Tomal

Last updated
Tomal / Tumal
Handullah Abdi.jpg
Handullah Abdi a 20 year old Tumal man
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia , Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia , Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti , Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Languages
Somali
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Dir, Hawiye, Darod, Isaaq, Rahanweyn and other Somali people

The Tomal, also known as Tumal or Tumaal, is an artisanal caste among Somali people. [1] [2] Their traditional hereditary occupation has been as smiths and leather production, and they have been endogamous. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

The Tomal have been one of the low status castes or outcasts among the Somalis, along with Madhiban and others. They have historically faced discrimination, restrictions, harassment and prejudice from other social strata of the Somali people. [2] [6] [7]

Discussion

20 year old Tumal man Egal Mohamud photographed in 1890 by Rolande Bonaparte Egal Mohamud.jpg
20 year old Tumal man Egal Mohamud photographed in 1890 by Rolande Bonaparte

According to the folklore tradition of the Somali people, Tomal and other low castes arose from unholy origins. [8] They were historically smiths who worked various metals, [9] and some also were leather workers (producing and processing animal skin). [10] They may be, states Peter Bridges, pre-Somali Bushmen-like natives who lived in these lands. [10] They are one of a castes within the Sab lineage among the Somali, but they are not the Bantu-related slave strata of the Somali people. [11]

According to Richard Francis Burton, the colonial era Somali ethnographer describing his observations in the northern Somali country, the Tomal were also known as Handad probably a corruption of Haddad which in Arabic means "ironworkers". They were considered vile because they had intermarried with the servile group within the Somali society, and their work with metal and fire was presumed to make them following the path of David [ clarification needed ] and close to witchcraft. These people, states Burton, were also found and reviled in Al-Yaman. [12]

Later scholarship, such as by Heather Marie Akou – a professor of History specializing in Near East Cultures, states that per mythical narrative Tomals had intermarried with Midgans, and have been the talented descendants of nomads in the Horn of Africa. [13] The Tomal caste has been notable for their everyday dress, where they traditionally carry a hand crafted long spear called waran as walking stick, and a hidden dagger called bilawi in a leather belt. [13]

According to Teshale Tibebu – a professor of History specializing on Ethiopia and Horn of Africa, the Tomal along with Mijan and Yibir castes have traditionally been considered as ritually impure using Islamic rationalization, and other caste members of the Somali society would never marry a member of the Tomal, Mijan and Yibir castes. [14] Incidental reports of prejudicial comments against the Tomal by other Somali people, in contemporary society include they being called "nasab-dhiman", or "ignoble outcast". [15]

Cognate castes in the Horn of Africa

The Tomal caste is not an exception limited to the Somali ethnic group, and equivalent cognate caste is found in numerous ethnic groups in Horn of Africa and the rest of East Africa.

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. [16] 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". [17]

In East African ethnic groups, such as the Oromo people, caste structure with cognates to Tomal have been recorded in 16th century texts, states Cornelius Jaenen. [18] The table below illustrate some alternate terms for castes mirroring the Tomal in other ethnic groups that share this region with the Somali people. [19]

Castes equivalent to Tomal in Horn of Africa
Ethnic groupCaste name [19] [20] Occupation
SomaliTomal, Tumalsmiths
Agew of LasraTebibsmiths
Amhara people Teyb, Gafatsmiths, potters
Tigre people Tebibsmiths
Argobba people Qetqechsmiths
Borana people Tumtusmiths, potters, weavers
Gurage people Nefwrasmiths
Sidama people Tunichosmiths
Burji people Tumtusmiths
Kefa people Qemmosmiths
Konso people Haudasmiths, potters, weavers, tanners

Notable Tumal

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oromo people</span> Cushitic ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa

The Oromo people are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya. They speak the Oromo language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Ethiopia. According to the last Ethiopian census of 2007, the Oromo numbered 25,488,344 people or 34.5% of the Ethiopian population. Recent estimates have the Oromo comprising 41,000,000 people, or 35.8% of the total Ethiopian population estimated at 116,000,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horn of Africa</span> Peninsula in East Africa including Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia

