The reinstatement of the Nomadic culture

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

to be Somali (with a the exception of few unfortunate agricultural people lol) is to at least know the beautiful, Nomadic, egalitarian, poetic, clean, pure, hospitable, warrior, pastoral past.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

[Allowitaageer]

Adduunyadu wax waliba dhamaad buu leeyahay, dhaqanka soomaaliduna saas oo kale weeye.

Si uu ku soo noqon karana iima muuqato,

[galbeedi]

I do not know if any one of you guys have it or seen the 1982 edition of National Geographic. The late great Somali composer and author of many Somalia Sugaan curriculum, Muuse Galaal was accompanied by the reporter of an extensive exploration of Somali culture and land. At time there were some skirmished at border between Somalia and Ethiopia. The reporter asked Mr.Galaal, where is the legitimate border of the Somali republic?. he said " can you see that camel ? he said yes. Galaal said well this camel is a scientists. he will travel to east and the Seas will be his borders , he will travel west and when he reaches the fertile soil or ( dhoobayda) he will stop, since the camel can not walk on Dhoobay. That is our land . he beautiful Savannah of he Somali nomad.

[galbeedi]

IN 1996 president Clinton raveled to China. He Chinese leader took him o Shanghai city for sigh seeing. A city, with i's colonial past, resembles some of he American or European cities. Clinton said " this city looks like Houston, Texas, I would like to see the essence of the real Chinese and their country side". Then took him to the Yang is river, where Chinese farmers with big hats cultivating rice. He expressed his joy of seeing the real Chinese. If you want to know how Americans look like or how they live in their land, you do not go New York or Los-Angles, but you go to Midwest in the prairie of Kansas Farmers and the Cowboys of the west. The biggest Symbol of American culture is the Cowboy hat. The Somali nomad or the man leading the Camel and the women building the traditional house is the Symbol of Somali culture. If some foreigner asks you to describe or give a picture Somali people, you do not show him a man sipping a coffee at Caffe Nazionale in Mogadhishu. No, you show the lady from Bay carrying the water in her head.and and the skiny Somali herding the Camel.

[galbeedi]

The Somali nomad never got the help to develop and improve their lot. remember the whole economy of the Somali people is based on the sale and the resale of livestock from the pastoral nomads.Livestock export is the biggest business both in Hargeisa, Boosaaso and Mogadishu. Here in the west the Cattle ranchers and the rural people get largest subsidy from the governments.Also if you do not nurture your traditions like Hardship, poetry, generosity and heroism, you will become a lost tribe like the black Americans in the ghetto. All this these new phenomenon in Somali culture like the Antihero of the recent years came in to fruition by the decline of basic culture.

 

Mogadishu in 1960 was a colonial town dominated by Italian culture and life. those who lived in the city were people of different cultural backgrounds. While they were all Somali Citizens and civilized in today's terms( Reer Magaal), they were in different in terms of norms and culture. The dominant Somali tradition of Pastoral Nomads were absent. Every body who came to Mogadishu in seventies Eighties or even sixties have to change his tone to assimilate the quasi ghetto culture of European and Somali.mix. THat is why a guy from Gaalkacayo and Hargeisa has to say ' No no" after every word. It can be argued that the peace in Somaliland and Puntland can be attributed by the existence of strong nomadic culture.

[Guje]

Nomads have a much lower IQ than farmers, but higher than hunter gatherers.

[SomaliPhilosopher]

Guje;988619 wrote:

Nomads have a much lower IQ than farmers, but higher than hunter gatherers.

In such case, greetings 'hunter'

[Guje]

SomaliPhilosopher;988621 wrote:

In such case, greetings 'hunter'

:confused:, Greetings back to you.

[Khadafi]

SomaliPhilosopher;926485 wrote:

Being "nomads" is something we take great pride in as Somalis. Though it appears it is a lifestyle and culture that is slowly coming to an end as we emulate this "reer magaal" lifestyle. Perhaps it is in Somalia's best interest to reinstate this nomadic culture as it is an integral part of the Somali identity. I am hereby proposing a national service program geared towards requiring city dwellers to serve 1-2 as a true Nomad. The participant shall be provided with a geel and sent to a certain region, very similar to the national service teaching program.

 

One of the outcomes of this program is to eliminate this social stratification of "reer magaal" and "reer miyi" and place people on a similar social status.

 

Thoughts? Additions? Criticisms? Please share

 

Somali Philsopher, you made an intresting point but I think we need the opposite!. In order to have a nation-state we we need is more urbanization and class-awareness rather then the opposite "tribal-awareness". Nomadic culture nourishes tribalism because of the harsh life-style and lack of resources. Kinship in its form of a clanism becomes the absolute dogma of survival. I dont see the point of returning to that yaa Faylusuufi.

 

Let's be urbanized and sedimentary, by doing so the natural process of class-identity will triumph of Clanism, Marx is right on this despite being wrong on many other things. Let's have the opposite of a 2 years program of urbanization, during the socialist policy of Siyaad Barre, he introduced farmers from Soomali-Galbeed to the somali-bravaneese community. Many of the nomads who fled from the great famine of 1974 became successful fishermen and abonded the tribal mentality of the social fabric in the society. The urbanised community intermarried with the local population and still to this day live their.

[Haatu]

You can preserve your culture the most by writing about it and storing it. Today many people are leaving the countryside for the cities or the West. The work songs, countryside specific vocabulary and much more are all being lost. Some are trying to do their bit and writing books but it's not enough. If you know a work song, do your bit and pick up a pen. Then maybe one day when the Somalis prosper and urbanize we can revive the bits we want.

[Coofle]

We outgrew being nomads. Nomad-ism is no longer viable nor the only available option nowdays, everywhere you visit in Somali inhabited lands, from the river basins , the never-ending Hawd or the hellish Guban , most settlers are seniors and their biggest complaint is "Lack of workforce" (Dhalinyaro beeraha qodda ama xoolaha raacda)...We are having a nomad version of Japans elderly crisis inside the underdeveloped horn.

 

Harsh changing climates,persistent droughts, desertification and lack of grazing lands are all natural causes working against nomadism, more importantly Reer-magaalnimo temptations are having atoll on youngsters through its virtues such as education and vices such as Qat.

politics and boundaries are making freedom of movement a nuisance for reer-guuraa Style.

 

Nomadism and to a similar extent the Somali "Miyi" are endangered and frankly incompatible with 21st century, its time we reinvent our livestock herding methods and cultivation techniques (a last chance to save our dwindling livestock numbers). Nomadism should take the backseat and enjoy a life hard-earned glory in our museums and bookshelves. its time to move on....Tareenka ha la raaco. ... let us be proper reer magaal...

 

Oday Soomaali, you might not like the truth...like truth hurts ...runtu ma fantaa!

[spartacus]

indeed! we need to integrate with our nomadic life, these people needs education and investment our land is fertile our culture is tremendous if we engage to develop it. it's sad we left alone our roots and heritage