Issa (clan)

The Issa (also Eesah,[1] Esa, Aysa) (Somali: Ciise, Reer Sheikh Ciise, Arabic: عيسى) is a northern Somali clan, a sub-division of the Dir clan family.[2][3][4]

Main article: Somali clan

Issa
Ciise
عيسى
The tomb of Sheikh Issa, the founding father of the Issa clan in Sanaag, Somaliland.
Regions with significant populations
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia,United Kingdom, Canada, Netherland, France, Turkey
Languages
Somali
Religion
Islam (Sunni)
Related ethnic groups
Gadabuursi, Akisho, Gurgura groups and other Dir clans

Overview

As a Dir sub-clan, the Issa have immediate lineal ties with the Akisho,Gadabuursi, the Surre (Abdalle and Qubeys), the Biimaal (who the Gaadsen also belong to), the Bajimal, the Bursuk, the Madigan Dir, the Gurgura, the Garre (the Quranyow sub-clan to be precise as they claim descent from Dir), Gurre, Gariire, other Dir sub-clans and they have lineal ties with the Hawiye (Irir), Hawadle, Ajuran, Degoodi, Gaalje'el clan groups, who share the same ancestor Samaale.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

History
Issa man and woman in traditional attire (1844)
The Adal Sultanate which was largely on part of the clan territory and the conquest of Abyssinia which they contributed to.

The Issa clan has produced numerous noble Somali men and women over the centuries, consisted of a King (Ugaas) and including many Sultans. Traditionally, the Issa controlled Zeila and majority of the Somali coast to Bulhar, the Ottomans and Khedivites used pay tax to the ugaas of the Issa to use Zeila and Harar trade route.[11][12] the powers changed the political dynamics of Djibouti, Somaliland and Ethiopia during the late 19th century.

The name of Dire Dawa means were the "Dir Hit" Meeshii Dir Dhabah in reference to 14th century battles between the Sultanate of Ifat and Oromo people. In the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935/36, Issa fought on the Italian side, in return benefited from weapons and military training and lucrative marketing opportunities for their cattle. In the second half of the twentieth century, Somalia supplied additional weapons to the Issa, which it upgraded as part of the West Somalia Liberation Front.

Throughout their known history the Issa where known for their military strength and viciousness, the British viewed the Issa's as the strongest most warlike tribe of north east Africa.[13] The British also tried to invade Zeila home of the White Issa (Aysa) which the natives reigned victorious, with that there was never any attempt made to occupy the interior of the Issa country, which was mostly inhabited by the Black Issa ; and not withstanding the cruel nature of the tribe, whose only aspirations in life could very accurately be summed up in the two words "Murder and Loot".[14] With the typically villainous expression on their tribe members' faces as the British administration described.[15] Tribal traditions with those of the Black Issa was that a young blood was not allowed to marry until he had slain a man in battle; as it was not essential to kill the man in a fair combat, this usually led to a cold-blooded killing and constant battles with neighboring tribes and ethnic groups, among the other Somali tribes such customs were unheard of , this was all in effort to keep themselves a militarized tribe.[16] Given that they were always in a state of battle to the point it was viewed that killing was their pastime, as a way of honoring their deceased warriors, they would place upright stones, one for each victim, opposite the entrance of the deceased's dwelling. If the deceased had killed three or more men, stones would also be placed opposite each of the wives' three huts. If the deceased had killed one or more elephants, very large stones would be erected. Additionally, if any of the deceased's victims were mounted men, one upright stone surmounted by another flat stone would be put up. This practice of honoring their warriors through the placement of stones was a significant aspect of the Issa tribal traditions and culture.[17]

The Aysha massacre was a massacre of ethnic Issa Somalis by Ethiopian army on 13 August 1960 in Aysha, Ethiopia. The Ethiopian troops had descended on the area to reportedly help defuse clan-related conflict. However, according to eye-witness testimony, that Somali men were then taken to a different location and then executed by Ethiopian soldiers. Among the latter, those who fled to Dikhil and Ali Sabieh in Djibouti. The drought and hunger crisis of 1972-1973/74 intensified the conflicts. The Ethiopian army intervened against the Issa and in 1971/72 killed hundreds and seized nearly 200,000 cattle. After the defeat of the Western Somali Liberation Front, the Issa Division remained under the name Issa and Gurgura Liberation Front. They continued to receive support from Somalia and joined the EPRDF. In 1987 the autonomous region of Dire Dawa was created for the Issa (which had previously belonged to the province of Xararge) as part of a new administrative division of Ethiopia. Since the EPRDF took over in 1991, the Issa areas in Ethiopia were part of the ethnic definition of the Somali Region.[18]

