, you are mine and mine alone.

 

Somalia is, in general, a drought ridden country. One cannot rely on the time of the rains. And if a drought strikes the country, the whole life of the nomads is in danger. Animals die and naturally one cannot feed the young. For the mother the most awesome feeling is the whimpering cries of a youngster that are caused by hunger. The mother in fact is engaged in self pity but to console the child, she is describing how she feels the weight of worry even more.

 

Anaba geel dhanay ma maalno

Anaba googan ma gurano

Anaba kaa gubayo weynin

 

We, too, don’t pick dates off its tree

We, too, don’t own milky camels

But we feel the weight of worry more.

 

Again, she is explaining her position to her child. She is demonstrating her worries. She is a mother and she should feed and give but how when everything is gone dry, the camels, the breasts and above all the rain.

 

Miyaad gaajootay gacalo

Ma geeliiba hayaamay

Hayaamoo hawd ku oomay

Ma naaskii baa gudhoobay

Gudhoobood gudol ka weydey

Ma odaygii baa sodcaalay

Sodcaaloo sofar ku raagay

 

Is it because hunger has striken you

Is it because they have gone thirsted in the Howd

Is it because my breast have begun to turn dry

Is it because your tongue has sacked only a meagre drop

Is it because your father has gone on a journey

Is it because he’s been gone far long and you miss him

 

The general theme is still that of hunger and consolation this song gives clear description of nomadic life.Camels venture far into the country in search of pastures and water. At that time women, children and the smaller herds like sheep and goats do not move far from the meager waterholes that are sparsely dotted in the howd. Also the song conveys how a father’s presence is a symbol of security and a psychological necessity to the patriarch family as a source of protection. The milky camels are important for nourishment.

 

Sedba Rabi soo sidaa ee

Samo iyo kheerba danbeene

Ma sarebseerkaad run mooday

 

Good fortune is riding on God’s wing

On its flank’s good omen is in view too

Regain your calmness my son and don’t despair.

 

Consoling and complaining go hand in hand and hope is never dead. The nomadic woman is true to her Muslim heritage and she always believes that God’s good grace is within reach. If it doesn’t rain today, it will tomorrow. Hunger won’t persist and with God’s grace, will and mercy she will be happy in the future. After every drought, epidemic, or misfortune the horizon of hope appears afresh. That is the message the song is conveying.

 

Let us move to another theme in the hobeeyo. To the nomadic family the birth of a child is happiness itself and if that baby is a boy the family overjoyed.

 

Markaad dhatay dhawaaqday

Dhamow dhaxan bayga duushay

Dhulki bay wada iftiimay

Dhuraya iga dareeray

Dhirtu bay wada magooshay

 

Your voice at birth was delight

Your birth was like a fine sunshine

Your birth was like a morning breeze

Your birth was as pleasant as a bouquet of flowers .

 

The birth of a baby boy gives the nomadic woman tremendous security. For his mother and sisters, he ensures a greater share in inheritance. The birth of a boy ensures sometimes but not always the monogamy of the marriage. One of the reasons men marry a second wife is to have more sons to inherit and insure the family name or to be exact the man’s name. Thus a woman who gives birth only to daughters runs the risk of her husband looking for another wife. Polygamy is highly hated by nomadic women. However, they submit to the dictates of their society. Different individual women react to it in their respective ways. However, the literature is full of the distaste women hold for polygamy. No wonder a co-wife is called in Somali ( dangalo ) the one who intervenes with one’s affairs.

 

Hadaan heestaada qaado

Hadaan qaado qindhiciyo

Hadaan qalqallooc u dyido

Kasli kabahay ka roori

Xumi baa xaaska daadin

Dhibell daran wey dhaqaaqi

 

If I sing your praises

If I recite your names

If I quote every phrase with the right metaphor

Then this id1ot might go mad

She might turn her back on everything

That good-for-nothing might ruin the foundation of the family home!

 

Women employ the hobeeyo sometimes to compete with a rival. In this instance the rival is the co-wife. She heaps upon her with all the insults one could think of. Women always compete not only for the affection and attention of a husband but also for the actual wealth of the family. A man with many wives is called gododle –the one with the many holes or caves. Perhaps this is because he spends alternate nights with different wives. Thus he has no real home and his loyality is divided and doubted. One of the traits of the polygamous man is always to lie to his wives. Every night he goes through the nagging, competition, complaining of his wives and his only remedy of the constant upheavel is to lie. None of his wives trusts him wholeheartedly.

 

Gabeedh gabadheed ma fiicane

Raggaba goonyaha fadhiye

Aday geel ka wadeen

Geyaan kaba kujire

Gudowy gaagaabi hadalka

 

Quiteness is a girl’s virtue

You are within reach of your potential suitors

Who’ve come laden with dowry for your hand

Possibly one of them will become your husband

A girl’s quiet voice is a great virtue.

 

Before we say anything else let us explain one thing. For the nomad there is no land ownership. One uses the land but it is not for exchange. Private property is recognized in livestock and a dwelling. Livestock led to accumulation and exchange. In both of these spheres women were important. All the items in the dwellings are made by the wife and the daughters. The woman is the sole architect of the family’s dwelling.Also no utensils are made by the man. The second item priced by the nomad as the height of wealth are the camels. One of the ways camels are accumulated is through the brideprice. So we can see camels are important not only for the milk they give but because they are a commodity for exchange. Camel’s meat is rarely used by the nomads since the smaller herds like sheep and goats are often slaughtered for meat. Since for the nomadic society brideprice was for the exchange of wives for the camels women occupied an important place for their maiden families and were a source of wealth.

 

What this song is conveying and the mother is alerting to her infant daughter is that she should groom herself to the role the family expects of her and depend their wealth on. That is the role of quiet, sotf spoken lady who will attract suitors who will pay handsome brideprice to the family. As we have seen in a former song we come face to face with the clear voice of the woman who knows her worth. She is the most valuable source of wealth to the family whether the menfolk acknowledge it or not!

