2. • To know the Somalis means to know a bit about
their culture, land, and history.
• The Somalis are a people indigenous to the Horn of
Africa. For thousands of years, they have lived in a
large area of the Horn, that possesses the largest
coastline in Africa.
• Today, their homeland is broken up into fragments
as a result of European colonization of
Africa: Djibouti, Somalia, Ogaden (eastern region
of Ethiopia), and NFD (northeastern region of
Kenya).
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5. They speak the Somali language, which belongs to the
Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. The
Afro-Asiatic language family also includes Oromo, Hebrew,
Arabic, Hausa, Berber languages, and ancient Egyptian
languages.
One of the two pillars of the Somali culture is poetry. A
person’s intelligence was gauged by his use of language.
Poets occupied a high station in Somali society and a
person who hoped to become a legitimate poet had to
become an apprentice of an established poet and work up
the rungs of increasingly difficult and complex poetry,
which took years.
6. Poetry is a part of story-telling, music, nearly every
celebration, weddings and - in pre-colonial Somalia -
politics and even war. Today, that love of poetry
remains with the Somali people.
They are also a predominantly Muslim people. Islam
reached the Horn of Africa during Prophet Mohamed’s
lifetime, when Muslims were persecuted in Arabia and
sought refuge in the Horn.
7. The refugees first landed in Zeila, Somalia then made
their way further inland. There are two mosques in
Zeila that were built in the 7th century, frequented by
Somalis, showing that Islam has existed in the country
since its beginnings, before Islam was accepted by
Arabia
Due to Somalia’s long coastline that runs along the
Red Sea and Indian Ocean and its advantageous
location, it was perfectly positioned to act as a bridge
connecting maritime trade between the continents.
9. Somalis were traders that participated in the Silk Road.
Their long history as merchants located along one of the
most important trade routes has led to a strong business
sense in the Somali people and it is not uncommon for
them to succeed in business and entrepreneurship.
Somali nomad with his camels
10. Another tradition of the Somali people is nomadism. The
camel is of great importance to both Somali culture and
history.
The camel was first domesticated in Somalia and there are
more camels in Somalia than in any other country in the
world.
Even the name of the Somali people and their country
seems to be related to the camel. A theory of how Somalia’s
name came to be was that it was derived from the phrase
often uttered to guests: soo maal which means “go milk (the
camel)”.
11. The phrase is also a display of Somali hospitality and
generosity which seems to be pervasive in the culture.
Most who have been guests in a Somali household will
witness this.
This generosity also means being offered and fed
much delicious Somali cuisine and the popular Somali
spiced tea.
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13. Somalis also love their incense. Somalia is the land of
frankincense and myrrh. After a meal, Somali mothers
often burn some. It also has a traditional role in weddings,
celebrations, and even Somalia’s spiritual practises.
From antiquity until today, the majority of the world’s
frankincense comes from Somalia (82% today). Its
frankincense is also of the highest quality, so the Roman
Catholic Church purchases most of its stock from
Somalia.
15. Despite the confusion that sometimes exists about the
people of the Horn, Somalis are not a mixed people.
Somalis are often noted for their “unique looks”. In
reality, they share many physical traits with other
Cushitic peoples of North Africa and the Horn as well
as with various Sahelian peoples and Berbers and share
genes with these indigenous peoples. However, one is
still be able to recognize a Somali through appearance
alone.
16. Somalis tend to be tall and slender, with a small frame.
They tend to have oval face shapes, aquiline noses,
almond-shaped eyes, and most commonly have curly
hair however some also have wavy, straight, or kinky
hair. They also vary in skin tone and, less commonly,
hair colour.
The following pictures are some example pictures of
how Somalis look alike
