Somali culture

[Yeeyi]

@embarassing is right, the vast majority of Somalis wore the nomadic style, whereas suldaans/chiefs, sheikhs and merchants wore similar to what the OP posted.

Here is a mid-19th century description of Sharmarke Saleh, a Habar Yunis merchant turned ruler of Zeila, Berbera & Tadjourah:

Yeah, I never disagreed that most somalis weren't nomad, I'm just saying that most nomad were poor, so they couldn't afford a higher quality garment. During Imperial China, 90%-80% were farmers, but you don't see chinese dressing as farmers when wearing cloth of imperial China. They wear nobels clothes. We should do that if we are going to bring back some aspects of the old culture.

 

[kickz]

The white clothing is definitely nomads attire, the rest of the city dwellers wore more of the flowing robes with the turbans.

 

[macaan]

Yeah, I never disagreed that most somalis weren't nomad, I'm just saying that most nomad were poor, so they couldn't afford a higher quality garment. During Imperial China, 90%-80% were farmers, but you don't see chinese dressing as farmers when wearing cloth of imperial China. They wear nobels clothes. We should do that if we are going to bring back some aspects of the old culture.

But were nomads really poor? What one man sees as beasts, the other sees as wealth. Throughout Somali oral tradition (gabay), a nomad with many camels is seen as rich. In addition, the nomads were needed in the inland caravan trade (it was their camels that burdened all the goods), and they provided vital communication between the coast and the interior.

 

[Crow]

Yeah, I never disagreed that most somalis weren't nomad, I'm just saying that most nomad were poor, so they couldn't afford a higher quality garment. During Imperial China, 90%-80% were farmers, but you don't see chinese dressing as farmers when wearing cloth of imperial China. They wear nobels clothes. We should do that if we are going to bring back some aspects of the old culture.

The place of nomads in our culture is closer to samurai in Japan and cowboys in America than farmers. Nomads are romanticized heavily and it is seen as the most honourable way of living. So it makes sense to wear nomad clothes AND noble clothes (like Americans do with their cowboy clothes and tuxedos).

 

[Apollo]

Both of them are our authentic culture. The white robes are nomadic clothing. That isn't all we had. City dwellers and nobility wore different types of clothes.

We had a variety of different styles for people in different walks of life.
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WE

WUZ

KANGZ

 

[Timo Jareer and proud]

The place of nomads in our culture is closer to samurai in Japan and cowboys in America than farmers. Nomads are romanticized heavily and it is seen as the most honourable way of living. So it makes sense to wear nomad clothes AND noble clothes (like Americans do with their cowboy clothes and tuxedos).

We should see more Traditional Somali Music videos (Dhaanto, Jandheer) with the dancer's/singerss wearing Nomad and noble clothes insead of a Dirac for women and a t shirt for guys.

 

[macaan]

The place of nomads in our culture is closer to samurai in Japan and cowboys in America than farmers. Nomads are romanticized heavily and it is seen as the most honourable way of living. So it makes sense to wear nomad clothes AND noble clothes (like Americans do with their cowboy clothes and tuxedos).

Good points.

Nomads were even respected in urban Arab society. Muhammad (pbuh) came from a mercantile family in Makkah, but during his youth he was sent to the countryside to stay with Bedouin nomads.

 

[Timo Jareer and proud]

WE

WUZ

KANGZ

AND

SHIT

FAM

 

[Apollo]

On a more serious note, in Africa only Sahelian, some West African, the late Libyan and Sudanese political leaders dress in ethnic attire on official meetings:

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R.I.P.

 

[Timo Jareer and proud]

On a more serious note, in Africa only Sahelian, some West African, and Sudanese political leaders dress in ethnic attire on official meetings:

Spoiler

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R.I.P.

A.U.N

 

[Yeeyi]

But were nomads really poor? What one man sees as beasts, the other sees as wealth. Throughout Somali oral tradition (gabay), a nomad with many camels is seen as rich. In addition, the nomads were needed in the inland caravan trade (it was their camels that burdened all the goods), and they provided vital communication between the coast and the interior.

