Madhiban

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Madhiban
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Somaliland.svg  Somaliland , Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia , Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya , Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 5,000 (1994) [1]
Flag of Somaliland.svg  Somaliland 48,000 (2010) [2]
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia 1,500,000 (2010) [3]
Languages
Somali
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Somali people and other Cushitic people

The Madhiban ( Somali : Madhibaan), also known as Gaboye, [4] are an artisanal caste among Somali people. [5] [6] [7] They have been endogamous, and their traditional hereditary occupation has been as hunters. [8] [9]

Contents

They are also referred to as gorgarte, an appellation which is sometimes used pejoratively. [10] The Madhiban have been one of the low status castes among the Somalis, along with Tumal and others. [5] [11] [12]

Distribution and names

Tarakh Ahmed a 40 year old Madhiban man Tarakh Ahmed.jpg
Tarakh Ahmed a 40 year old Madhiban man

The Madhiban are a part of the Somali ethnic group found in East Africa, particularly in Somalia, Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya, and Djibouti. [4] [13]

According to a 1960 count, they numbered around 20,000 out of 640,000 Somalis in parts of Somalia that were within the then British Protectorate. Their numbers in other parts of Somalia and other Somali regions were unknown. [14] An article published by the UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) indicates that the Daami district of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, is home to 8,000 Gabooye families, comprising approximately 48,000 people (UN 2 July 2010). [2]

The terms Madhiban, Midgan or Midgaan for this Somali caste are found in historic literature, but in modern discourse, the term Gaboye is increasingly common. This caste is distinct from the Tumal and Yibir outcast communities because each is accused of things different from each other in Somali society. [7]

Discussion

The Madhiban were historically hunters, but now engage in occupations like leather work (shoemaking). They also are the traditional circumcision performers for both males, [15] [16] and females in the Somali society. [17] [18] These professions have traditionally been considered dirty, and the Madhiban have been a part of the sab or lower castes as opposed to the aji or upper castes. [19] Aji in the Madhiban language means “dirty water that you cannot drink or perform Islamic ablution with”.

According to Lee Gunderson, Dennis Murphy Odo and Reginald D'Silva, the Midgan have traditionally been treated as a low caste, scorned and reviled. [20] A Midgan-Madiban has been deemed as polluting and therefore avoided as a taboo in the Somali society. [20] [21] [7]

Under Somalia's military administration, some Madhiban were appointed to positions within the government to promote integration. The Madhiban have since obtained wider political representation. Their general social status has also improved with the expansion of urban centers. [22]

History

Al-Madhibaan

Al Midgan, Al Somali Al Midgan, Al Somali.jpg
Al Midgan, Al Somali

The first recorded reference to the Madhibaan people dates back to 1435 in Suleiman's translation of Ibn Majid's writings and poems found in Ababn Majid. In this text, Suleiman identifies the Madhibaan as Al-Midgaan, emphasizing their distinction as a separate nation from the Somali people. He briefly mentions the name Al Somali as well. [23]

Pipalo

Pipalo, alternatively known as the Madhiban Sultanate, emerged as a historical kingdom between the 6th and 8th centuries, flourishing until the 14th century in the region between Berbera and Zeila. Over this extensive timeline, the kingdom evolved, encompassing four major cities and numerous towns, and establishing a distinctive presence in the historical narrative. [24]

Renowned for their reliance on camels and sheep, the inhabitants of Pipalo utilized these animals for sustenance and culinary purposes. The kingdom's significance extended beyond its faunal richness, as it became a prominent exporter of valuable commodities like ambergris, large elephant tusks, and rhinoceros horns, some exceeding ten catties in weight.