Bullow wiil boqol halaad leh

Bullaale iyo xamar ku jooga

Bartiisa ka dhaariyay naa

 

Oh dearest bullow

Come a young man with a hundred camels

On the back of a saddled bullaale xamar

For you, dearest, he’ll pauperize himself

 

The mother is referring to her daughter’s beauty in admiration but the core of the theme is again the camels which will be exchanged for the girl’s hand. Yes, some young man will pauperize himself and willingly give away his camels. This constant referral to the brideprice has three undercurrent themes. First, is the wealth gained through the brideprice, secondly the protest against the idea that a daughter is a burden and thirdly these songs are to educate the young in the norms of their society. The mother is teaching the daughter the manners that are expected from her. A foreign writer who once observed the way Somali mothers incalculate ideas and manners to their daughters had this to say:

 

Teachers and pedagogues ought to have envied her that great inspiring quality which she had in her; in her hands education was no compulsion, and no drudgery, but a great noble conspiracy into which her pupils were by privilege admitted.2

 

Ms. Dinesen in her book Out of Africa refers to songs and dances of the Somali women in her farm when a son was born to her Somali housekeeper in 1935. This is the time many settlers were moving to the Kenyan highlands and some Somalis followed them there in search of employment. In the writings of the former settlers we came into contact with vivid descriptions of the Somali servant. Whether it is Lord Delaware or Ms. Dinesen these writers comment on the characters and cultures of their servants. From these writings we learn how these Somalis saved their money in order to go back home, buy some camel and in exchange get a wife.

 

By the time we had become well acquainted, the Somali girls asked me if it could be true what they heard, that some nations in Europe gave away their maiden to their husband for nothing. They had even been told, but they could not possibly realize the idea that there was one tribe so depraved as to pay the bridegroom to marry the bride. Fie and shame on such parents, and on girls who gave themselves up to such treatment. Where was their self respect,where their respect for women, or for virginity? If they themselves had had the misfortune to be born into that tribe, the girls told me, they would have vowed to go into their grave unmarried.3

