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Somali Nationalism: Its Origins and Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2008

Abdi Sheik-Abdi
Affiliation:
Department of African/Afro-American Studies, State University of New York at Albany

Extract

The Somalis, who almost exclusively inhabit the Horn of Africa, form one of the most uniformly homogeneous populations of the continent. They speak one language, adhere to a single faith, and share a common cultural heritage which is an integral part of their nomadic way of life. The very name So maal, when spoken in the imperative, means ‘Go and milk a beast for yourself’, welcome words of hospitality in a wandering stranger's ears. The Somali's self-conception is inseparable from his flocks and his historical grazing lands. Yet, the Somalis have watched helplessly for the past generation or two as their pasturelands were dismembered by colonising European powers and neighbouring potentates.

Type
Africana
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

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References

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