Garre

The Garre are of Samaale[2][3] origin being descendants of Samaale[1][2] with one evidence tracing their lineage to Mayle ibn Samale,[4] and the other to Garedheere ibn iSamaale,[1] both sons of Samaale.[5] Garre is divided into two major clans, Garre Tuuf which is associated with 'Pre-Hawiye' group (Gardere - Yakabur - Mayle)[4] while the Quranyow Mohamed have traditional links to the Dir sub-clans of Mohamed Xinfitire. The Garre joined Rahaweyn constituent sub-clans of Digil, forming a part of the Rahaweyn confederation of clans.,[2][6] this was due to the fruit of nomadic life, the necessity of defense, the movement of new territory necessitated by a constant search for pasture and water have resulted over formation of new alliances and later, new clan identities. This show's indeed the Somali saying "tol waa tolane'' ( clan is something joined together) and the structure is not based on blood relationship, that is why you you'll find Garre is closely affiliated with Tunni and Jiido of the Lower Jubba Valley.

The Garre, a section of the Pre-Hawiye Somali or proto-Garre Somali gained control of the area between the Juba and the Tana rivers before the Galla arrived in this area,[7][1] and that in the process the Garre were responsible for pushing Bantu-speaking peoples back to the river Tana. The Garre, Pre-Hawiye group have been the first group to occupy the land between the Jubba and Tana Rivers prior to Oroma. The Arabs, who inhabited the Kismayu coast and islands parrallel to the coast about 1660, and to whom local tombs and ruins are attributed, exterted considerable influence on the formation of the present-day characteristics of the Bajuni were also routed by the Somali Garre whom the Bajuni claims as ancestors- perhaps they were at one time Gerra clients.[8]

Support for such a thesis was mainly based on the fact that the Garre group is the most widely dispersed among the Somali clans.[1]

The Garre are a tribe of Somali origin who entering the country of the East, extended up the right bank of the Dawa as far as Guba Gallgalo. This place is looked on as a tribal headquarter and is the burying place of the chiefs. The Garre adopted the Galla language when they became subject to the Boran Kingdom which at the Zenith of its power extended along the Dawa to within 30 miles of its mouth, and as far south of El Wak. The Garre have recovered their independence but even know some of the wells at the El Wak belong to Boran families living in the highlands.[9]

The scattering of Garre is also supported by the small remnants they supposedly left along the routes they took in their migration. This is soo-called Boon Garre at the Afmadu, other boon Garre at Gelib near the mouth of the River Jubba and still others on the RIver Tana who spoke not the dialect of their Darood dialect neighbours rather the southern Somali dialect[1][10] of the Rahaweyn speech variety because they had lived in Rahaweyn speaking area between the Jubba and Shebelle rivers, and yet other who lived around Baardhere and kept their own original somali like language (Garreh Kofar). As all these re-migrant of different linguistic affiliation now share the same pastures again, a remarkable degree of multilingualism has developed, many individuals herdmen speak all three of these languages (Borana, Garreh Kofar, Rahaweyn)[11] and , in addition often some Standard Somali or Swahili.

Condensed Genealogy of the Somali Nation representing segmentation into social group with specimen segmentation of one tribal family the Darod

The Pre-Hawiye, a much-reduced tribal-family, trace descent from an ancestor collateral to Irrir, and are accordingly genealogically anterior to the Hawiya. Their traditions show them to have preceded the Hawiya in the general expansions of the northern Somali towards the south. For these reasons Colluci has coined the term 'Pre-Hawiya' to distinguish them from the Hawiya to whom they are closely related.[1][12]

The family comprises the Gilale, Ormale, Hon, Daule, Hober, Hawadle, and Gerra (or Garre).[13]

Pre-hawiye

The Gilale survive in small groups in the Doi and Afgoi-Geledi valley. The Ormale have traditions of movement from the region of the Badi-Addo. Some are found along the Juba among the WaGosha, but most are Helai clients, The Hon have representatives among the Harien. The Daule occur in small groups in the hill-country between the Shebelle and Juba Rivers. Their traditions, which are typical of the pre-Hawiya, record conquest by the Digil.[13][5] The Hober formerly occupied the present territory of the Hadama near Hodur, whence they were dispersed by the Digil invaders after a series of wars with Rahanwein Sagal, Hadama, Luwai, Gelidle and Jelible. They were finally by the magical powers of the Sheik District as cultivators associated with Shan Dafet tribal clusters.[13][5]

The Hawadle are an important tribe of nomadic pastoralists, living north of the Abgal and along the Shebelle , where the fertile riverine lands are cultivated by their freedmen.[14][5]