Yeah, just as farmers were important to argiculture, wich was what many empires relied on before. And compared to what could be gained in terms of matralistic wealth, then yes most the nomads were poor. What I'm saying isn't that we should only say that nomadic culture and clothing is true somali culture.
Most gabays were made by other nomads, of course they are going to say many camels as rich

 

[Timo Jareer and proud]

On a more serious note, in Africa only Sahelian, some West African, and Sudanese political leaders dress in ethnic attire on official meetings:

Spoiler

You don't have permission to view the spoiler content. Log in or register now.

R.I.P.

I think I saw Siyaad Barre on Gaddafi's shirt.

 

[Apollo]

I think I saw Siyaad Barre on Gaddafi's shirt.

The globalists deposed him because they needed a way for Africans to sneak into Europe and he was too pan-Africanist for their liking as he was threatening to create a commodity-backed (gold, oil etc) pan-African currency that would collapse the global financial system. So dirty. :siilaanyolaugh:

 

[macaan]

Yeah, just as farmers were important to argiculture, wich was what many empires relied on before. And compared to what could be gained in terms of matralistic wealth, then yes most the nomads were poor. What I'm saying isn't that we should only say that nomadic culture and clothing is true somali culture.
Most gabays were made by other nomads, of course they are going to say many camels as rich

During Imperial China, 90%-80% were farmers, but you don't see chinese dressing as farmers when wearing cloth of imperial China. They wear nobels clothes. We should do that if we are going to bring back some aspects of the old culture.

I don't think it's right to compare the Confucius-based, hierarchical Chinese society, where the vast majority were serfs & peasants, to the egalitarian Somali society, where everyone (except the minority Madhiban) are seen as equals. Whilst the Chinese elite looked down on the peasant farmers, the Somali elites respected the nomads and their way of life.

 

[Timo Jareer and proud]

The globalists deposed him because they needed a way for Africans to sneak into Europe and he was too pan-Africanist for their liking as he was threatening to create a commodity-backed (gold, oil etc) pan-African currency that would collapse the global financial system. So dirty. :siilaanyolaugh:

He should have done so. He was one of the only African leaders other then Gamal Abdel Nasser to have the balls to talk back to the western world.

 

[SOMALI GENERAL]

Our politicians should wear Somali cultural clothes like the Saudis do in their country.

Instead they dress like this.

This is how our leaders dressed in the old days.
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We need to revive that old Noble attire.

More Somalis should stop wearing the gulf arab thawb & start wearing the Nile Valley Khamiis:

 

[Ferrari]

Somali culture is geel, guntiino, macawauu. what else is there?

our food is canjeero, tea caano geel and meat. Somali culture is poor.

Good riddance.

Rock the suit.

 

[Yeeyi]

The place of nomads in our culture is closer to samurai in Japan and cowboys in America than farmers. Nomads are romanticized heavily and it is seen as the most honourable way of living. So it makes sense to wear nomad clothes AND noble clothes (like Americans do with their cowboy clothes and tuxedos).

They were romanticized by MSB goverment, the same goverment that thought we were black arabs and that all important costal cities were built by arabs and persian. They ignored the merchants side of somalis that we have always had. I belive we should represent every class of pre-colonial somali (the farmers, merchants, nobels, nomads etc.)

 

[World]

It wasn't what poor people wore, it's what nomads wore... which was the vast majority. Its beautiful.

Crow shared what leadership wore.

It depends. Generally horsemen didn’t wear the common thobe.

 

[SOMALI GENERAL]

They were romanticized by MSB goverment, the same goverment that thought we were black arabs and that all important costal cities were built by arabs and persian. They ignored the merchants side of somalis that we have always had. I belive we should represent every class of pre-colonial somali (the farmers, merchants, nobels, nomads etc.)

Yeah it should be balanced.

Folks usually place more importance on the nomadic clothes over the Urban/high-class clothes.