[RendezVous]

~~~~~Wonderful piece of Research~~~~~.

 

Keep it up!!Na hio ni Maendeleo.

[Gabbal]

Poems are divided into (1) gabay , (2) geerar , and (3) jiifto

Very nice article, except Somali poetry, or Maanso, is divided into 8 categories instead of 3. (1) Gabay, (2) Jiifto, (3) Geeraar, (4) Wiglo, (5) Buraanbur, (6) Beercade, (7) Afarey, and (8) Guuraw.

 

Poetry can also be divided according to themes such as baroorodiiq (elegy), amaan (praise), digasho (gloating), jacayl (love), guhaadin (assault), and gubaabo (guidance).

[Alle-ubaahne]

Great Article, indeed.

 

One thing, I believe, is absent from the article is the historical archivia in which the poetry has been for our society. Other than that, the writer has presented an excellent work that deserves an special emphasis on the part of our Nomadic females.

 

Sorry that I didn't read the entirety of it.

[Blessed]

A miserable piece of research, it does raise some questions. However, it might be worth it to read the rest.

 

**Nice post Ms Warrior.

[STOIC]

Whether you are a somali male or female it tells you something about your culture.Thank you for sharring it!

[RendezVous]

sIs mOd..Ameenah sup with you,

What do u mean with:-

----------------------------------------------

 

A miserable piece of research, it does raise some questions.

------------------------------------------------

 

as a mod, you are supposed to enhance some sort of discussion..or rather contribute positively..where is your PR ego?What kind of ? do u wanna ask.. :cool:

[Warrior of Light]

Salaam

Glad the article did catch your interest.

 

Horn of Africa

thanx for the extra knowledge. Im not conversant on this topic and its a new door for me. Please while reading this paper share with us your knowledge on this topic.

 

 

Ameenah

Sister I dont know what to say. I can only add is I praise the effort someone sometime in her life without the access of the internet, limited resources in Black Africa libraries tried to write up a paper on her heritage.

[Blessed]

Originally posted by The Paradigm:

sIs mOd..Ameenah sup with you,

What do u mean with:-

----------------------------------------------

 

A miserable piece of research, it does raise some questions.

------------------------------------------------

 

as a mod, you are supposed to enhance some sort of discussion..or rather contribute positively..where is your PR ego?What kind of ? do u wanna ask.. :cool:

Calm down dear; I wasn’t attacking the writer, I was merely expressing my disturbance with her findings.

 

As a Somali woman it saddens me that female Somali poets were belittled and marginalized - for simply being women. Hence I think it's miserable?

 

That’s my initial thoughts on the matter and I shall post my questions when Insha Allah I read the rest of the research. The whole purpose of research is to address issues and subsequently raise further questions requiring further study and plus; it’s not my style to launch into a discussion without knowing the full story.

 

 

Warrior of Light:

Please continues to post the rest of the research –then we can have a discussion on the state of Somali women?

[Warrior of Light]

Part two

 

Let us divert from the hoobeyo for a moment and venture into a work song. This sung is sung when women are pounding grain which is used as porridge named in Somali ( Soor ). The words in this song is to my understanding what the Somali girls were paraphasing to Ms. Dinesen.

 

Gacalow, gacalow – gacalow

Garbasaaro carwo – gacalow

Gancatay midigeey - gacalow

Gabdha taan ujecela –gacalow

Hadaan geeno lamaan –gacalow

Iyo geel kugn waayo – gacalow

Iska joog gurigeena – gacalow

Gabadhaada ahaw – gacalow

Iska guudad xidhnaw – gacalow

Weligaan ha guursan – gacalow

Goblan geeri ku dhowr – gacalow

 

Oh my dear, my dear

You are exhibitable as a dress in fair

You are my right hand

My dearest my loveliest girl

If camels and ponies aren’t offered (in exchange for your hand)

You will have to stay within courtyard

An unmarried maiden

With plaited hair

Never marrying

A childless woman awaiting death

 

Every society justifies and glorifies its economical mode. The Somali nomadic system depended economically, perhaps partially on the transaction of the brideprice. Thus we see how song after song this is conveyed. It is a link and a bond between two families if not two clans. That is why the nomads will not understand what solidifies a society where there is no brideprice. From these songs I gather brideprice is sole commodity in this society. And the individual it is brought through the woman asserts herself. After all an entire economic system depends on her.

 

 

Haddii gedahaagu gaadho

Haddii guur kun maloobo

Haaddii guulle alle yeelo

Mid baas oo xero bilaal ah

Mid baas oo bowdo jebiya

Ku siin maaye ku sexo

 

When you reach marriagable age

And if God keeps His approval

A wicked mean and evil man

A wife-beater and intimidator

To such a man (I promise) your hand won’t go

 

 

Arranged marriage could be a problem. Sometimes a greedy father or a male guardian would overlook a girl’s preference and condemn her into wedlock by an undeserved man. Women protest and rebel against such an arrangement. This song refers to that. The mother is assuring her daughter that such a fate will not befall her. The mother is certain such a man won’t be welcome. A mother has a say and a great one and this is what the song is conveying. The bottomline here is that she herself being a woman knows how an intimidating husband could be a disasterous match. Beating is very distasteful and women often protest about it in songs.

 

Habeen baas iga gudooyao

Gambada haabhaabatooyaa

Habaarqabe gursatooyaa

Hangool jabay la la dhacyeyaa

 

It is you who travels into the dark night

Only to enter into wedlock with an ill-chosen husband

Who beats you with a hangool (prooning hook)

And in the scuffle, it it you whose headscarf comes undone.

 

Nomadic marriage is usually an arrangement between two families. However, the two young people who are involved should be consented. Sometimes a couple will decide to elope. Elopement is considered to be a childish act. The girl’s family think it is a disgrace to their honour. It is also an economical loss. If her marriage fails and the woman comes back to her maiden family complaining, since there were no negotiation beforehand, it is hard to defend the woman against her husband. Her kinsmen will have no grounds to bargain. The song is a warning for the young girl not to fall into the trap of elopement. The family will lose the brideprice, the girl will not get a good meher. Girls are repeatedly warned about elopement.

 

Even though poetry is considered a man’s domain, as we have cited before, the formidable voice of the pastoral nomadic woman is heard. One of the most remembered Somali vers was uttered by Muhiya Cali, the wife of the renown poet Cali Dhuux. As recited to me by Axmed Cali Abokor, Cali Dhuux was married to Miido, a distant relative of Muhiya. Muhiya as a young girl was staying in the Cali Dhuux household and used to help Miido on house chores. As Miido sensed that Cali Dhuux was ready for a younger wife she manipulated him to marry Muhiya, her young relative, whom she perhaps thought she could dominate because of her status as a “ minyaro â€second wife. The older wife is called minweyn or the big house and she has more say in the family affairs than a new woman. However, this situation depends on leadership and sometimes the young wife can defythis rule and exercise more power than is generally excepted.

 