The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa. Located on the easternmost part of the African mainland, it is the sixth largest peninsula in the world. It is composed of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti and Somaliland; broader definitions also include parts or all of Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda. The term Greater Horn Region (GHR) can additionally include Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania. It lies along the southern boundary of the Red Sea and extends hundreds of kilometres into the Guardafui Channel, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean and shares a maritime border with the Arabian Peninsula of West Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amhara people</span> Semitic-speaking ethnic group native to Ethiopia in the Ethiopian Highlands

Amharas are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group which is indigenous to Ethiopia, traditionally inhabiting parts of the northwest Highlands of Ethiopia, particularly inhabiting the Amhara Region. According to the 2007 national census, Amharas numbered 19,867,817 individuals, comprising 26.9% of Ethiopia's population, and they are mostly Oriental Orthodox Christian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Djibouti</span> Overview of the culture of Djibouti

The culture of the Republic of Djibouti is diverse, due to the nation's Red Sea location at a crossroads of trade and commerce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Somalia</span> Religion in Somalia And Somaliland

Practitioners of Islam first entered Somalia (Somaliland) in the northwestern city of Zeila during prophet Muhammad's lifetime whereupon they built the Masjid al-Qiblatayn; as such, Islam has been a part of Somali society since the 7th century.

The Arap or Arab clan is a major Northern Somali clan of the wider Isaaq clan family. The Arap predominantly live on the middle and southwest side of Hargeisa and in the Baligubadle district Hawd region) of Somaliland, with its capital Baligubadle being an exclusively Arap territory. The territory of the clan extends to Ethiopia, in the area of Faafan, gursum, dhagahle. The Abdalle Arab, a sub-clan of the Arap clan is based in the Togdheer, Sahil. The Celi Arab, a sub-clan of the Arap clan is based in Maroodi Jeex Hargeisa Muuse celi arab living also Bakool South West State of Somalia Rabdhure Elbarde, They also live Fafan Zone Gursum, Somali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali people</span> Cushitic ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa

The Somali people are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Horn of Africa who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The East Cushitic Somali language is the shared mother tongue of ethnic Somalis, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family, and they are predominantly Sunni Muslim. Forming one of the largest ethnic groups on the continent, they cover one of the most expansive landmasses by a single ethnic group in Africa.

The Dir is one of the largest and most prominent Somali clans in the Horn of Africa. They are also considered to be the oldest Somali stock to have inhabited the region. Its members inhabit Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, and northeastern Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Somalia</span>

Demographic features of Somalia's inhabitants include ethnicity, language, population density, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Somalia is believed to be one of the most homogeneous countries in Africa.

The Yibir, also referred to as the Yibbir, the Yebir, or the Yibro, are a caste of Somali people. They have traditionally been endogamous. Their hereditary occupations have been magic making, leather work, the dispensing of traditional medicine and the making of amulets. They belong to the Sab clan and sometimes referred to as a minority clan, they perform menial tasks.

Abdi Mohamed Kusow is a Somali scholar and writer.

Caste systems in Africa are a form of social stratification found in numerous ethnic groups, found in over fifteen countries, particularly in the Sahel, West Africa, and North Africa. These caste systems feature endogamy, hierarchical status, inherited occupation, membership by birth, pollution concepts and restraints on commensality.

The Madhiban, also known as Mohamed Gorgarte, are an artisanal caste among Somali people. They have been endogamous, and their traditional hereditary occupation has been as hunters.

The Somali languages form a group that are part of the Afro-Asiatic language family. They are spoken as a mother tongue by ethnic Somalis in Horn of Africa and the Somali diaspora. Even with linguistic differences, Somalis collectively view themselves as speaking dialects of a common language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali mythology</span> Beliefs, legends and folktales of Somalia

Somali mythology covers the beliefs, myths, legends and folk tales circulating in Somali society that were passed down to new generations in a timeline spanning several millennia in Somalia and Djibouti dating back 6000 years ago. Many of the things that constitute monotheistic Somali mythology today are traditions whose accuracy have faded away with time or have been gentrified considerably with the coming of Islam to the Horn of Africa.