The Garre are the most important tribe of the pre-Hawiya family.[14] They occur in four large autonomous groups: on the lower reaches of the Shebelle in Audegle District around Dolo on the upper jubba, between the Webi Gestro and the Webi Mana in contact and to some extent intermixed with the Arussi Galla, and to the south-west between the Ajuran and Degodia Somali and the Boran Galla of the Northern Frontier Province of Kenya.[5][14] The northernmost group adjacent to the Galla Arrusi have acquired some features of Galla culture; Galla and Somali are both spoken. Galla Arussi villages are intermixed with those of the Garre (Gurra) but are kept separate from those of the Somali.[5][14] The Garre of this region have traditions simillar to those of the other groups and consider themselves Somali rather than Galla.[5][14] Garre traditions generally recount movement southwards from the North-west corner of British Somaliland. Many small groups occur as clients among the Galjaal and Rahaweyn. As a whole, the Garre are nomadic pastoralists with large numbers of camels, sheep, goats and where the habitat is suitable, cattle

Rahanweyn tribes are aggregates of many diverse clan attached to a small original nucleus of Rahanwein,[15] who form the dominant eponymous clan and provide the skeletal framework in each tribe. In many cases, however, this type of organization, dependent for its structure on a dominant clan, is superseded by a system of territorial groups whose political relations are not expressed genealogically.[15] In the Rahawein family itself there are only three orders of segmentations between the group-name and ancestor Rahawein, and the individual tribes which constitute the family. The Rahaweyn consists no so much of groups that derive from preceding groups in an extensive hierarchy of segmentation, as simply of large collateral coalitions. The name "Rahaweyn" ( "large crowds") is itself suggestive of federation.[15] The Sab, who number about a quarter millions are found in Somalia south of the Hawiya, mainly along the Juba river. They are segmented into three families: The Digil, Rahaweyn and Tunni of which the last two are numerically the most important. The Rahaweyn and Tunni derive from the Digil who although have been superseded in strength still survive as a small independent confederacy.[16] The Garre joined Rahaweyn constituent sub-clans of Digil, forming a part of the Rahaweyn confederation of clans.[2][6]

The list of the Dir tribe does not show the segmentation of the tribal-family, although the tribes are grouped according to its genealogical divisions[17][18][19]

The Dir family are the oldest Somali stock, have been greatly dispersed and so reduced that only three main tribes survived. These are the Essa, Gadabursi and Bimal. The Esa and Gadabursi are found to the north-west of British Somaliland, with some Esa in the French Somaliland and some Gadabursi in the Abyssinian territory which is the traditional Dir country. In the present day knowledge, it is not possible to say with certainty that the Gadabursi are Dir, but they seem to be, and are always classified as such by the Italian authorities.[19][18]

The most southernly representatives of the Dir family are the Bimal of Somalia who are found in the two regions-one of the Shebelle centred round merca and the other the Juba River and the Tunni of Brava. At Merca, where the administration has encouraged cultivation by constructing irrigation canals, maize, durra, beans, sesame, tobacco and watermelon are grown.[18][20] The Bimal reached their present territory towards the close of the 18th century in thee course of the general movement of the Somali from North to South. Groups which did not succeeded in maintaining their tribal autonomy so successfully as the Bimal in their dispersal from the North, are the Dabrui living among the Bimal of Merca, the Bajumal among the shebelle Negroids, the Gorajno ( Quranyow) with the Garre, the Madaweni among the WaGosha and in the Abyssinia a dn the Madeluk found among the Ogaden, Helai, Shebelle, in Jubaland and at Serenlei and Margherita[18][20]

Most Garre are nomadic herdsmen, seasonally migrating with their camels, sheep, and goats. They live in portable huts made of bent saplings covered with animal skins or woven mats. Their collapsible tents can easily be loaded on pack animals and moved with the herds. The wealth of most Garre is in their herds. Although the husband remains the legal owner of the herd, his wife controls part of it.

Garre villages consist of several related families. Their huts are arranged in a circle or semi-circle surrounding the cattle pens. Villages are enclosed by thorn-shrub hedges to provide protection from intruders or wild animals. The men's responsibilities include caring for the herds, making decisions dealing with migration, and trading. The women are in charge of domestic duties, such as preparing the meals, milking the animals, caring for the children, and actually building the home. Like other nomads, the Garre scorn those who work with their hands, considering craftsmen a part of the lower class.

The moving patterns of Garre nomads are dependent upon climate and the availability of grazing land. If water or grazing land becomes scarce, the families pack up their portable huts and move across the desert as a single, extended family unit. The Garre are quite loyal to one another, spreading evenly across the land to make sure that everyone has enough water and pasture for his herds.