Muhiya, rather than be the young timid new wife both Miido and Cali excepted, proved to be a formidable contender with both of them. Some claim jokingly, others think seriously, Muhiya composed the following verse.

 

Waa kararaa Cali Adan oo

Waayey laba koobee

Kalwin maayo haasaawahoo

Ways kambal yaayee

Sid-I koofil iyo laraan buuii karkabadaynee

Kurta intaanu seef lgaga hoyn

Maan u kulluceyyo

 

Irrata is Ali Adan

Without two cupfuls

Calmly he won’t say the conversation

But will awesomely lie prostrate

Like Corfield and Larry pester me will

Before he beheads me with a sword

Why don’t I make tea ready

 

Cali Dhuux was changrined enough by her attack to respond in poetic retort:

 

Muhiyaya malkada xiitadii ma add muraaddene

Waxad maqashay maydo iyo godlay midhoku yaaliine

Inaad himirta muudmuusataad mihindisaysaaye

Mooyaa ka ciyay reerahaad magac wadaagteene

0gaadeenna miiskii kushubay mohoradiisiiye

Mushmushaaxa anigaa leh iyo matdha galobeede

Allaylehe waxaan kaaga biqi Miido oo kale

Iyaadaan masayar iyo ku furay madox adaygaase

Saddexdiiba naag loogu maray layn madoobaaye

In muraayaddeeddii jabtaan marag u haystaaye

Maskabkay heshaa waa carmali magac ku yeedhaaye

Iga maarso yaan ina calaye kuugu malaqsiine

 

Listen Muhiya(I gave you) milk camels

But you ‘ve heard Maydho and Godlay are blossoming with wild berries

In truth the morter sounds from the people you share a name with

A woman dismissed with triple divorce oath is disgraced

That her mirror of honor is broken I have witnessed

Be strained from me daughter of Cali lest I cast you out.

 

Muhiya achieved fame over Cali in this instance because first she exploited the historical-cultural experience in which she compared him to the British colonizers Lawrence and Corfield, who were famous for their ill temper and ill gotten power over the Somalis. She voiced her grievance over his position as a master who expects women to cook for him and rewards them stormy, ill temper behaviour. Secondly Cali Dhuux did not follow her line of argument and did not address the crucial points. He did not deny her argument as stormy, ill tempered which we are free to believe her since Cali did not deny these qualities. When she says “before he cuts off my head!†leads us to believe Cali was a wife beater or at least an intimidator! Even if we try to be fair to Cali we are at a loss and we cannot give fair judgement because instead of following the argument Cali resorts to threats such as divorce which is a power Muslim men hold over women. Cali even used class position and tells Muhiya that her people are poor gatherers of berries and infact she owes her elegant clothes to him.

 

Muhiya’s verse lived and lasted because as is expected from Somali poets she used a topic that her audience felt at home with. Somali poets are known building their poetry around topics familiar to their group. An example is when Salaan Carabay accused a kinsmen of ingratitude and compares him to a woman.

 

Dumarkuba xublada fooshay

Wey xanof weneeraane

Bal inay xusuux daran yihiin

Xeedka kale mooge

 

There was a man who once knew great distress

And lost his wealth, his power, his tribes respect

But now restored to eminence, he forgets

His former anguish, and my assistance

Ah, friend, your memory is short as any woman’s!

 

 

By referring to the former “anguish†of the now powerful and eminent man, the poet is pinning his case on a historical fact which others hearing the poem are familiar with, and probably affirm. Similarly, when the poet attacks the man of ingratitude as having a “short memory†as “any woman’s†he utilizes the image of what in the minds of his hearers is an established fact, namely, the inferiority of women to men. His strategy is to hang his case on the merits of established wisdom and thereby mock his component by comparing him to a female. 4

 

We can derive two points from this. First that Muhiya followed the tradition of “established wisdom†so that their audience will grasp the situation easily. Established fact here is that men are as oppressive as colonizers! Secondly she is striking back on all men arguing and challenging not only a husband but a poet of the stature of Cali Dhuux. Muhiya composed this verse about 1915. Cali was one of the dervishes who at the beginning supported Sayid Mohamed Cabdulle Xasan but finally parted with him because of the lack of free speech. One of the verses Cali is remembered for throughout Somalia is this:

 

Hadlkii la tuugaysan jiray

Waa ka togananaaye

Tunka namala soo gaban

Abtoo tiine dabadeede

 

Conversations that were kept secret

We freely now speak out

Nobody catches us by the neck

Oh uncle, since your time

 

 

One should also remember Muhiya was a contemporary of Salaan Carrabay – the poet who insults an ungrateful relative of his and compares him to a woman. I do not believe it is an exaggeration on my part if I consider Muhiya was also referring to Salaan. Certainly Muhiya was aware of Salaan’s poem since she was married to Cali Dhuux who was the starter of the “ guba burner †series poem which created hostilities among many clans for atleast twenty years 1922-42.

 

 

Another aspect of Somali women’s life is the religious aspect. Islam recognizes women as full human beings and requires them to pray, give alms fast just like the menfolk. However, women are exempted from both prayers and fast during menses. Women are excluded from certain Islamic leadership such as judgeship or Imamship. One should note nomadic women do not wear the “prudeh†and are not secluded.

 

Young people court each other, dance and sing together and girls are expected to show wit and cleverness to their suitors. Because of this openness in the society women participate in a folk way when traditional Islam excludes them. At the beginning of 1880’s, Somalia was teeming with the puritanical Islamic sects. There were about 20 Tariiqa settlements of both Qadriya and Amdiya provenance in the Somali interior in 1890’s.5 For men the institution of “wadaad†was blossoming all over the country. It was at this period such great sheeks like Sayid, Shekh Madar, the founder of Hargeisa, and Sheikh Uways Mohamed emerged and had great followings. Women joined the tariiqa as wives, sisters and daughters of men but felt they should establish their own institution where thay are the policy makers. This is also time when many Somalis were settling in towns. The Somali nomadic woman who was settling in a town and did not have the hard workof pastoral life to busy herself with the course felt the monotony of her new life. Perhaps she remembered the congregation of “ kebed †making and “ saar †dancing she created for herself an institution which is a blend of Islam and older Somali tradition.

 

 

This is the institution – Abay siti literally my “Lady sisterâ€. The head of this institution is an old lady who must know some Koran and also must know the “history†of her locality.she should have a good reputation as a God fearing good Muslim sister. She either lends her own house to be seat of the Abay siti or each woman pays a little amount of money and gives to her so that she can pay the rent for the meetings of the ladies. Women meet usually in the afternoon after they have fed the family the mid-day meal. The favorite days for the meetings are Sunday, Thursday and Friday. They call each other sisters. When the sisters came to the meeting they dress well, pray together and sit in a circle and burn incense, and the ones who know the Koran or are familiar with religious stories instruct the others. When the Koran is being explained the session is very solemn and quiet and the sisters are very attentive.