In addition to its economic prosperity, Pipalo boasted affluence in myrrh, liquid storax gum, and remarkably thick tortoise shells. The kingdom's unique combination of natural resources and distinctive wildlife, including the elusive "camel-crane" and the unique tsu-la, contributed to its cultural identity. [25]

A notable aspect of Pipalo's cultural practices was the inhabitants' hunting expertise. Skilled marksmen, they employed poisoned arrows to capture and hunt the indigenous wildlife. This hunting tradition added a unique dimension to Pipalo's historical significance, making it a notable player in the regional dynamics until the 14th century. [26]

Cognate castes in East Africa

The Madhiban caste is not an exception limited to the Somali ethnic group, and equivalent cognate caste is found in numerous ethnic groups in East Africa. [27] [28] According to Donald Levine – a professor of Sociology specializing in Ethiopian and Horn of Africa studies, similar caste groups in different languages and ethnic groups have been integral part of societies of this region. [27] These strata have featured all the defining characteristics of caste, states Levine, characteristics such as "endogamy, hierarchy, status, concepts of pollution, restraints on commensality, a traditional occupation and membership by birth". [29] In eastern Ethiopia ethnic groups, such as the Oromo people, cognates to Somali castes have been recorded in 16th century texts, states Cornelius Jaenen. [30] The table below illustrate some alternate terms for castes mirroring the Madhiban in other ethnic groups that share this region with the Somali people. [31]

Castes equivalent to Madhiban in East Africa
Ethnic groupCaste name [31] [32] Occupation
SomaliMadhibanhunters, tanners,
Amhara people Weyto, Faqihunters, tanners
Argobba people Faqintanners
Borana people Wattahunters, tanners, potters, foragers
Gurage people Fugahunters, [28] woodworkers
Janjero people Fugahunters, potters, tanners
Kefa people Manjohunters, guards
Kimant people Arabinyatanners
She people Kwayejuhunters
Sidama people Awachotanners

