Are Garre clan part of the larger Somali community?

A Gharee family in Mandera, (Courtesy)

The Garre are a Somali pastoralist clan that lives in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. They are a sub clan of Dir clan family of the Somali. Garres are more agricultural than nomadic and do not belong to the dominant pastoral clans.

Somalis do not consider them as authentic Somalis. They live in the area south and west of Baidoa, close to the Juba River, but can also be found further west of Baidoa near the border with Kenya.

The Garre, like other Somalis, are typically tall and slender with long, oval faces and straight noses. They vary in skin color from jet black to light brown. The members of the clan are very loyal to each other, spreading out to ensure that there is enough land and water for all of their herds. The smallest unit of their society is the family.

Garre clan does not have any political clout in Somalia. Before the arrival of the UN forces, their farms had been confiscated by the warring factions. Some of them have left Somalia for Kenya. The majority, who remain in the country, have been targets of exploitation.

The first Garre ancestor, Aw Mohamed, crossed the Gulf of Aden into present day Somalia in 652AD. He was an Islamic scholar and a preacher. Because he was bearded, the Somalis named him “Garrow” or Gardheer.” He married a Hawiye woman who sired two boys and a girl. The first-born was Tuff and Qur’an, the second born and the daughter was named Makka.

During late 1600 and early 1700, they lived with Boranas, later on, things changed and the Gharre were out numbered and  they adapted the Borana language.

The Gharre people currently speak multi languages, they speak Somali, Swahili Affan Gharre and Amharic, many of this languages were learned through geographical cohabitation with others , some were imposed on them by the colonialists.

They are divided into Tuff and Quranyowa sub-clans; the Tuffs further into Ali and Adola; the Quranyow into Asare and Furkesha.

The Garres in Mandera county are mostly Quranyow whilst the ones in Moyale and Marsabit are Tuf.

In southern Somalia, they live in Konfur near the capital Mogadishu and Lower Shabelle, Afgooye, Waanlaweyn, Qoroyoley,Merca and Awdhagle Districts  and Elwak in Gedo Jubaland.

Although the Garre are staunch Muslims, few of them have a deep understanding of their faith. They are a very proud people who consider Christians to be inferior.

Follow the writer in Facebook (Abdirahman Khalif)