After that, religious songs are sung. In most of the religious songs the women sing praise songs to what they consider “female saintsâ€. Thses saints are the wives of the prophet, his daughters, Eve and some local female saints. Ocassionally they honor male saints and prophets. The sisters can bring their problems to the Abay siti and a prayer will be said for them. If a woman is barren, or sick or expecting a bay and wants safe deliverance she will give some gift, food or money and ask for prayers.

 

Sitidayay udgoo

Fadhumo Nabay

I magal

Janno aday

Ku dhacaday

Anana noo jawaab

Oo Sowjad

Cala Daalibe

Anana noo Jawaab

Oo Maalintaa

Bacadka kulul

Biyo Gabow na sii

Oo maalintaa

Lays xisaabaayo

Noo xil qari!

 

My sweet lady

O Fadhumo prophet’s daughter

Accept our prayers

Paradise is yours

Wife of Cali

Help us the day of judgement

Forgive us our sins!

 

Men seek forgiveness from the prophet and praise him in their songs. But the sisters sing for the “female†saints and pray for forgiveness and expect to be led to paradise by these chosen almost prophetlike ladies. This shouldn’t be surprising because in the period when this religious association emerged in the 1880’s it is the time that more and more Somalis were settling in the coast at towns and centers of trade. The women who came along with the menfolk to the towns were excluded from the religious activities of the men. Secondly there was nothing to make them occupied because in the towns they did not hold the important economical role they held in the nomadic life.

 

“The nomad woman is the most resourceful member of the family be. She:

1. bears and nurtures children;

2. does the family chores like cooking, house-management, fetching water over long distances, collects firewood, milks the smaller animals such as goats and sheep

3. makes the household utensils

4. weaves all articles for the collapsible Somali guri

5. preserves food for hard times

6. educates the young girlsâ€

 

In such a setting there is no such notion as man the provider. Every member is important, even the children contribute and the husband whether he acknowledges or not knows that a wife is indispensable. Among the pastoralists there is no such thing as an old bachelor. As soon as a boy comes of age he has to marry otherwise he will starve because his sisters will be married and gone and his mother will not tolerate him and his only way to survive is to set up his own family.

 

 

However, when the nomadic women who played such an important role in life found themselves in towns cut off from the animals, excluded from building houses because in town builders are mainly meale, these women found themselves totally dependent on men because they were excluded from all important avenues of income. So first they strike out on the spiritual side of life and created their religious association.

 

Moxamed Nebi

Magaca samow

Nuur Allow

Nebi Allow

Ninba afkii

Kugu amaan

 

Moxamed prophet of God

Blessed is your name

Light of God

Each one praise you

In your own tongue

 

 

True she praises the prophet and does many of her religious activities in her own Somali tongue. Women in towns did not have the opportunity to study in Koranic schools in the 1880’s. They were not prohibited but on the other hand they were not encouraged. Ironically this led to a great amount of religious literature in Somali. To my knowledge this literature was never collected. But the meager amount I have collected demonstrates the creativity, the sensitivity and genuine way these women worshipped in their own language.

 

 

This Abay siti institution led to the “ hagbad â€, a group of women who raise money together. Example: ten women will pay say 20/- shillings each, in each month, and one of them will take the whole amount that month, and the process is repeated until each gets her turn. At the beginning women spent this money on buying new clothes which their husbands will not buy for them or helped their poor relatives, or maintained the religious association.

 

In the early fifties these women supported political parties such as the Somali Youth Leagues or the Somali National League. Women like Fadhumo Xersi Cabane were famous poets throughout the country. Fadhumo sang at political rallies, always encouraged political prisoners, envisioned a better future through her lyrics and fine voice. Leaders of the political parties respected her as a fellow political agitator. Later on after independence, women found religious institutions and political participation would not fill the vacuum felt in their lives. This is why many went into business. Somali women traders travel all over the Middle East, India and Italy and they dominate small business throughout the country. The Somali townswomen those grandmothers were important members of the family do not adjust easily to the role of sitting at home, rearing children and waiting for a man to provide. This illustrates to us that Somali women did not lose their personality and independence when they found themselves in a socioeconomic setting different than the ones their great grandmothers mastered so well.

[Alle-ubaahne]

The author of the article has said the following,

Every society justifies and glorifies its economical mode. The Somali nomadic system depended economically, perhaps partially on the transaction of the brideprice.

Walee waan qoslay, hadaanan reer baadiye ahaan laheyn waxaas oo been ah baan qurqurin lahaa! Let me correct the author for what he grossly miscalculated about the Somali Dhaqan and values. Brideprice! wait a minute, do we have a price tag for our girls either historicaly or currently? What is going on here, it sounds like we were a sociaty that had an economy which revolved the selling of girls and so forth. Sooryo is the proper name for it, and in no way can it be called brideprice or price tag. In the 1800's, I believe, Somalia was the richest of all countries in Africa. At the time or prior that time, there were only three types of Somali people, (Xoolo dhaqato, Kaluumeysato, iyo Beeraaleey). And none of these three groups had known anything of brideprice. Sooryo is not a transaction, its a religious and cultural values where people express their gratitude for the wedding and the creation of a new family.

 

Brideprice is nothing but a foreign defamatory description to both our culture and religion. It is something always used by the west to downlook our culture. We need to understand the fundamentals of western tricks that are solely designed to detach us from our beautiful Diin and Dhaqan. I already see some people here who are whole-heartedly taking this formless research at heart. Come on, let's stop the mere inexcusable dissatisfactions with our culture.

[The Observer.]

This is quite interesting, it is something to be looked at critically and analysed. for the brother or sister above who commented on the issue of brideprice being a western formalization. let us not breakdown this research to that simplicity. the researcher is a she, most probably she has suffered some of the patriotich miscalculations of our somali culture. this topic and research not only is for grading but for aquiring and learning more about her own people. seeing the rooted issues and what not cannot help a writer get a little emotional. and the concept of brideprice could be debated later in detail, to the extent that language-the english language, how the language plays a role in a systemic putdown(the word flew out of my head). but you know, the condemnation of eastern cultures.

 

