Irir Samaale

Irir Samaale (var. Irir Samali) is the oldest common ancestor of several Somali clans and their respective sub-clans.[1]

Contents

Etymology

Samaale is generally regarded as the source of the ethnonym Somali. The name "Somali" is, in turn, held to be derived from the words soo and maal, which together mean "go and milk" -- a reference to the ubiquitous pastoralism of the Somali people. Other plausible etymologies proposes that the term Somali is derived from the Arabic for "wealthy" (dhawamaal), again referring to Somali riches in livestock.[1], respectively from the patronim Ishmael

Genealogy

Most Somalis trace their origins to Samaale:

The Digil and Mirifle (Rahanweyn) clans trace descent from an ancestor called Sab. Both Samaale and Sab are supposed to have descended from a common lineage originating in Arabia.[1][2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Lewis, I. M.; Said Samatar (1999). A Pastoral Democracy: A Study of Pastoralism and Politics Among the Northern Somali of the Horn of Africa. LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster. pp. 11–13. ISBN 3825830845. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=L2vXPfRsf04C&client=firefox-a. 
  2. ^ Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1995). The invention of Somalia. The Red Sea Press. pp. 117–123. ISBN 0932415997. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XpdAzRYruCwC&pg=PA122&dq=Samaale+somalia&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=JaFgq2_8cZsckDWkTc0DgfMuX0o#PPA117,M1.