The
Garre are a
Somali pastoralist clan genealogically belonging to the
Samaale and
Dir clan. They live in
Somalia,
Kenya and
Ethiopia. In Southern Somalia, North Eastern
Kenya and Southern
Ethiopia. In Southern
Somalia, they live in Kofur near
Mogadishu and
El Wak District in
Gedo Province. In Ethiopia, they live in
Moyale,
Hudet and Woreda of
Liban zone. In
Kenya, the Garre inhabit
Wajir North and
Moyale.
[1] They are largely in Kenya and Ethiopia. The Garre claim descent from
Samaale[2] although they fall under the
Rahanweyn politically in the borders of Somalia as sub-clan of the
Digil clan due to isolation from other Garre's, they do not claim descend from them.
[3]
Almost all speak the
Garre language, though it may be secondary to the
Maay speaking sub-clan of Darrawe (Darrawa) who speak Maay as their first language. Their urban centers include
Mandera,
Moyale Takaba, Banisa and
El Wak.
The Garre are divided into the Tuff and Quranyow sub-clans. While the Tuffs are further divided into the Ali and Adola groups, the Quranyow are divided into the Asare and Furkesha. Kuranyo(Quranyow who was married to Tuuf's daughter , genealogically descends from
Dir son of
Irrir son of
Samaale.
[4][5]
Clan Structure[edit]
In the book
Identities on the Move: Clanship and Pastoralism in Northern Kenya, b
y Gunther Schlee , Voice and power, by Hayward and
UNDP Paper on Kenya. The Garre is divided in the following clans.
[6][4][5]
The genealogical clan tree of the Garre. The Garre split in 2 great sub-clans, Tuf and Kuranyo. The Kuranyo are Garre by marriage. Kuranyow who married Tuf's daughter Mako, became part of the Garre confederation, but genealogically descends from Dir son of Irir son of Samaale.
- Samaale
- Garre
- Tuuf
- Quranyow (claim descent from Dir)
In the book
Identities on the Move: Clanship and Pastoralism in Northern Kenya, b
y Gunther Schlee , Voice and power, by Hayward and
UNDP Paper on Kenya. They stress that the Kuranyo(Quranyow) section of the Garre are of Dir descent.
[6][4][5]
References[edit]
- Jump up ^ Garre live in Southern Somalia, North Eastern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia. In Southern Somalia, they live in Kofur near Mogadishu and El Wak District in Gedo Province. In Ethiopia, they live in Moyale, Hudet and Woreda of Liban zone. In Kenya, the Garre inhabit Wajir North and Moyale. UNDP paper http://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/Amani%20Papers/AP_Volume1_n2_May2010.pdf
- Jump up ^ Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1995-01-01). The Invention of Somalia. The Red Sea Press. p. 131. ISBN 9780932415998.
- Jump up ^ Worldbank, Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics, January 2005, Appendix 2, Lineage Charts, p.55 Figure A-1
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Hayward, R. J.; Lewis, I. M. (2005-08-17). Voice and Power. Routledge. p. 242. ISBN 9781135751753.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c The Quranyo section of the Garre claim descent from Dirr, who are born of the Irrir Samal. UNDP Paper in Keyna http://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/Amani%20Papers/AP_Volume1_n2_May2010.pdf
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Schlee, Günther (1989-01-01). Identities on the Move: Clanship and Pastoralism in Northern Kenya. Manchester University Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780719030109.
The Garri people divide into two main sub-tribes which is Tuuf and Quran (Quranyowa). It is said that the president of Chad came to a refugee camp in Somalia where the Garri people were displaced after the Ogaden war. Hissene Habre of Chad supposedly met with Garri elders in the 1980′s and told them of the existence of Garris (Tuuf and Quran) in his country. In chad, Tuuf is known as Toubou and Quran is known as Gorane.
At a time when Africa was new to independence, the instability, political divisions, and power struggles could be felt throughout the Horn of Africa. Colonial Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, are the lands where the Garris lived. The colonialist left the borders for the natives to govern without any tools or organization pre-established for them. After the departure of Colonialism, the new leaders called it upon themselves to establish an identity for their newly acquired borders. Those who spoke Somali created the Somali Nationality. The Garris in Ethiopia meanwhile dealt with oppression not from foreign entities but leaders of their own nation. Those who spoke Oromo created their own nationality which separated itself, and stood as a rebel group against the oppressions of the Ethiopian Government under the rule of Mengistu Haile Mariam and Haile Selassie. The Garris who spoke both of these languages are later given the option to choose which nationality they wish to be a part of. The elders at the time, chose to be part of the somali ethnicity. This option has caused a massive ripple in the understanding and establishing of a Garri identity. Garris of Ethiopia did not speak Somali and did not want to be part of the Somali ethnicity. This is where this blog comes in. Are Garris Somali, or Oromo? Both of these ethnicities are established through politics to create a nationality which fits a particular interest. Somalia is built to create a “greater Somalia” which expands into Ethiopia and Garris are offered to be part of this so they can be of use to this mission. The Oromo ethnicity is established to eradicate the oppression inflicted by the Ethiopian government upon minorities who speak “Oromo”. If this claim of Garris in Chad was actually made by the former president, there is a possibility that there might be a political agenda behind it. But on the other hand, the possibility of truth behind the claim cannot be completely disregarded.
A girl from the semi-nomadic Garri tribe, of southern Ethiopia, peers out from her headscarf, at the Walde Refugee Camp, in northern Kenya. 1993.
All of the information printed about Garri people in more recent years has labeled Garris as Somalis. The picture above says “Garri tribe of Southern Ethiopia”. Contradiction is the common theme on Garri “nationality” or ethnicity. Sometimes It’s Garri tribe of Ethiopia and sometimes it’s Garri Somali tribe.
A toubou woman holding her baby. The physical features of Toubou (Gorane) people are very similar to that of the Garri people as seen in this picture. The item she is holding in her hand, resembles the “idhina” used by Garri people to burn incense.
The Garri amber necklace, on a Toubou woman.
Similarity in the way the woman dress.
The Toubou and Gorane people of chad live a nomadic lifestyle and value camels, just as the Garri of East Africa.
