Dhaanto is a style of traditional

Somali music The Music of the Somali people () is music following the musical styles, techniques and sounds of the Somali people. Overview Traditional Somali music Somali people have a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali folklore. Som ...

and

folk dance A folk dance is a dance that reflects the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances. For example, Ritual, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances. Ritual dances ...

. It is a cultural folk dance native to the

Somali people The Somali people (, Wadaad: , Arabic: ) are a Cushitic ethnic group and nation native to the Somali Peninsula. who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The East Cushitic Somali language is the shared mother tongue of ethnic Som ...

in the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

History

According to local tradition, Dhaanto is believed to have been created by the nomadic Ogaden clan. The origins of the dance could be traced back to

Somali Region The Somali Region (, , ), also known as Soomaali Galbeed () and officially the Somali Regional State, is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in eastern Ethiopia. It is the largest region of Ethiopia. The state borders the Ethiopian regions ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. It was revived in the late 19th century and was used to raise the 'spirits' of soldiers and was often sung on horseback. Dhaanto became popular among the

Somalis in Ethiopia Somalis in Ethiopia refers to the ethnic Somalis from Ethiopia, particularly the Ogaden, officially known as the Somali Region. Their language is primarily Somali and are predominantly Muslim. According to the 2007 census from the Central Stati ...

and quickly spread to other Somali territories in the Horn of Africa. In the

Ogaden region Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled ''Ogadēn''; , ) is one of the historical names used for the modern Somali Region. It is also natively referred to as Soomaali Galbeed (). The region forms the eastern portion of Ethiopia and borders Somalia ...

, this dance is very popular and you will annually see ethnic Somalis perform different versions of this dance at th
Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day
in

Jigjiga Jijiga (, , ''Jijiga'') is the capital city of Somali Region, Ethiopia. It became the capital of the Somali Region in 1995 after it was moved from Gode. Located in the Fafan Zone with 75 km (37 mi) west of the border with Somali ...

. Additionally, the genre is also employed in

Islamic poetry Islamic poetry is a form of spoken word written & recited by Muslims. Islamic poetry, and notably Sufi poetry, has been written in many languages including Urdu poetry, Urdu and Turkish poetry, Turkish. Genres of Islamic poetry include Ginans, de ...

References

Culture of Somalia Music of Somalia African dances Somali inventions {{music-genre-stub