The Weyto are a caste living in the Amhara region along the shore of Lake Tana in northern Ethiopia. They worship the Nile River. They currently live in Bahir Dar, Abirgha, Dembiya and Alefa. The Weyto also made up part of the population of the Blue Nile Falls and Fogera, where currently their presence has not been ascertained.

Garad is a term used to refer to a clan leader or regional administrator. It was used primarily by Muslims in the Horn of Africa that were associated with Islamic states, most notably the Adal Sultanate.

The Harla, also known as Harala, Haralla are an ethnic group that once inhabited Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti. They spoke the now-extinct Harla language, which belonged to either the Cushitic or Semitic branches of the Afroasiatic family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopia–Somalia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Ethiopia–Somalia relations are bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Somalia. These relations are characterized by the land border shared by the two countries and a number of military conflicts in past years.

Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn, popularly known as Aw Barkhadle or Yusuf Al Kownayn, was an Islamic scholar and traveler based in Zeila. Based on reference to Yusuf Al Kawneyn in the Harar manuscripts, Dr. Enrico Cerulli.

References

  1. ↑ 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. 13–14. ISBN   0852552807 . Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  2. 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.
  3. ↑ Scott Steven Reese (2008). Renewers of the Age: Holy Men and Social Discourse in Colonial Benaadir. BRILL Academic. pp. 139–140. ISBN   978-90-04-16729-2.
  4. ↑ Heather Marie Akou (2011). The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture. Indiana University Press. pp. 20–23. ISBN   978-0253223135.
  5. ↑ 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
  6. ↑ Elaine Tarone; Martha Bigelow; Kit Hansen (2013). Oxford Applied Linguistics: Literacy and Second Language Oracy. Oxford University Press. pp. 55, 73–74 with footnote 5. ISBN   978-0-19-442313-7., Quote: "In addition to the Bantus, there are Somali clans considered to be of low caste and treated as outcasts. They are the Yibir, the Midgan and the Tumal. They face restrictions, prejudice, discrimination, harassment and attacks in East Africa as well as in the Diaspora."
  7. ↑ kK Fangen (2006), Humiliation experienced by Somali refugees in Norway, Journal of Refugee Studies, Volume 19, pages 69-93
  8. ↑ Mohamed A. Eno and Abdi M. Kusow (2014), Racial and Caste Prejudice in Somalia, Journal of Somali Studies, Iowa State University Press, Volume 1, Issue 2, pages 91, 96, 108-112
  9. ↑ Donald N. Levine (2014). Greater Ethiopia: The Evolution of a Multiethnic Society. University of Chicago Press. p. 195. ISBN   978-0-226-22967-6.
  10. 1 2 Peter Bridges (2000). Safirka: An American Envoy. Kent State University Press. p. 95. ISBN   978-0-87338-658-6.
  11. ↑ Vincent Bakpetu Thompson (2015). Conflict in the Horn of Africa: The Kenya-Somalia Border Problem 1941–2014. University Press of America. p. 32. ISBN   978-0-7618-6526-1.
  12. ↑ Richard F. Burton (2014). First Footsteps in East Africa; Or, an Exploration of Harar. Courier. p. 24 with footnote 1. ISBN   978-0-486-78954-5.
  13. 1 2 Heather Marie Akou (2011). The Politics of Dress in Somali Culture. Indiana University Press. p. 22. ISBN   978-0-253-22313-5.
  14. ↑ Teshale Tibebu (1995). The Making of Modern Ethiopia: 1896-1974. The Red Sea Press. p. 198. ISBN   978-1-56902-001-2.
  15. ↑ Mohamed A. Eno and Abdi M. Kusow (2014), Racial and Caste Prejudice in Somalia, Journal of Somali Studies, Iowa State University Press, Volume 1, Issue 2, page 105
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ Cornelius J. Jaenen (1956), The Galla or Oromo of East Africa, Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, University of Chicago Press, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Summer, 1956), pages 171-190
  19. 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.
  20. ↑ 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.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.