Notable Madhiban

Groups

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References

  1. ↑ "UN Emergencies Unit for Eastern Ethiopia" . Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 "The Gabooye (Midgan) people of Somalia" . Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Refworld | World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Somalia" . Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  4. 1 2 Djibouti: Situation of members of the Madhiban caste, including treatment by society and authorities; state protection and services (2003-October 2013), UNHCR, IRB Canada (2014)
  5. 1 2 Donald N. Levine (2014). Greater Ethiopia: The Evolution of a Multiethnic Society. University of Chicago Press. pp. 62, 195. ISBN   978-0-226-22967-6.
  6. ↑ [Е. de Larajasse (1972), Somali-English and Somali-English Dictionary, Trubner, pages 108: Midgan, 119, 134, 145, 178
  7. 1 2 3 Eno, Mohamed A.; Kusow, Abdi M. (1 January 2014). "Racial and caste prejudice in Somalia". Journal of Somali Studies. 1 (2): 91–118. hdl:10520/EJC167583.
  8. ↑ David F. Horrobin (2012). The Somali, in "A Guide to Kenya and Northern Tanzania". Springer. pp. 29–30. ISBN   978-94-011-7129-8.; Е. de Larajasse (1972), Somali-English and Somali-English Dictionary, Trubner, page 108
  9. ↑ Е. de Larajasse (1972), Somali-English and Somali-English Dictionary, Trubner, pages 108, 119, 134, 145, 178
  10. ↑ The Middle East, Issue 4, (Northumberland Press: 2007), p.196
  11. ↑ Andreas Zimmermann; Jonas Dörschner; Felix Machts (2011). The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Its 1967 Protocol: A Commentary. Oxford University Press. p. 398. ISBN   978-0-19-954251-2.
  12. ↑ Kirk, J. W. C. (1904). "The Yibirs and Midgàns of Somaliland, Their Traditions and Dialects". Journal of the Royal African Society. 4 (13): 91–108. JSTOR   714933.
  13. ↑ Lewis, I. M. (1999). A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa. James Currey Publishers. pp. 7–8, 13–14. ISBN   0852552807 . Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  14. ↑ Lewis, I.M. (1999). A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa. LIT Verlag Münster. pp. 7, 14 with footnotes. ISBN   3825830845 . Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  15. ↑ David F. Horrobin (2012). The Somali, in "A Guide to Kenya and Northern Tanzania". Springer. pp. 29–30. ISBN   978-94-011-7129-8.
  16. ↑ Е. de Larajasse (1972), Somali-English and Somali-English Dictionary, Trubner, page 108
  17. ↑ Wright, Jane (1996). "Female genital mutilation: an overview". Journal of Advanced Nursing. 24 (2). Wiley-Blackwell: 251–259. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.1996.01934.x. PMID   8858427.
  18. ↑ Gallo, Pia Grassivaro; Tita, Eleanora; Viviani, Franco (2006). "At the Roots of Ethnic Female Genital Modification: Preliminary Report". Bodily Integrity and the Politics of Circumcision. pp. 49–55. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-4916-3_4. ISBN   978-1-4020-4915-6.
  19. ↑ Jama, Hassan Ali (2005). Who Cares about Somalia: Hassan's Ordeal; Reflections on a Nation's Future. Verlag Hans Schiler. pp. 97–98. ISBN   3899300750 . Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  20. 1 2 Lee Gunderson; Dennis Murphy Odo; Reginald D'Silva (2013). ESL Literacy Instruction. Routledge. p. 98. ISBN   978-1-135-05238-6.
  21. ↑ Thomas M. Leonard (2013). Encyclopedia of the Developing World. Routledge. p. 255. ISBN   978-1-135-20508-9.
  22. ↑ Lewis, I.M. (2008). Understanding Somalia and Somaliland: Culture, History, Society. Columbia University Press. p. 8. ISBN   978-0231700849.
  23. ↑ al_mahri_ibn_majid_books (in Arabic).
  24. ↑ Hopkins, L. C. (October 1912). Chau Ju-Kua: His Work on the Chinese and Arab Trade in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, entitled Chu Fan Chï. Translated from the Chinese and Annotated by Friedrich Hirth and W. W. Rockhill. St. Petersburg: Printing Office of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
  25. ↑ Hopkins, L. C. (October 1912). Chau Ju-Kua: His Work on the Chinese and Arab Trade in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, entitled Chu Fan Chï. Translated from the Chinese and Annotated by Friedrich Hirth and W. W. Rockhill. St. Petersburg: Printing Office of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
  26. ↑ Hopkins, L. C. (October 1912). Chau Ju-Kua: His Work on the Chinese and Arab Trade in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, entitled Chu Fan Chï. Translated from the Chinese and Annotated by Friedrich Hirth and W. W. Rockhill. St. Petersburg: Printing Office of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
  27. 1 2 Donald N. Levine (10 December 2014). Greater Ethiopia: The Evolution of a Multiethnic Society. University of Chicago Press. pp. 57, 169–171. ISBN   978-0-226-22967-6.
  28. 1 2 Shack, William A. (1964). "54. Notes on Occupational Castes Among the Gurage of South-West Ethiopia". Man. 64. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland: 50–52. doi:10.2307/2797801. JSTOR   2797801.
  29. ↑ Donald N. Levine (10 December 2014). Greater Ethiopia: The Evolution of a Multiethnic Society. University of Chicago Press. pp. 57–58. ISBN   978-0-226-22967-6.
  30. ↑ Jaenen, Cornelius J. (1956). "The Galla or Oromo of East Africa". Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. 12 (2): 171–190. doi:10.1086/soutjanth.12.2.3629113. JSTOR   3629113. PMID   12259237. S2CID   146322293.
  31. 1 2 Donald N. Levine (10 December 2014). Greater Ethiopia: The Evolution of a Multiethnic Society. University of Chicago Press. pp. 195–196. ISBN   978-0-226-22967-6.
  32. ↑ Saïd Amir Arjomand (2014). Social Theory and Regional Studies in the Global Age. State University of New York Press. pp. 229–237. ISBN   978-1-4384-5161-9.
  33. ↑ Rise of Somali Gangs Plagues Minneapolis, Associated Press (July 20, 2009).
  34. ↑ Das Staatsarchiv. 1861.[ page needed ][ verification needed ]

Bibliography

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