Questions on Benadiri and Barawe culture

[Som]

I have a few questions on Benadiri s and I hope those who know them or are from the Benadiri /Baraawe communities can shed some light on this
1. Are there any genetic studies on Benadiris and their ancestry? By phenotype many look like an average light skinned Somali, some look straight up Arabs while others show Bantu like features
2. What is the relationship between Benadiris and the Arabic language? I know reer Baraawe speak a Swahili dialect. Are there Any benadiris who speak Arabic as their native language?
3. What is the relationship between gibil madow Benadiris and cadcads? Do they intermarry or consider themselves to be one group?
4. What was the social status of pre war Benadiris? They often claim that they had lots of influence while also claiming to be heavily discriminated
5. Is true that Benadiris were specifically attacked during the civil war?
6. What relationship do Benadiris have with Siad Barre? Did they support him?

 

[Idilinaa]

Benadiris and reer barawa are just Somalis. Most descend from pastoral Somali clans that settled from the interior, while some others are Somali clans with paternal immigrant roots that married into them.

Their culture is just an extension of Somali culture from other regions of historical Somalia, there is nothing uniquely different about them, their social organization was similar as the ones in the interior. Their houses and homes were built same as the ones in other old commercial centers such as Harar, Luuq, Zayla and Berbera, white washed stone houses with terraces and carrishes. They refer to their ports as Bandar (Benadiri for plural) and call the edge of juba ras, the same way coastal easterners around Makhir and Bari call their their ports bandar and the tip of Hafun Ras. They dressed the same way, ate similar food as well. They spoke a Somali Dialect as their common everyday tongue but also spoke Arabic as a second language like other Somalis. They wore Somali titles and names as well. Same coastal seafaring culture as their northern-eastern counterpart and employed Abaan system. They celebrated Dabshiid new year festival like other Somalis.

The only difference is with Reer Barawa in that they are a translocal community of Somalis, where they also speak Swahili in addition to Tunni Somali dialect. Which is a product of a trans local communication, they picked up to communicate with their clients and business/religious contacts south of them as they moved back and forth between the Somali coast and the Swahili coast. But other than that their social organization and culture is the same as Somalis they are divided into Somali clan lineages of Tol and Reer.

From what i have heard is that Barre compensated them a lot and gave them full support, regarded them as cultural custodians. So the average one lived better than most other Somalis. Some of them were part of the main founders of the SYL and some created an adjunct part of it THYC. The Shaykhs played an important role in the early modern period in the revival and independance movements as well.

 

[Khaemwaset]

I have a few questions on Benadiri s and I hope those who know them or are from the Benadiri /Baraawe communities can shed some light on this
1. Are there any genetic studies on Benadiris and their ancestry? By phenotype many look like an average light skinned Somali, some look straight up Arabs while others show Bantu like features

Many have south Asian ancestry, which is very sizable although never talked about by Banadiri

2. What is the relationship between Benadiris and the Arabic language? I know reer Baraawe speak a Swahili dialect. Are there Any benadiris who speak Arabic as their native language?

None of them are native arabic speakers. They speak regular Af Maxa Somali, There are some banadir clans who speak Chimni, a swahili dialect which itself is just a creole of Arabic & several Bantu langauhes

3. What is the relationship between gibil madow Benadiris and cadcads? Do they intermarry or consider themselves to be one group?

Not sure I'd say they feel like a community

4. What was the social status of pre war Benadiris? They often claim that they had lots of influence while also claiming to be heavily discriminated

Banadiri never had high social status, although they were treated favourably by Siad Barre

5. Is true that Benadiris were specifically attacked during the civil war?

everyone was attacked in thr civil war, cities like Xamar were basically the purge. Banadiri had no power so were targetted by Somali clans

6. What relationship do Benadiris have with Siad Barre? Did they support him?

They supported him and were treated well by the Kacaan

 

[Som]

Many have south Asian ancestry, which is very sizable although never talked about by Banadiri