i mean by translating a language so coded like somali into this colonialistic language which is relevant, but due to the systemic practices of society and institutions one is forced to use the language and translation plays a double play on finding the closest word that would mean something that english and the english people in their wildest dreams will never understand.

[Warrior of Light]

How Men depict women in literature

 

 

The image depicted by Somali poets about women is not any different than that of the west. The literature is littered with sometimes humorous jokes, sometimes tasteless anecdotes.

 

Marwo camal xun

Maan gab nikeed

Magasha baa dhaanta

 

An obedient wench is better

Than an intemperate woman

Of class and intelligence

 

Thus the poet thinks that a woman should be passive, be led by and should follow all the instructions imposed by her husband. A positive and strong woman is uncontrollable.

 

There is a Somali proverb which says: “ kal caano galeen kas ma galo†“The breast that contains milk cannot contain intelligence.†This tasteless unscientific statement shows the measure of disrespect with which women are held. Amazingly enough one poet of radio Mogadisho used this statement as the title of one of his modern songs and ironically it was sung by the star of Somali modern popular songs – Magool , and surprisingly was unnoticed by the revolutionary government.

 

Hooyo madi dhalla

Adaa I macaniyay

Oo midh lga dhiyay

Meel xuna I dhigay

Ee wiil walaale leh

Oo waraabsaday

Oo wadda hayaa

Haygu wiirsado

 

O mother of one boy

You let me down

You bore me alone

And made me unhappy

So a boy blessed

With many brothers

Who watered his camels

And got the job done

Has to pooh on me

 

Many of the chores of nomadic life require communal work. Whether one is herding camels or watering them one always is in need of the help of others. That is why kinship, unity and family ties are extremely important to the nomads. A brother is not just a brother, he is a fellow worker, a comrade in arms, the protector of the family. Someone who does not have relatives is ruined and always to have many cousins, brothers, uncles gives one political clout and strength. One’s life is insured and secured through kinship. But what is disturbing here is that the poet puts blame of lack of brothers on the mother. She made him one and alone and without strength. Thus infertility is hers alone.

 

Geeridaydana guro ba’biyo

Goblana laga qaad

Geeridaadana gaawe madhan

Iyo gaajo laga qaad

Geerida haween guud la

Guursi laga qaad

 

My death will bring upon family ruin

Your death camel will bring

Empty vessels and starvation

But a woman’s death brings

Fresh grooming and remarriage

 

The nomad holds camels with high esteem. He uses them in marriage for brideprice. He draws his livelihood from them by milk. He uses them as beasts of burden and as transportation. His finest poetry is always about a camel. Up to today Somalis compare anything good, honorable, lovable to a camel. Even Somali independence is compared to a lovely camel. Freedom is like a milch camel. When a nomad composes poetry in honor of his lover he will compare his tender feelings to a she camel who misses her young.

 

All that is fine but to belittle a female’s death and think it will only lead to a remarriage and grooming your hair is rather painful. At first glance one would think that the Somali woman who is heaped by these criticisms and sarcasms will be tormented. The Somali woman prevails first because Somali literature is contradictory and girls are raised to be witty, intelligent and sharp. One of the positive characteristics a nomad looks for in a woman is a sharp mind. Somalis all admire the story of Huryo Ugaas. She was a very clever lady. She was eloped by Xersi. When Xersi decided to elope Huryo he asked his witty cousin “Kabacalf†to help him fetch Huryo so that he can take her to his clan. When a nomad wants to elope a young lady he has to take someone else with him in case her male relatives catch them and fighting starts. While they were traveling to Xersi’s village Huryo decide to test him. So after journeying for a whole night, the three decided to sit and rest. As they sat Huryo said “let us restâ€. Xersi was amazed and answered “we are sitting and resting, how much rest do you needâ€. Kabacalaf smiled and explained to Xersi one is not rested until one takes off one’s shoes off and that is what she means. As they rested a while with shoes off she again struck and announced that she believes that some other people are nearby. Xersi was astonished, “we are in the middle of the desert, there are no wells, there is no sign of lifeâ€. Kabacalf again explained the riddle and said “She must have seen the xuunxho (bird), because this bird always lives near peopleâ€. Finally Huryo said, “let us eatâ€. Xersi clearly though she was crazy because they had no food whatsoever. “How can we eatâ€â€™ Xersi asked. Kabacalaf smiled and explained that to brush one’s teeth with a twig is the first food!

 

At that moment Huryo made up her mind not to marry Xersi. When they reached the family of the young man, she told the elders she would either marry Kabacalaf or go back to her maiden family. Her argument was she wanted a sharp, witty man. Fortunately her demand was accepted and she married Kabacalaf. Kabacalaf was a warrior and raider of camels. He often left Huryo with the children, the livestock and the home. She managed well but she became legendary when she claimed that the camels he looted should be shared by both of them. She claimed she sees the family as a unit, he goes off to raid and loot because she is taking care of the children and livestock.

 

Anbaa guuydeenaan hayay gabandeni ee

Xaqu meesha waa ii gale

Geela noo gabaysha

 

And I was the caretaker of

Our stock and children

It is only fair and justifiable

That I claim my share

 

Huryo was a contemporary of Sayyid Mexamed Cabdulle Xasan. She was not touched by town life, she never saw a veil in her life. Her upbringing and education were Somali and pastoral. She eloped and then followed a bold line, changed her mind from the man she left her family for, married his cousin. Later on she claimed her equal share of the family property, demanded it and got it! Somalis admire her courage and with and her story is told by men, women, old and young.

 

“Every mortal circumstance seems against her and yet the dominant and extraordinary personalities of the Somali women have been remarked by travelers since Egyptian timesâ€.6

 

The nomad who will hold a woman with disdain and contempt on the one hand will price her over everything on the other hand. Somali men show at most respect to their mothers, aunts and they will give all their wealth if need be to a sister or a sister’s child. A maternal uncle is very important and always gives generously to a sister’s child.

 

“Perhaps it is the realization of this that gives the Somali woman her inner strength, for’ in compensation for the rest of her hard life, she knows that surely, during one short phase of it she will be prized above all else and that for a glimpse of her a man will travel on foot hundred miles, will risk his life( since her male kinsfolk will inevitably object to the suitor), and in honor of her shadowed eyes and slender arms will think up lyrical verses comparable to Herrick and Marloweâ€.5

 

