Samaale, also spelled Samali or Samale () is traditionally considered to be the common forefather of several major Somali clans and their respective sub-clans. His name is the source of the

ethnonym An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...

''Somali''.. As the purported ancestor of most pastoralist clans living in the northern part of

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, Samaale lies at the basis of the largest and most widespread Somali lineage (the second largest lineage belonging to Samaale's brother Sab, the purported progenitor of most southern, cultivating clans). The main branches of the Samaale clan are the Dir, the Hawiye, the

Isaaq The Isaaq (, , ''Banu Ishaq'') is a major Somali clans, Somali clan. It is one of the largest Somali clan families in the Horn of Africa, with a large and densely populated traditional territory. The Isaaq people claim in a traditional legend ...

, the

Darod The Darod (, ) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan is Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as Darod. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripheries, the Somali hinterlands adjacent ...

, and the 'pre-Hawiya' group (containing the Gardere, the Yakabur, and the Mayle). Both the Samaale and the Sab claim to be ultimately descended from the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

clan of the

Quraysh The Quraysh () are an Tribes of Arabia, Arab tribe who controlled Mecca before the rise of Islam. Their members were divided into ten main clans, most notably including the Banu Hashim, into which Islam's founding prophet Muhammad was born. By ...

through Aqil ibn Abi Talib (), a cousin of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

and older brother of Ali. Although these claims of descent are historically untenable, they do reflect the longstanding cultural contacts between Somalia (especially, though not exclusively, its most northern part

Somaliland Somaliland, officially the Republic of Somaliland, is an List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country in the Horn of Africa. It is located in the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, E ...

) and

Southern Arabia South Arabia (), or Greater Yemen, is a historical region that consists of the southern region of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, mainly centered in what is now the Republic of Yemen, yet it has also historically included Najran, Jazan, ...

History

The progenitor Samaale is generally regarded as the source of the

''Somali''. Others state that the word Somali is derived from the words ''soo'' and ''maal'', which together mean "go and milk"—a reference to the ubiquitous

pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The anim ...

of 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 ...

. Another

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

proposes that the term ''Somali'' is derived from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

for "wealthy" (''zāwamāl''), again referring to Somali riches in livestock. Just like the descendants of the other main Somali clan progenitor Sab, the clans tracing their lineage to Samaale claim that their forefather was himself a descendant of the Arab

Banu Hashim Banu Hashim () is an Arab clan within the Quraysh tribe to which the Islamic prophet Muhammad belonged, named after Muhammad's great-grandfather Hashim ibn Abd Manaf. Members of this clan, and especially their descendants, are also referred ...

clan (a sub-clan of the

), through Aqil ibn Abi Talib, a cousin of the prophet Muhammad and older brother of Ali.: "Les Samaale disent ainsi descendre de la tribu mecquoise de Quraysh par l'intermédiaire de Hill, fils de Mohamed Yow, fils de Mohamed 'Abdurahman, fils de 'Aqîl, fils de Abu Tâlib, fils de 'Abd al Muttalib, le grand-père du Prophète Mahomet." ["The Samaale thus claim to descend from the Meccan tribe of Quraysh through Hill, son of Mohamed Yow, son of Mohamed 'Abdurahman, son of 'Aqîl, son of Abu Talib, son of 'Abd al Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet Mohammed."] According to the British anthropologist and Somali Studies veteran Ioan M. Lewis, the traditions of descent from noble Arab families related to Muhammad embraced by most Somali clans are most probably figurative expressions of the importance of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

in Somali society. Likewise, Sada Mire regards the foundation of Somali clan lineages by Arab progenitors as part of "the Somali Islamic myth of origin". The paternal genetics of ethnic

Somalis The Somali people (, Wadaad's writing, Wadaad: , Arabic: ) are a Cushitic peoples, Cushitic ethnic group and nation native to the Somali Peninsula. who share a common ancestry, culture and history. The Lowland East Cushitic languages, East ...

are inconsistent with a post-Islamic common TMRCA (time to most recent common ancestor) and with a post-Islamic paternal Arabian origin for the majority of the ethnicity. The majority of Somalis have a TMRCA between 4,000-2,000 years before present in the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

Genealogy

The claimed descent of Samaale from the Banu Hashim is as follows: Samaale was the son of Hill, the son of Muhammad Yow, the son of Muhammad Abd al-Rahman, the son of Aqil, the son of Abu Talib (paternal uncle of the

prophet Muhammad In Islam, Muhammad () is venerated as the Seal of the Prophets who transmitted the Quran, eternal word of God () from the Angels in Islam, angel Gabriel () to humans and jinn. Muslims believe that the Quran, the central religious text of Isl ...

), the son of

Abd al-Muttalib Shayba ibn Hāshim (; ), better known as ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, () was the fourth chief of the Quraysh tribal confederation and grandfather of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Early life His father was Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf,Muhammad ibn Sa ...

(paternal grandfather of Muhammad). Samaale's father Hill is also thought of as the father of Sab, the progenitor of most southern Somali clans (most notably the Rahanweyn). Constructing and reconstructing

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

tables according to changing political and economical alliances is an important part of Somali culture, epitomized by the saying ''tol waa tolane'', meaning 'clan is something joined together'. One of multiple possible tables used by scholars to sketch the main outlines of Somali clan genealogy is as follows:. *Hill **Samaale ***Irir **** Dir ***** Gadabursi ***** Issa ***** Samaroon *****

Bimaal The Bimaal or Bimal, (; Arabic:بيمال) are a sub-clan of the major Dir clan family. This clan is widely known for leading a resistance against the colonials in northern Somalia for decades which can be compared to the war of the Sayyid in So ...

****

*****Habr Magaadleeh ****** Garhaji ******

Awal AWAL (shortened from Artists Without A Label) is a global recording business that claims to serve as an alternative to the traditional record label, offering deal structures that provide artists with the resources and expertise of a global label ...

*****Habr Habusheed ****** Habr Yunis ******Tol Ja'lo (Ahmed) **** Hawiye ***** Gurreh ***** Ajuran *****Mobilen ***** Habr Gedir ***** Sheikhaal ***** Abgaal *** Gardere–Yakabur–Mayle ***

****Ogadeen **** Harti ***** Majeerteen ***** Warsangeli ***** Dhulbahante ****

Marehan The Marehan (, ) is a Somali clan, which is part of one of the largest Somali clan families, the Darod. The clan are the largest tribe in the Jubaland state and make the majority of the Gedo, Middle Juba and Lower Juba states, some major cities ...

** Sab (non-Samaale) ***Digil **** Tunni **** Rahanweyn *****Siyyeed *****Sagaal

References

Works cited

* * * * * * {{Legendary progenitors Somali clans Legendary progenitors

History

Genealogy

See also

References

Works cited