Gadabuursi

Main article: Somali clan

Gadabuursi
غادابوورسي

Regions with significant populations
Languages
Somali and Arabic
Religion
Islam (Sunni)
Related ethnic groups
Issa, Surre, Isaaq and other Dir groups and Somali clans.

The Gadabursi ([Gadaabuursi] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help), Arabic: غادابوورسي), also known as Samaroon, is a northern Somali clan, a sub-clan of the Dir. Most of Gadabuursi members are descendants of Sheikh Samaroon. However, Samaroon does not necessarily mean Gadabuursi, but rather represents only a subclan of the Gadabuursi clan family. As a Dir subclan, the Gadabuursi have immediate lineal ties with the Issa of Djibouti, the Surre (Abdalle and Qubeys) of central/southern Somalia, the Biyomaal of southern Somalia, the Gaadsan, the Gurgure and the Isaaq.

The Gadabuursi are concentrated in northwestern Somalia and are the pre-dominant clan of the Awdal region. They also inhabit Djibouti and the contiguous areas in the Hararghe and the Shinile Zone in the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Within Somalia, they primarily inhabit the cities of Borama, Zeila, Lughaya, Baki and Boon. In Djibouti, the Gadabuursi (Dir) are the second largest Somali clan whereas the Issa (Dir) constitute the majority.

Politically, the Gadabursi are represented by the Somali Democratic Alliance (SDA). The current president of the northwestern Somaliland region of Somalia, Dahir Rayale Kahin, also hails from the Gadabuursi clan.

History

The Gadabursi Kingdom was established more than 600 years ago, and consisted of many elders and a King (Ugaas). Hundreds of elders used to work in four sections consisting of 25 elders each:

• Social committee
• Defence - policing authorities consisting of horsemen (referred to as fardoolay) and foot soldiers
• Economy and collection of taxes
• Justice committee

The chairmen of the four sections were called Afarta Dhadhaar, and were selected according to talent and personnel abilities. A constitution, Xeer Gadabursi , had been developed, which divided every case as to whether it was new or had precedents (ugub or curad).

The Gadabursi King and the elders opposed the arrival of the British at the turn of the twentieth century, and subsequently signed an agreement with the latter. Later, as a disagreement between the two parties both arose and intensified, the British installed some people against the Ugaas in hopes of overthrowing him. This would eventually bring about the collapse of the kingdom.

Clan tree

There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures and many lineages are omitted. The following listing is taken from the World Bank's Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics from 2005 and the United Kingdom's Home Office publication, Somalia Assessment 2001.

• Dir
  • Gadabuursi (Gadabursi)
  • Biinaal
  • Issa

In the south central part of Somalia the World Bank shows the following clan tree:

• Dir
  • Isaac
    • Garhajis
    • Habar Je'lo
    • Habar Awal
    • Habar Tol
  • Gadabursi
  • Isse
  • Biyomal
  • Gadsan
  • Qubeys

Notable figures

• Abdi Sinimo, the father of Somali popular music who established Balwo
• Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur, inventor of the Borama script or Gadabuursi Script
• Hassan Sheikh Mumin, the father of Somali literature and author of Shabeel Naagood or Leopord among the Women
• Aden Isaaq, Somalia's First Minister of Education
• Khadija Qalanjo, prominent singer
• Dahir Riyale Kahin, third president of Somaliland

References

• Country Information and Policy Unit, Somalia Assessment 2001, Home Office, Great Britain