Madhiban
Regions with significant populations
 Somaliland,  Ethiopia,  Kenya,  Somalia  Djibouti
 Ethiopia5,000 (1994)[1]
 Somaliland48,000 (2010)[2]
 Somalia1,500,000 (2010)[3]
Languages
Somali
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Somali people and other Cushitic people

The Madhiban (Somali: Madhibaan), also known as Midgan or 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]

They are also referred to as Midgaan, 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

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

Following the conquest of North Africa by Muslim Arabs in the 7th century CE, Islam spread throughout West Africa via merchants, traders, scholars, and missionaries, that is largely through peaceful means whereby African rulers either tolerated the religion or converted to it themselves. In this way, Islam spread across and around the Sahara Desert. In addition, the religion arrived in East Africa when Arab traders crossed the Red Sea and, in a second wave, settled along the Swahili Coast. Military campaigns did occur from the 14th century CE against the Christian kingdoms of Nubia and Madhibans who ruled part of Somalia especially the Land of Punt. There were also sometimes violent resistance by supporters of traditional African beliefs such as Madhiban were followers of Waaq religion.[14]

For at least a decade the Madhiban kingdom resisted the invasion of Islamic conquest and were finally defeated in mid 14th century. After their defeat Madhibans fled to the rural place and become hunters and leatherworkers with other ritual and craft tasks performed for the majorities.[15]

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.[16]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,[17][18] and females in the Somali society.[19][20] 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.[21] 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.[22] A Midgan-Madiban has been deemed as polluting and therefore avoided as a taboo in the Somali society.[22][23][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.[24]

History

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.[25]

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.[26]

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.[27]

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.[28][29] 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.[28] 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".[30] In eastern Ethiopia ethnic groups, such as the Oromo people, cognates to Somali castes have been recorded in 16th century texts, states Cornelius Jaenen.[31] The table below illustrate some alternate terms for castes mirroring the Madhiban in other ethnic groups that share this region with the Somali people.[32]

Castes equivalent to Madhiban in East Africa
Ethnic group Caste name[32][33] Occupation
Somali Madhibanhunters, tanners,
Amhara people Weyto, Faqi hunters, tanners
Argobba people Faqin tanners
Borana people Watta hunters, tanners, potters, foragers
Gurage people Fuga hunters,[29] woodworkers
Janjero people Fuga hunters, potters, tanners
Kefa people Manjo hunters, guards
Kimant people Arabinya tanners
She people Kwayeju hunters
Sidama people Awacho tanners

Notable Madhiban

  • Maryam Mursal, Somali female singer
  • Mohamed Sulayman Tubeec deceased, Somali singer/songwriter
  • Abdi Tahlil Warsame deceased, Somali singer/songwriter
  • Shey Mire Dacar deceased, Somali singer/songwriter
  • Professor Ahmed Ashkir Botan Minister of Education in 1981 and a former Vice-Chancellor of the Somali National University.

Groups

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. ↑ worldhistory.org
  15. ↑ https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/old-site-downloads/download-912-Click-here-to-download-full-report.pdf
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ David F. Horrobin (2012). The Somali, in "A Guide to Kenya and Northern Tanzania". Springer. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-94-011-7129-8.
  18. ↑ Е. de Larajasse (1972), Somali-English and Somali-English Dictionary, Trubner, page 108
  19. ↑ Wright, Jane (1996). "Female genital mutilation: an overview". Journal of Advanced Nursing. Wiley-Blackwell. 24 (2): 251–259. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.1996.01934.x. PMID 8858427.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ 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.
  22. 1 2 Lee Gunderson; Dennis Murphy Odo; Reginald D'Silva (2013). ESL Literacy Instruction. Routledge. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-135-05238-6.
  23. ↑ Thomas M. Leonard (2013). Encyclopedia of the Developing World. Routledge. p. 255. ISBN 978-1-135-20508-9.
  24. ↑ Lewis, I.M. (2008). Understanding Somalia and Somaliland: Culture, History, Society. Columbia University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0231700849.
  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. ↑ 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.
  28. 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.
  29. 1 2 Shack, William A. (1964). "54. Notes on Occupational Castes Among the Gurage of South-West Ethiopia". Man. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 64: 50–52. doi:10.2307/2797801. JSTOR 2797801.
  30. ↑ 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.
  31. ↑ 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.
  32. 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.
  33. ↑ 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.
  34. ↑ Rise of Somali Gangs Plagues Minneapolis, Associated Press (July 20, 2009).
  35. ↑ Das Staatsarchiv. 1861.

Bibliography

  • Hassan Ali Jama, Who cares about Somalia, (Verlag Hans Schiler: 2005)
  • I.M. Lewis, A pastoral democracy, (James Currey Publishers: 1999)
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