Maxamuud Xoosh Cigaal

Maxamuud Xoosh Cigaal was one of the leading politicians of the Darawiish and the last person to be resident at Taleh fort before its capture in February 9th, 1920 by British colonial forces, as such making Xoosh Cigaal the last surviving non-fugitive Darawiish. A report by Cabdulqaadir Xirsi also describes Xoosh Cigaal as a member of the Haroun, i.e., the Darawiish government. Both native African and western sources have used Xoosh Cigaal as an important literary work regarding European tactics towards their African adversaries, and the counter-tactics the native Africans used against their European foes.

Nonetheless the last person in Taleh fort in general regardless of age was the then six year old Jaamac Biixi Kidin. Since the Darawiish-colonial conflict dated back to the New Imperialist partition of Africa, this also makes Xoosh Cigaal among the last extant anti-colonial figures dating to the Scramble for Africa.

Career

Last extant anti-colonial figure

Native Somali sources have reported how Xoosh Cigaal was the last resident of Taleh fort:[1]

Rag Soomaali ah oo ciidanka Ingiriiska ka socday waxay yiraahdeen, Sayidku markuu baxay waa arkayney, hase ahaatee in uu gaalada gacanteeda galo ma aannu doonayn. Darwiish la yiraahdo Maxamuud Xoosh Cigaal ; oo aan la kulmay , galabtaasna meeshaa joogey

A few Somali men who were aligned with the colonial English forces had said that they clearly saw it when the Sayid was escaping from Taleh fort. Nonetheless, they were reluctant to see the Sayid being captured by the British. A Darawiish by the name of Maxamuud Xoosh Cigaal remained in the abandoned fort

Government

Maxamuud Xoosh Cigaal was also described as being among the heads of the Darawiish government in Somali sources and Xoosh Cigaal described the demoralizing effects of British war planes attacking the Taleh fort in detail:[2]

Maxamuud Xoosh Dheere oo ka mid ahaa madaxdii Daraawiisheed , lagana waraystay jabkii Daraawiishta waxa laga hayaa , Haddii xataa ayan dayaaradaha Ingiriis noo iman annagaaba

Maxamuud Xoosh who was among the leading figures of the Darawiish, and who reported to us the details of the air bombardment against Darawiish launched by the colonialists, said that even if the British war planes seeking out Darawiish had not arrived ...

Reference source on colonial tactics

Maxamuud Xoosh Cigaal is one of the most important native African sources on interactions and tactics used between Europeans and Africans from the era of the Scramble for Africa, particularly in the Horn of Africa. One example that Xoosh speaks about is what he calls the forged letter from his former mentor Salah which he describes as propaganda forged by the British and Italians.[3]

An 1999 book published by Indiana University also shortlists him as one of only a few known Somali government figures from the pre-colonial era, and further lists him as one of the only Somali politicians from the precolonial era to have documented precolonial customs and conventions within the Horn of Africa. The interviews continued from 1971 up to 1973.[4]


A report from the University of Michigan states that in the early 1970s Maxamuud Xoosh Cigaal, which is latinized as Mohamud Hosh in English sources, was being interviewed whilst in his old age by a Somali research commission who sought to study British tactics vis-a-vis native African rebels towards colonialism. In this study, Maxamuud Xoosh reports how the European colonialists used divide et impera or divide and conquer tactics in order to subdue African natives and the counter-measures the native Africans took. The report also states that Maxamuud Xoosh or Hosh hails from the city of Buuhoodle.[5]

Other claimants

Another claimant to being the last person in Taleh fort and thereby the last extant Darawish is Jaamac Biixi Kidin, who although being the last Darawiish present at the fort, was a 6 year old child when the fort was captured on 9th of February 1920. A British war report describes Jaamac Biixi Kidin as being the lone present inside the fort. Due to his immediate arrest, Jaamac Biixi Kidin is also the first Somali child prisoner in history:[6]

Many rifles but not much else was found in the fort, with the exception of one very small boy who had somehow been left behind ... I later handed him over to my colour sergeant Jama Hersi, as our only prisoner

A news report by Golkhaatumo journalist Asad Cadaani confirms that Jaamac Biixi Kidin was the last known Darawiish person to be extant at the fort, although only 6 years old. It also states that Jaamac Biixi Kidin was the last known Darawiish to still be alive when he died in the year 2009.[7]

Darwiish Jaamac Biixi Kidin ayaa lax jir ahaa maalintii diyaaraduhu weerarka ku soo qaadeen daraawiish waxaana la aaminsan yahay in uu ahaa qofkii ugu danbeeyey ee Xaruntii daraawiish goob Jooga ka ahaa, isla markaana la kulmay Sayid Maxmed C/alle Xassan iyo madaxdii daraawiishta. Muddo haatan laga joogu shan sanno mar uu Jidbaale.com ugu waramayey magaalada Laascaanood waxa uu sheegay in uu Sayidka kula kulmay xarunta Taleex , ka dib markig uu dagaaladii daraawiisheed ku shahiiday aabhood Darwiish Biixi Kidin

The Darawiish Jaamac Biixi Kidin was only 6 years old when the British war planes struck the Darawiish forts at Taleh; and it is believed that he was the last person to be present at the Darawiish's haroun government headquarters, as well as the last person to be in contact with any of actively anti-colonial Darawiish figures such as the Sayid. It was five years ago when Jidbali.com interviewed Kidin at Las Anod when Kidin stated that he was taken in by the Sayid after his father Biixi Kidin died in the midst of an anti-colonial battle

See also

References
  1. Taariikhdii daraawiishta iyo Sayid Maxamad Cabdille Xasan, Jaamac Cumar Ciise · 2005 , PAGE 325
  2. Dabkuu shiday darwiishkii, Cabdulqaadir Xirsi · 1974, PAGE 98
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=0xzLttlApVwC&pg=PT43&dq=salah+letter+mullah&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=salah%20letter%20mullah&f=false
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=nz_uAAAAMAAJ&q=xoosh+diiwaanka&dq=xoosh+diiwaanka&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=kNxxAAAAMAAJ&dq=members+by+Mohamud+Hosh&q=+Hosh&redir_esc=y
  6. The King's African Rifles - Volume 2 -Lieutenant-Colonel H. Moyse-Bartlett, 2012, PAGE 429
  7. Darwiish Jaamac Biixi Kidin Oo Maanta Ku Geeriyoodey Magaalada Garoowe. Written by Asad Cadaani Ibraahim Saturday, 01 August 2009
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