However, what is depicted in the male literature whether it glorifies her or makes her into a base brainless creature is not important. What matters is that she demands that her voice must be heard. In the colonial files one can find the stories of dozens of women who sued their husbands. Major H. Rayne reported in his book, Sun, Sand and Somalis that when a woman started fighting her husband in court, he asked his Somali interpreter to calm her down. The interpreter told him “Who can stop a Somali woman? Drown her. Murder her – yes, but as long as she has breath in her body she’ll talkâ€.7 Major Rayne wrote this in 1921 when he was stationed in northern Somalia as a colonial officer. At this period quarrels, disputes and fights among the Somalis were beginning to be settled in the so-called courts set up by the new conquerors of the country. From old colonial files we can decipher a clear picture of the complaints women brought. The colonists were careful and cautious on how they dealt with the Somalis. The land wasn’t rich, the people weren’t friendly, they have fought a bitter war. Just emerging from the war with the Sayyid the British were not anxious to change the laws of the land.

 

They set up Somali Qadis or religious judges who were paid by the colonial government and followed Islamic law! Contrary to what is popular, believed that the British brought liberalism to rigid Islamic society, in fact they enforced the most absurd and unimaginable tradition in marriage laws. This is what Somalis called “ Naakird †but in correct Arabic is El Neshouz or popularly termed by the Arabs as Beit El Ta’a , the house of obedience. That means if a husband does not want to divorce his wife and she does not want to be married to him, then she becomes “ Nashiz â€.The government will force her to remain in the home of marriage. Legally, she cannot be married and cannot travel, claim any maintenance from her husband; she cannot inherit his wealth if he dies. So a “ Nashiz †had only two choices, o rot and suffer or to be humiliated and live with a hateful husband all her life. The nomads claim they never used this system before the colonizers because in the nomadic areas marriage is a contract between families, if it does not work, it was broken by the Somali Xeer (Somali legal system) and a religious leader was there only to pronounce it dissolved but the negotiation debates and discussion followed the Somali pastoral tradition which made every man cautious because responsibilities were communal. The Somali Xeer has two meanings,(1) it is the legal system of the land (2) Xeer means “accord†“it is eye for an eyeâ€, I’ll do to you as you do to me. If a wife is mistreated by a husband, first of all it is “xeer†which means women from the clan of the husband who is married to be the other clan will be treated the same way! A clan who is known as bad husbands run the risk of being refused when looking for new wives. Somali women keep their maiden names and are considered full members of the families they were born into. A brother, father, uncle, cousin or the closest male relatives responsible to protect his female relatives. They will often force a man to divorce or warn him fiercely if ever mistreatment is suspected.

 

However, the new courts, the paid official Qadi, the European officer who saw the ideal family as nuclear units and the Somali townsman who provided for a woman that stayed home all day with children, cooked and cleaned and did not contribute economically, all managed to set up strange laws. On the British’s part perhaps they believed a man is a responsible partner and they never deeply studied the tradition of the people they conquered. For the paid official Qadi perhaps he wanted to over emphasize his imposed position on the social hierarchy. He is not only a learned man, he is a ruler whose word can pronounce hell or heaven. Somali townswoman complained about the dictatorial ways these Qadis managed. In 1953 Amina Xaaji Moxamed the mother of the renown modern song write Faysal Cumar Mushteek, sued her husband and demanded divorce. She is known for her good looks, witty mind also she is the daughter of a chief. She expected justice will be on her side since she felt her actions were not at fault. When the Qadi listened to the complaint, he announced that even though her husband was at fault, she should be obedient, remain at home. If she insists on dissolving the marriage the Qadi will register her as a “ Neshiz â€. Amazed and bewildered at such justice she uttered the famous words “Qudura la arkay ee Qadi how tegin†(In seeking justice from the Qadi, I experienced bewilderment and strange disillusionment).

 

Today this is on the lips of every Somali when justice is violated. It is no accident of history that today the Somali man whose great grandfather treated his great grandmother with respect and knew that she was indispensable to his welfare, discarded this absurd institution along with colonialism. After independence the Neshiz threat which limited women and made them shiver with fear was totally abandoned and discarded.

 

“People who say that Beit El Ta’a is based on Islam are either ignorant or dishonest. The prophet of the Muslims frequently said that a woman should not be forced to live with a man she does not want’ or whom she hates and explained on several occasions that, to start with, a woman should be allowed to choose the man she is going to marry.

According to Islam also, a woman is allowed to tear up the marriage contract if she is forced to conclude it, or was cheated when she entered into the marriage agreement. The prophet himself broke up the marriage of Khansa’a, the daughter of Khozam El Ansaria, because she was forced into it by her father.â€8

 

KEBED

 

As we mentioned before the nomadic woman is the sole architect of the family. The man doe not know anything to do with house building or anything about the crafts. All the utensils are made by her. There are many articles used in a nomadic household.

 

The most celebrated item is the “ Kebed â€. It is a colorful item and it is the extreme finery in nomadic crafts. It is made of the fibers of acacia tree. The fibers are dyed in different colors. The colors are designed geometrically. Kebed is a finery to the nomadic household. It is put inside of the house. It is looked upon as a painting or just a piece of art. It takes a long time to make. Nobody ever studied and documented the way and how Somali crafts are made. Needless to say all the books written about Somali never provide us with any insight into significance of self expression in the lives of the women who created many useful things in their society. Their clever hands beautified the harsh environment and to be useful was instilled in a girl’s life through dance, song and folklore.

 

 

The occasion to make kebed is always for a wedding. The most solemn and most important preparation for the betrothal is to make a kebed. Women congregate and review with the mother of the bride all her stores of beauty. Somali nomadic mothers store goods for the weddings of their daughters the day they give birth to them. Intimate friends and female relatives gather to discuss how to make the kebed . It is a group work and the fibers are suspended between two poles and it is “weaved†by a group of singing ladies. It’s preparation is taken seriously. It it a fine art that had its delicacies and nice points concerning who is most experienced, who knows how each string is dyed and how each fiber is refined. No wonder then, the most exciting work songs come from these session of kebed making.

 

Ragguba gaashaan dhigu

gacal walaal ku yahayee

na mays garaarnaya ee

mise waa kuk kala goona!

 