None of them are native arabic speakers. They speak regular Af Maxa Somali, There are some banadir clans who speak Chimni, a swahili dialect which itself is just a creole of Arabic & several Bantu langauhes

Not sure I'd say they feel like a community

Banadiri never had high social status, although they were treated favourably by Siad Barre

everyone was attacked in thr civil war, cities like Xamar were basically the purge. Banadiri had no power so were targetted by Somali clans

They supported him and were treated well by the Kacaan

Thanks.
Also another question I forgot
What's is Benadiris relationship with Yemenis? I know some Benadiris from ancient Benadiris clans who also have recent Yemeni blood. Are they accepted as fellow Arabs in peninsular arabjan countries like Yemen , Saudi , UAE , Oman or are they consider as regular Somalis?

 

[Khaemwaset]

Thanks.
Also another question I forgot
What's is Benadiris relationship with Yemenis? I know some Benadiris from ancient Benadiris clans who also have recent Yemeni blood. Are they accepted as fellow Arabs in peninsular arabjan countries like Yemen , Saudi , UAE , Oman or are they consider as regular Somalis?

They have little relation to Arabia despite then banging on about we wuz Arabs n shiett.

Most are Iranic and South Asian extract, it's reflected in their culture and food. They are not recognised as Arab tribes and cannot gain citizenship in Yemen or Oman.

 

[Idilinaa]

Not all benadiris have immigrant paternal ancestry, majority don't.

Just to be clear and the ones that do their paternal ancestry is most often Yemeni and Hadrahmi, not a lot have south Asian and most def not iranic from what i'm aware of.

It makes sense because Somalis have historical ties and migration history with Hadramout/Oman and Yemen, some of us left to live amongst them and some in reverse did the same came to live amongst Somalis. Those ties were often significant because they became a bridge between communities in Arabia and Somalia.

Also i have seen their individual genetic ancestry tests shared online and usually its misleading. They are usually around 60/70% + Somali ancestry. But because the average Somali doesn't have elevated Yemeni/Arabian ancestry but Habeshas have slightly higher and some Swahilis do, they assign a portion of the Somali ancestry to those populations.

 

[Khaemwaset]

Not all benadiris have immigrant paternal ancestry, majority don't.

Just to be clear and the ones that do their paternal ancestry is most often Yemeni and Hadrahmi, not a lot have south Asian and most def not iranic from what i'm aware of.

It makes sense because Somalis have historical ties and migration history with Hadramout/Oman and Yemen, some of us left to live amongst them and some in reverse did the same came to live amongst Somalis. Those ties were often significant because they became a bridge between communities in Arabia and Somalia.

Also i have seen their individual genetic ancestry tests shared online and usually its misleading. They are usually around 60/70% + Somali ancestry. But because the average Somali doesn't have elevated Yemeni/Arabian ancestry but Habeshas have slightly higher and some Swahilis do, they assign a portion of the Somali ancestry to those populations.

Why would Yemenis make migrations to Banadir coast but not nearly the same level of migration to waaqoyi right across the Gulf

 

[Idilinaa]

Why would Yemenis make migrations to Banadir coast but not nearly the same level of migration to waaqoyi right across the Gulf

Thats a good question, maybe they did migrate to a degree , but some of those surviving communities probably dispersed.

Also it might be just that migration to those settlements were somewhat reduced because the northern cities like Berbera and Zayla were more internal trade oriented, pointed more towards a wider market internally so they attracted far less migrant settlers externally. Other factors could be around navigation and capacity.

Thats my guess.

 

[Khaemwaset]

Thats a good question, maybe they did migrate to a degree , but some of those surviving communities probably dispersed.

Also it might be just that migration to those settlements were somewhat reduced because the northern cities like Berbera and Zayla were more internal trade oriented, pointed more towards a wider market internally so they attracted far less migrant settlers externally. Other factors could be around navigation and capacity.

Thats my guess.

Its all guesswork, If yemenis themselves don't claim then as part of their qabils. The only thing we can do is wait for dna tests. I'm still betting in they're mostly indians. I mean look at the food they all make.

