The Benadiri people (Somali: Reer Benaadir, Arabic: بناديري), also known as Reer Xamar (pronounced "Hamar") or "people of Mogadishu",[1] are an ethnic group in Somalia.
Overview [edit]
The Benadiri traditionally live in Mogadishu, Merca and Barawa on the Benadir coast, and are principally engaged in business and fishing. They speak a dialect of the Afro-Asiatic Somali language referred to as Coastal Somali.[2]
Although the Benadiri are sometimes described as the founders of Mogadishu (hence, their colloquial name Reer Xamar or "People of Mogadishu",[1] though the city itself is postulated to be a successor of ancient Sarapion[3]), their members actually trace their origins to diverse groups. The latter include Arab, Persian and Cushitic peoples, with, in some cases, varying degrees of additional Bantu and Bushman admixture.[4]
Reer Xamar were instrumental in helping to consolidate the local Muslim community, especially in the coastal Benadir region.[5][6] During the colonial period, they were also among the founding members of the Somali Youth League, Somalia's first political party.[7]
See also [edit]
- ^ a b Abbink, p.18.
- ^ Abdullahi, p.10.
- ^ Vérin, Pierre (1986). The History of Civilisation in North Madagascar. A.A. Balkema. p. 30.
- ^ Abdullahi, p.11.
- ^ Cassanelli, Lee V. (1973). The Benaadir past: essays in southern Somali history. University of Wisconsin. p. 24
- ^ Muslims in the Diaspora (1999) Rima Berns McGown, page 21
- ^ I. M. Lewis, A pastoral democracy: a study of pastoralism and politics among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa, (LIT Verlag Münster: 1999), p.304.
References [edit]