Men protect one another’s flank

Thus become brothers

Shall we aide each other or part company

 

Kebed is the most serious work for the nomadic women. She can not make it alone. She needs the help and cooperation of other women. That is why the song is comparing kebed making to war. The word “ gaanshdig†today means in modern Somali defense. Literally the word means defense. What the song is conveying is that men defend each other in war time, so women should aid each other and prove their sisterhood through sitting long days and “weaving†the kebed together.

 

Waana goor gaabaan

Gabal dhacayna waa jiraa

Oo guura dheerow

Nin baas baan u

Gogal dhigaa

Gododle gaafwareeg ku jira

Ku jira

Aqal kalu iga gala

Baan ka gaadhayaa

Baan ka gaadhayaa

Gacalow ninka idhibay!

 

Oh fellow sister! Time is up

The night has fallen

The journey is long

And a demanding husband is awaiting

He is ill-tempered character

He may leave me for another woman

If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t part!

 

The recurring theme is the ill tempered man who belittles the work they are doing and enjoys misusing his power to leave for a young woman.

 

Adhigu wuxu dhoni in aad so dabalataa

Aurku wuxu dooni in aad dabar kusoxidhaa

Aqalku wuxu dooni in aad shay ku soo dartaa

Ilmuhu wuxu dooni in aad aad u dayac tirtaa

Ninkuna wuxu dooni in uu meelo ku dirtaa

Haddana wuxu dooni inu aabi ugu dilaa

 

Goats need to be tended with tenderness

Camels need to be tied to their tethers

Your children need encountering their needs

Whereas a husband needs your running errands for him

(And on top of that) to beat you for uncommitted wrongs .

 

The above song illustrates that a woman’s work is many sided, too demanding, the foundation of the nomadic family rests on her. The work of the nomadic woman does not perish with the using like the work of townswomen. Her work is not limited to house-keeping and child-rearing. She is an architect and her role is very important.

 

Eddow side oday loo gala

Eddow sidayda loo gala

Eddow sidaaduna waa side?

Eddow haddu cuannooy ku yidhi

Cadday baa loo lisaa

Haddu baddana ku yadhi

Badhbaa laga sil shubtaa

Biyaa loogu alxisaa

Mar waa laga xooxsadaa

Mar waa laga sii xigtaa

Haddu hilibay ku yadhi

Ri weyedan loo qalaa

Manjaha loo deebiyaa

Mindida waa laga qarshaa

Haddu mindiyey ku yadhi

Aloolba loo ridaa

Haddu barkimo ku yadhi

Aloolba loo ridaa

Haddu adagaa ku yadhi

Aboodiga madaxa weyn

Adoogi la cadcadaab

Aloolkayga iga sii

Cimiirka la daadiye

Cirada ciidda ha daree

Sankaa quri lag gesha

Saraa lagn henjiya!

 

O aunt, how does one deal with an old husband

O niece, you deal with him the way I do

Oh aunt will you kindly tell me how

Say niece if he asks for milk

You milk an old goat

When he comments on the plentifulness of it

You help yourself to half of it

You supplement the rest with water

Remember to drink the first mouthful yourself

Also the unmilked are all yours

If he asks for meat

You slaughter a boney old goat for him

You roast the unskinned shin for him

Remember to hide knive from him

When he asks for knive

Give him a sharpened dagger

(In the hope that) he cuts off his fingers

And if he asks for a mat to sleep on

Throw him the “Alool-matâ€

What if he asks for a pillow?

You fling a hard one at him

And if he complains about how hard it is

May God’s curse be on him

He whose head is large like a python

You snatch the “Alool-mat†from him

You make him loose his composedness

And let the sand sprinkle his grey hair with dirt

While asleep you place a stick in his nostrils

And you tortuously pull upwards.

 

The nomadic Somali woman is neither the veiled creature that comes to the vision of westerners when they think of Islamic countries nor is she the irrelevant subservient housewife who does not contribute to the family economy and waits for man, the provider! Both her and the man live in a relationship of interdependence and have power over each other. The powers of the nomadic woman are active and alive but of course they conform to the norms of nomadic life and at many times they have the last word! Townswomen found their personal rights limited if not hindered by restriction on women’s public and economic activities in 1880’s.

 

The activities of the Somali woman has been neglected by most of the foreign writers and travelers. Richard Burton commented on Somali poetry but as a male chauvinist from Victorian England he absolutely overlooked women’s literature even though he had a keen eye on every passing beauty! Even Margaret Laurence, a woman herself, overlooked her “sisters†talents, like her fellow countrymen paid tribute to the male poets only. Because of the division of labor women create a different usage of language. There are women’s proverbs, women’s work songs, women religious songs’ etc. There are lullabies and children’s riddles all sung and taught by, women because in child rearing the words of women are means of cultural ends. Children learn to recite the clan’s history

and geneology from mothers, aunts and other sisters.

 

In conclusion nomadic society was egalitarian in many ways. First women had a stronger role than today because of their indispensable contribution to the family’s welfare. Secondly, the woman’s movement has deep roots that fade into history. The Somali bridal song, “hadagan ay hoy Daadow, naan hoy ninku, aabahaa ma ahee Berito ku eryi doonay†, is deeply loaded. It literally means that the man you are going to be wedded to is not of any relation to you, so you should be alert and take care of yourself and be ever on your guard! This song might sound cynical at first glance but I believe it demonstrates how outspoken these women were. They detected injustice in the marriage alliance, so they didn’t wan to betray their daughters. In short they called a spade a spade!

 

 

FOOTNOTES::

B.W. Andrejewski, Somali Poetry.

Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa, p.177

Ibid., p.178

Said S. Samatar, Poetry in Somalic Politics: The Case of Sayyid Mohammed, p.11

Ibid. , p.190

William Travis; The voice of the Turtle, p.20

Major H. Rayne, Sun, Sand and Somalis, p.48

Nawal El Saadawi, The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World, p.202

 

Note on the Transliteration of Somali Names

 

In this paper all Somali names are written in the official orthography of the Somali language. Almost all the letters in the Somali script represent sounds to those in English, with the exception of:

X= the voiceless pharyngeal fricative or emphatic H. Example Faarax = farah

C=the voiced pharyngeal fricative. Thus Cali=Ali

Q=the uvular voiceless stop.

 

Long vowels in Somali are indicated by a double letter Aadan.

[Warmoog]

I once came across a paper by a sister named Zainab Mohamed Jama. Her piece focused on poetry from the 1940s and '50s by women who actively participated in the Independence Movements. It was quite interesting. Somewhat depressing too when one learns the magnitude of their sacrifice was not understood, much less appreciated, by those of their time.

 

See it here: The Poetry of Somali Women

 

 

Alle-ubaahne,

In using the term bride price, I think the author was referring to yarad, not sooryo.

[Alle-ubaahne]

Yasmine wrote,

In using the term bride price, I think the author was referring to yarad, not sooryo.

Oo yarad iyo sooryo xageed ukala saartay walaaleey? Waa anigoo dhaha magacaaga maaha yasmine ee waa Yes-Mine, Anigaa kuleh lol. Marka naga daaya luuqadeena maaha in si qaldan loo fasirto. Soo waxaa garatay maaha, walaaleey!