 

[Idilinaa]

Its all guesswork, If yemenis themselves don't claim then as part of their qabils. The only thing we can do is wait for dna tests. I'm still betting in they're mostly indians. I mean look at the food they all make.

It's not all guess work we have records of Yemenis migrating to mogadishu in 12th century. Around the same time we have records of Somalis in Aden.

If Somalis can travel to Arab cities and settle in them and we can track that, then the reverse must also be true.

 

[Khaemwaset]

It's not guess all guess work we have records of Yemenis migrating to mogadishu in 12th century.

If Somalis can travel to Arab cities and settle in them and we can track that, then the reverse is also true.

Mass migration from Aden all the way to Benadir coast is unlikely.
The Somalis who migrated to Yemen were always those from across the Gulf. In Waqooyi and Parts of Puntland.


Also the Benadiri claim to be the builders of Xamar. If the earliest record of migration to the coast was the 12th century they wuzz not Zultans of Somalia n shiet

 

[Idilinaa]

Mass migration from Aden all the way to Benadir coast is unlikely.
The Somalis who migrated to Yemen were always those from across the Gulf. In Waqooyi and Parts of Puntland.


Also the Benadiri claim to be the builders of Xamar. If the earliest record of migration to the coast was the 12th century they wuzz not Zultans of Somalia n shiet

There has never been mass migration. But there have been individuals migrating , in a steady build up.

They weren't always from Waaqoyi or Puntland, a lot were from Mogadishu.

Mogadishu was already a fully formed prominent town populated by Somali natives when we have the first reference to a certain Hatim fleeing and seeking refuge in Mogadishu

Because we have records of Al-Maqdishi, Al-Jabarti and Al-Zayla in Aden , Zabid etc. and they left behind tombstones with their names and inscriptions around same time as this and earlier. Even in the same Rassulid corpus who refer to people from Mogadishu along with Zayla as black(as-sudan/ghalib al-sudan) non-arabs (ghalib al-ajam).

@Emir of Zayla made a thread on this some time ago on it Medieval Muslim scholars from the Horn in Yemen and Red Sea.

Claiming they found/built Mogadishu is as silly as using Somalis settling in Aden in numbers, to claim we became sultans of it and built the place.

 

[NidarNidar]

Not all benadiris have immigrant paternal ancestry, majority don't.

Just to be clear and the ones that do their paternal ancestry is most often Yemeni and Hadrahmi, not a lot have south Asian and most def not iranic from what i'm aware of.

It makes sense because Somalis have historical ties and migration history with Hadramout/Oman and Yemen, some of us left to live amongst them and some in reverse did the same came to live amongst Somalis. Those ties were often significant because they became a bridge between communities in Arabia and Somalia.

Also i have seen their individual genetic ancestry tests shared online and usually its misleading. They are usually around 60/70% + Somali ancestry. But because the average Somali doesn't have elevated Yemeni/Arabian ancestry but Habeshas have slightly higher and some Swahilis do, they assign a portion of the Somali ancestry to those populations.

Most of the paternal ancestry results point towards Southeast Asia for those tested, which makes sense, there is a deep trading relationship between us and India(Gujarat) and Iran, I've personally haven't seen, Yemeni are overwhelmingly J1(72%) and you find E and T aswell.

R1a1a(Indian)

G1A(Iranian)

L-m27(2*)(Indian)

 

[Idilinaa]

Most of the paternal ancestry results point towards Southeast Asia for those tested, which makes sense, there is a deep trading relationship between us and India(Gujarat) and Iran, I've personally haven't seen, Yemeni are overwhelmingly J1(72%) and you find E and T aswell.

R1a1a(Indian)
View attachment 344327


G1A(Iranian)
View attachment 344328


L-m27(2*)(Indian)
View attachment 344329

From the two other Reer Xamar that i know it came out their results, half his paternal ancestry was Arab , Yemen, when he ran it. The other one of them was just fully Somali.

The South Asian component might be more prevalent among Reer Barawe. It'd be interesting to look into we might unravel something unexpected about the migration history.