OGADEN Somalis Look different from Other SOMALIS?

追加: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Are Somalis of the Ogaden different from other Somalis? Do they look different?

[00:00:06]This is something I've seen described in the book I'm reading at the moment through unknown African countries. This a book that was published in 1897 and it's a book written by one Donaldson Smith.

[00:00:19]And he in this book he describes his travels from Berbera all the way to Lake Rudolph or Lake Turkana today.

[00:00:26]>> [snorts] >> I'm going to read that part. Also, I'm going to read that part where he tells us about a unique mole that is found in the lands of the Somalis that is hairless. This is a sort of rodent or rat that has no hair and he does share a photo of it and I'm going to put that photo on the screen so so that you see how that animal looks like. And I'm wondering whether this animal is still around. Probably still around this mole that is hairless. I've never imagined that there would be a sort of rodent that is hairless, but apparently there is. At least that's what this guy A. Donaldson Smith tells us. He also tells us about an experience he had when while he was in Hargeisa and where he met this one individual and he was told that this guy is a fortune teller and it seems like he did not believe it. But then this guy goes ahead and says some things that happened not long after and he ends up believing that actually this guy can tell the future.

[00:01:27]I'm going to read that part as well. Let me start with that part of him meeting some guy in Hargeisa who could tell the future. Uh, let's read and see he says.

[00:01:36]And this is what he says. He says, rest our camels and to buy fresh ones. And I discharged here two of my boys for bad conduct, replacing them by two strapping fellows for provided by the chief of Hargeisa. So, he reaches there, they buy new camels, new animals. They maybe probably leave the old ones, maybe those that were not very well physically or health-wise. And then there are two guys seems like he was not very happy with and he decides to let them go and then he hires two new guys. And these guys are suggested to him by the chief, he calls him the chief of Hargeisa.

[00:02:10]Uh, he continues, "One of these named Gulied Farah was reported as a great fortune teller and indeed it was marvelous how accurate his predictions were.

[00:02:20]He said that a certain boy in the camp named Dualeh Farah will not be with us very long, but that he would be the first one to meet with a violent death.

[00:02:30]Uh, it turned out this boy was drowned in the first river we crossed. So, he predicted that there was someone within the group that was going to face some violent death and actually it happened.

[00:02:42]Now, I don't know whether it was coincidence or it actually happened, but seems like this guy ended up believing that actually this um member of his staff was actually a very good fortune teller. The lands of the Somalis like most African lands or most African societies, fortune telling is something that is taken very serious actually. And for many Africans, you cannot tell them that fortune telling doesn't happen because they believe it and actually it happens um to those who believe it. So, this one of those cases.

[00:03:15]Of course, today um many African societies are moving away from that belief, but still if you go into the villages and rural places and even actually in cities, people believe in it. I'm not saying it's not true and I'm not saying that it is true.

[00:03:30]Uh, it's just an observation. Depends on who you ask. Some people believe it it it works, some people believe it doesn't. I don't know what you think about fortune telling.

[00:03:40]Now, let's go to the part where before I read the part where he tells us that the Somalis of of Ogaden were different in the way they looked from the Somalis of the from the other Somalis. Let's read about this rodent that is hairless.

[00:03:53]And this what he writes, "I managed to catch in this country and here he means the country at this point he is crossing the Haud.

[00:04:02]Uh, I managed to catch in this country one of the extraordinary hairless moles named Heterocephalus which are distributed throughout Somaliland wherever there are long stretches of soft loamy soil.

[00:04:16]Their runs are foot underground and at frequent intervals they make holes to the exterior through which you may see the earth being kicked out in little jets that cause that cause one to look on in astonishment if one does not know the origin of these little volcanoes. So, these moles will dig the ground and throw back soil and if you don't know what they are, you may be surprised what's going on on the ground. Yeah, so that is a mole that I don't think I've ever come across it. I've never seen it.

[00:04:51]Of course, a mole is sort of close to a it's a rodent anyways. I've not come across such a rodent in my life and I've I've even not known that there is a rodent that is hairless. And I would like to hear from you, especially if you've been to the Haud, the eastern Ethiopia, maybe Somalia and the northern Somalia, maybe western side of Somalia.

[00:05:14]Uh, is this animal very common or is a rare appearance?

[00:05:19]Now, let's read this part where he he describes the Somalis of Ogaden as different in looking from the other Somalis. And this what he says, "We are obliged to make long marches of 9 hours daily, accomplishing in this time about 24 statute miles by road. Soon after leaving Hargeisa we crossed open grassy plain 7 miles wide called the Bone Sayla and extending about 40 miles east and west according to the native report. But this exception, the Haud is covered with thorny acacias and with mimosa bushes and trees. Occasionally when the distant view is afforded on the Haud it seems to you that you are approaching a range of hills, but as you progress you find that these are only optical illusions. I've not experienced these optical illusions.

[00:06:07]He continues, "Quite characteristic of flat countries in Africa." I don't think I've experienced this optical illusion.

[00:06:14]I think I've experienced the one of water, but not hills. I don't think I've experienced that.

[00:06:21]He continues, "It was very pleasant traveling across the plateau as the climate was dry and cool, the average temperature for 24 hours being 73 Fahrenheit. On the 27th of July we found ourselves at the Gag Gagab on the Tug Milmil. We were now in the Ogaden country, the land of fat camels and good-looking men and women. The people having lighter complexions and more refined features than in other parts of Somaliland." He continues, "The camels were formerly raised in large droves, but within the last three or four years their numbers have been greatly diminished by raiding parties of Abyssinians. Most of the men understand Arabic and you scarcely ever see a boy without his little flat board on which are written verses from the Quran." So, he tells us about these Somalis of the Ogaden and as he describes them, he says that they have more refined features than those of the Somalis from Somaliland and are also of lighter complexions than those of Somaliland. I don't know whether this is um an observable difference today. Uh, you can let me know. Um maybe it is, maybe it is not. I don't know what he was seeing. And uh of course, he also says that there were of course that conflict between the Somalis and the Abyssinians which throughout that time it was very common for the Abyssinians to raid the lands of the Somalis, especially Ogaden and other parts and take animals. He mentions that. He also mentions about these um Arabic uh understanding of the Arabic language by that population which he seems like he's insinuating that the people of Ogaden tended to understand Arabic more than those of say the other parts, maybe Berbera or Zeila. I think he's insinuating something of sorts. Of course, he also mentions about these verses of the Quran that people would have on a flat board, especially men I think. Yeah, so I found these parts to be very interesting, especially the rodent and of course this mention of the difference between the Somalis of Ogaden and the Somalis of of the the other parts and I I'm still it's a question to me. I'm not saying that's what it is. Seems like that's what this guy observed in 1890s and if you have familiarity with the Somalis of Ogaden and Somalis of Somalia and Somalis of elsewhere, maybe Djibouti and Kenya, I'll be happy to hear whether it's actually true that the physical features differ in all these groups of the Somalis.

[00:08:55]Um those are my random thoughts.