Somali people
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Categories: Pages needing expert attention | Ethnic groups of Djibouti | Ethnic groups of Ethiopia | Ethnic groups of Kenya | Ethnic groups of Somalia
The Somalis are an ethnic group indigenous to Northeast Africa (also called the Horn of Africa). These people are of African heritage. They speak the Somali language, which is part of the Afroasiatic language family (subgroup: Cushitic) and is thus related to the Oromo, Sidamo, Afar, Agaw, and Beja languages and also Arabic language. There are between 10 and 20 million ethnic Somalis, principally concentrated in Somalia (over 8 million), Ethiopia (3-5 million), Djibouti (250,000), northeast Kenya (240,000) and an unknown but large number living in non-east African countries.
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Origin
There is no complete certitude about the origin of the Somalis; however, various disciplines shed light on the matter. The name Somali is derived from the word "Somaal", which means means "coast" in Arabic. [1]
Historical
There are few certainies about the presence of Somalis in Somalia. Some people say Somalia used to be populated by Oromos, an Ethiopian ethnic group. There are cave paintings of ancient people in Somalia who used to worship a Cow God called Waaq. Somalia also use to be a trading partner with Ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians called the Horn of Africa Punt, and they thought Punites (i.e., people from Punt) were their ancestors. Coastal Southern Somalia was once an important trading centre for gold, animals, ivory, and other goods.
Somalia
Somalis make up the majority of Somalia's population and based on current estimates, they up at least 80% of the populace (Some estimates are as high as 97%, but this is information is difficult to verify due to lack of cencus information caused by the country's instability for more than the last decade). They are traditionally a nomadic ethnic group, but since the late twentieth century, many have moved to the cities. Somalis are split up in many clans and sub-clans including but not limited to the following:
Religion
Somalis are predominantly Sunni Muslim. They were among the first Africans to convert to Islam, long before North Africans and others. Before their conversion to Islam, some Somali groups use to worship Waaq.