Gaalje'el

Gaalje'el
الجعل

Gaaljecel
Total population
2,325,000
Languages
Somali
Religion
Islam (Sunni)
Related ethnic groups
Garre, Degoodi, Ja'alin tribe other Somalis

The Gaalje'el (Somali: Gaaljecel, Arabic: الجعل) is a major Somali clan that traditionally inhabit central and southern Somalia. The Gaalje'el inhabit the Hiraan, Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle regions and also maintain a presence in Jubaland.

The Gaalje'el are often incorrectly associated with the Hawiye clan due to their close political and social alignment. However, the Gaalje'el actually descend from Saransoor, as do the Degoodi, Masarre and the Issa. This means that there is no closer blood relation than beyond those also shared amongst all Somalis.

According to Ali Jimale, the etymology of the name Gaalje'el is from gaal, meaning camel and je'el meaning love: gaalje'el meaning "that which loves the camel". Gaal is the Af May (Reewin dialect) equivalent of Geel in Af Maḥa Tiri (the Maḥa Tiri dialect).

Another etymology, which has recently gained steam, references the Jaalin tribe of Sudan. By combining "Geel", the dromedory camel for which the tribe is known to rear, with the arabic Al Je'el (الجعل), proponents of this etymology point to the bedouin nature of the Gaalje'el and surmise that the tribe could have had its origins in the nearby country, since they share the names of several branches.

Clan tree

Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology highlights some of the more prominent families which make up the Gaalje'el

Gaalje'el

• Barsame
  • Mugurmal
  • Hadowe
    • Mahamed Hassan
    • Dumal Ja'eer
      • Yabar Dumal
      • Hassan Dumal
      • Ali Dumal
• Soranle
  • Mu'Awiya
  • Arwaq (Doqondid)
    • Ilkole
    • Zubeir
    • Mujaber
    • Idris
  • Dholadhaqan
    • Erdhanli
      • Dirisame
        • Gargelis
        • Wasuge
      • Dorwaq
        • Abtisame
          • Jidfafah
          • Haji Saleh
        • Millah
        • Lahube
          • Bes Lahube
          • Omar Lahube
            • Makahil
              • Ali Makahil
              • Yabar Makahil
          • Alofi Lahube
            • Kabole Alofi
            • Bila Alofi
            • Yabar Alofi

Notable figures

• Ugaas Abdirahman Ugas Abdullahi 22nd Sultan of the Gaalje'el Tribe.
• Islaw Nur Abikar Islaw Nuur Abiikar is one of the great scholars who came from the land of Qorraxsin on the west side of the Shabelle River.
• Ikran Tahlil Farah was a Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency employee who worked in NISA's cybersecurity department
• Abuukar Fanaxow Abukar Ahmed, popularly known as Abukar Fanahow, is one of the most popular poets in the Somali region, especially in Qorraxsin Fanahow is remembered for his poems of encouragement to the his community
• Sheikh Hassan Barsane - cleric who led a revolt against Italian colonial forces after World War I.
• Omar Faruk Osman Mr. Omar Faruk Osman is a Somali journalist and trade unionist who is the General Secretary of the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU). As the head of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), he is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Global Union Federation - the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). He has been an authoritative and strong voice that defends workers' rights, freedom of association, freedom of expression and the occupational safety of workers.
• Abdihakim Luqman 2nd Speaker Of Hirshabelle Parliament
• Naima Ibrahim Yusuf - is Upper House of Federal Government of Somali and Secretary of Natural Resources, Financial Infrastructure and Transport Committee. Former Businesswomen. She represents Hirshabelle State. She lived long time in United Kingdom.Senator Yusuf has Diploma in Health and Social Care from College of North London. Before Senatorship she worked with humanitarian and aid organizations.
• Dr. Fawziya Abikar Nur is the Federal Minister for Health and Social Care in Somalia since March 2017.