In Djibouti, which was colonized by France under the name of the French Coast of Somalis, (up until 1967, then to the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas), there were also tensions between Issa and Afar, as the Issa and other Somalis natives of Djibouti sought to connect with Somalia independent since 1960. Most Afar preferred the fate of France. Mahamoud Harbi was a major leader of the independence movement but was killed on 29 September 1960 and his comrades Djama Mahamoud Boreh and Mohamed Gahanlo disappeared on a flight from Geneva to Cairo. Officially, they were killed in a plane crash, but a possible role of the organization de l'armée secrète is speculated. In 1977 Djibouti gained its independence, but did not unite with Somalia. During the Ogaden War, influential Issa politicians envisioned a Greater Djibouti or "Issa-land", where Djibouti's borders would extend from the Red Sea to Dire Dawa.[19] That dream however was dashed towards the end of the war as Somali forces were routed from Ethiopia.[19] Under Hassan Gouled Aptidon, Djibouti developed into the one-party state of the Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progrès (RPP) In which the interests of the Afar minority were little considered. In 1991–1994, there was therefore a civil war in Djibouti between the Issa-dominated government and the Afar rebels of the FRUD. Finally, other opposition parties were admitted and Afar was involved in the government, while Issa still dominated political life. In 1999 Ismail Omar Guelleh, a nephew of Hassan Gouled Aptidon, succeeded Djibouti as his successor.

Issa Ugaas Rooble pictured with his nephew Jardon in 1885
Map of Somaliland featuring the Issa clan.

In the Awdal region of Somaliland there were battles with the Gadabuursi, another Dir subclans. The conflict drove some of the Issa to escape to Ethiopia in the late 1990s. A refugee camp was opened at Degago/Ayisha. A second wave of Issa refugees left the coastal town of Zeila in 1991 after fighting with the SNM of the Isaaq and Gadabuursi.[20]

Distribution
Map of Northern Somali peninsula showing distribution of the Issa clan in the north western part

The Issa primarily live in Ethiopia largely where they reach the Oromia and Afar regions and make a large chunk of the Chartered city of Dire Dawa. They also inhabit Djibouti, where they make up more than half of the population, thirdly they inhabit Awdal, Somaliland too.[21] The Issa are the largest clan by population within the Djibouti. Also the Issa is the second largest sub-clan within the borders of the Somali Region of Ethiopia based on the Ethiopian population census 2008.

The immediate neighbor to the Issa to the west are the Afar (or Danakil) with whom the Issa used to frequently fight. I. M. Lewis used to refer to it as "a of an almost constant state of enmity between the 'Ise and the 'Afar" , To their east the 'Ise are in contact with the Somali Gadabursi to whom they feel themselves akin and share same descent and culture. To the South the Gurgura, Hawiye and Oromo.[22]: 70 [23]

The titles White and Black, as prefixed to the Esa, simply refer to their geographic distribution; a range of hills that runs west of and parallel to the Djibouti-Harrar road serves as their dividing line; the White Esa are those closest to the sea, while the Black Esa are those beyond the range. These differences are due to how the two countries look, with the country to the west being almost entirely made up of sand and the country to the east being mostly covered in basaltic rock. As a result, the former has a black appearance due to its volcanic nature, while the latter is a white sandy desert. [24]

Lineage

The Issa traditionally traces its connexions through Dir, his actual grave lies between Rugay and Maydh in eastern Somaliland.[25] Sheikh Issa tomb most likely pre-date the local arrival of Islam, which would mean their construction took place in the 13th century or earlier.

The traditional Ugaas (King) comes from the smallest Issa clan, Wardiiq and rules from his settlement Waruf located about 180 km south of Djibouti, west of the Harrar road. One of their Ugaas's was Ugaas Hassan Xirsi Ugaas.

The Issa belong to the T-M184 haplogroup and the TMRCA is estimated to be 2100–2200 years or 150 BCE.[26][27][28]

Clan tree
Part of a series on the
History of Djibouti
Prehistory
Antiquity
Middle Ages
Colonial period
Modern period
Republic of Djibouti
 Africa portal  History portal

There is no clear agreement on the clan and sub-clan structures and many lineages are omitted. The following listing is taken from the World Bank's Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics from 2005 and the United Kingdom's Home Office publication, Somalia Assessment 2001.[29][30]

Based on the Notes on the social organisation of the Issa Somal. The Issa is divided into the following branches.[22]: 73 

  • Issa
    • Ēlēye' (Musse & Mamasan)
    • Hawlagadee(Idleh & Youssouf)
    • Hōlle (Mahadle & Saaib)
    • Hōrrōne (Habar Walaal & Geele walaal)]][31]
    • Ūrweyne(Cabdelle & Siciid)
    • Wardīq (Wakhtishiil & Rumawaaq)
Gallery
Nomads of the Somali Issa clan
Issa warrior sitting
An Issa man
Jaldessa the seat of the Issa Ugaas
Issas near Harar
Issa nomad sitting in a clearing

Notable Issa people
President of Djibouti Ismaïl Omar Guelleh

See also

[11] Notes
  1. Buel, James William (1889). The Story of Man: A History of the Human Race. Historical Publishing Company.
  2. King, Preston (1987). An African Winter. Puffin. ISBN 978-0-14-052365-2., p.169.
  3. "Refworld | 1) Persecution of the Issa tribe in Ethiopia; 2) Persecution of ethnic Somalis by the Ethiopian population in northern Ethiopia".
  4. Lewis, I. M. (3 February 2017). Peoples of the Horn of Africa (Somali, Afar and Saho): North Eastern Africa Part I. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-30817-3.
  5. Lewis, I. M. (1 January 1998). Peoples of the Horn of Africa: Somali, Afar and Saho. Red Sea Press. p. 25. ISBN 9781569021057.
  6. Lewis, I. M. (1 January 1998). Peoples of the Horn of Africa: Somali, Afar and Saho. Red Sea Press. ISBN 9781569021057. At the end of the book "Tribal Distribution of Somali Afar and Saho"
  7. Verdier, Isabelle (31 May 1997). Ethiopia: the top 100 people. Indigo Publications. p. 13. ISBN 9782905760128.
  8. The Quranyo section of the Garre claim descent from Dirr, who are born of the Irrir Samal. UNDP Paper in Kenya http://www.undp.org/content/dam/kenya/docs/Amani%20Papers/AP_Volume1_n2_May2010.pdf Archived 17 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Adam, Hussein Mohamed; Ford, Richard (1 January 1997). Mending rips in the sky: options for Somali communities in the 21st century. Red Sea Press. p. 127. ISBN 9781569020739.
  10. Ahmed, Ali Jimale (1 January 1995). The Invention of Somalia. The Red Sea Press. p. 121. ISBN 9780932415998.
  11. La gazette géographique et l'exploration (in French). 1884.
  12. Walsh, Langton Prendergast (1932). Under the Flag and Somali Coast Stories. Melrose.
  13. Walsh, Langton Prendergast (1932). Under the Flag and Somali Coast Stories. Melrose.
  14. Drake Brockman, Ralph E (1875–1952). British Somali Land. London Hurst And Blackett. p. 27. ISBN 9781578986378.
  15. Burton, Richard (1856). First Footsteps in East Africa. Creative Media Partners, LLC, 2015. p. 6. ISBN 1345851650.
  16. Walsh, Langton Prendergast (1932). Under the Flag and Somali Coast Stories. Melrose. p. 94.
  17. Walsh, Langton Prendergast (1932). Under the Flag and Somali Coast Stories. Melrose. p. 173.
  18. Tobias Hagmann: Challenges of decentralisation in Ethiopia's Somali Region Archived 2014-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, Briefing for Review of African Political Economy Vol. 32, No. 103, 2005 (PDF)
  19. Clarke, Walter S. (1991). "The 'Esayi Dream: A Footnote to the Ogaden War". Northeast African Studies. 13 (1): 29–38. ISSN 0740-9133. JSTOR 43660335.
  20. Guido Ambroso: Pastoral society and transnational refugees: population movements in Somaliland and eastern Ethiopia 1988–2000. New Issues in Refugee Research, Working Paper No. 65, UNHCR – Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit, 2002 (PDF; 492 kB)
  21. Olson, James S. (1996). THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. London: GREENWOOD PRESS. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-313-27918-8.
  22. Lewis, I.M. (1961). "Notes on the Social Organisation of the ʿĪse Somali". Rassegna di Studi Etiopici. Istituto per l'Oriente C. A. Nallino. 17: 69–82. JSTOR 41299496.
  23. Tesfaye, Aaron (2002). Political Power and Ethnic Federalism: The Struggle for Democracy in Ethiopia. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America Inc. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-7618-2238-7.
  24. Drake Brockman, Ralph E (1875–1952). British Somali Land. London Hurst And Blackett. p. 244. ISBN 9781578986378.
  25. Lewis, "Historical Aspects of Genealogies in Northern Somali Social Structure", Journal of African History, 3 (1962), p. 46
  26. Underhill JR, Rowold DJ, Regueiro M, Caeiro B, Cinnioğlu C, Roseman C, