Thread by @_danakil

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 There's Harla assimilated into Afars in their region state that claims a Somali lineage. There's a theory that "Harla" was a term for sedentary Somalis. I'll explain it below 👇🏿

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 In Somali society, we historically referred to ourselves along occupational lifestyles, similar to how Arabs did until the adoption of nation-states. Below you will see in this source from "The Beduins and The Desert" that settled Syrian Arabic-speaking villages were referring-

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 to their nomadic counterparts as "Arabs" like they were a different ethnicity. "Arab" to the settled village folk was their usage of "nomad.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Like with Arabs, the word Somali has its roots in nomadic pastoralism. "Somali" is a compound word built from "Soof" (herding) and maal (way of life). Some of our clans still retain this structure like Biyomaal "Biyo" (water) and maal, representing their traditional lifestyle-

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 of fishing. "Somali" was an occupational term for the various nomadic clans. You see this in how Ethio-Semitic groups historically referred to us by our occupational terms. In the case of Amharas, it was Simur (Somali) while for Hararis it was Timur (Tumaal = to beat metal)

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 There are other clues in Futah Al Habash that give it away that ''Somali'' is not in reference to ethnicity but rather used as a blanket term for bedouins.

''Citizens and the Somals '' ''His Somals from the country'' ''The country of the Somalis''-

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 You read instances in the futah of leaders running off to settle "with the Somalis"

Where? What district? Whar region? It reads as if the sultan suffered defeats in his settled region and ran off to the countryside to settle things with his Beduin soldiers.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 The amount of times you read ' "The Sultan and his Somalis" it says like half a dozen times and that he hides among them when defeated . These are settled Somalis rallying their countryside tribespeople

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Fast forward 3 centuries to when Richard Burton visited the region in the mid-1800's, he encountered some of the same Somali clans mentioned in the futah and referred to most of them as Beduin except some Girri who picked up agriculture after the collapse of Adal.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 In the over 500 years since the jihad on Ethiopian Christians, the Somali clan structure of eastern Ethiopia and northwestern Somalia hasn't changed. Habar Magaadle below is the clan branch that Habar Awal belongs to in the above screenshot.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Why does this matter? Because the nomads were everywhere during the 1800s but guess what's the issue? They're nowhere to be found in the Futuh. Not one single mention of nomads exists in that book. Well, actually there's one and it's not even referring to Somalis:

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 It's almost like... Somali was used as the phrase for the nomadic population of Adal. The people who lived in the countryside away from the bustling cities of the highlands

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Now back to the Harla. These people were using a title that was of obvious Somali origin. Garad. A title used over 200 times in the Futah,

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 now how is "Garad" a term in the Somali language?

It comes from the root etymology ''Gar'' which is the root construct of several legal and governance word constructs within the traditional legal system of "Xeer" and the Somali language.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Gar cadaawe: (strict adjudication),
Gar Sokeeye: (flexible adjudication),
Garsoorid: (jury verdict, judiciary system, judgment of a case by a court or group of people),
Gar: (hearing/ verdict),
Garawshiiyo: (concession),
Garnaqsi: (defend; to justify or vindicate)

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 This compound word structure is also apparent in the names of some clans to this day. My clan, Garxajis translated to keeper of justice referring to our founder Ismail bin Isaaq being an Islamic attorney.

Gar = justice/verdict

Xajis = holder/keeper

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Garad in the Somali language means one who moves toward justice. You can also interpret it as one who serves justice.

Gar (Justice/Wisdom)

+

Aad (Move towards)

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Other words related to Garaad

Garbixin
Garbax
Garsiin
Garsoor
Garduuf
Gardarro
Garwaax

All speak to justice either in affirming it or denying it.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Is this Somaloid compound system found in any Ethio-Semitic language? I can say with certainty that's not the case.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Finally, as for Hararis claiming to be direct descendants of Harlas, I find that claim very far-fetched. There's no evidence connecting them to Harar before the 16th century.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Instead, they were likely to be the same people as Gurages during the futah. Described as subjects under the Ethiopians. Their language is also very closely related to Gurages.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Both east gurages and hararis have sidamic substratum. Anyone familiar with Sidamo people knows they live nowhere near east Hararghe where Ifat and Adal were based.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 The Oromo migration is said to have swept through the Gurage zone, which is believed to be a potential place of origin for modern Hararis. Numerous sources indicate that many individuals sought refuge from the Oromo advancement-

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Following the overrun of the Gurage zone, the Oromos proceeded to Harar. Here's a sketch illustrating the Oromo migration path. The area marked with yellow is roughly where Gurage zone would've been.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 The oromos called both east gurages and hararis "Adare" and the Hararis (Adare) were aware of having the same origins as the gurages and they even kept this conscious awareness alive.

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Hararis were recently Habeshas fleeing Oromo onslaught. Upon arriving in Hararghe they were forced to either assimilate into the arriving Oromo hoard in the countryside or forgone their previous gurage tribal affiliations under the new emirate of Harar

@AMKGTG @MacroBorea @father___17 @yellohello231 Meanwhile, the name Harar itself has its origin in Af Somali with many other areas across Somali inhabited lands barring the name.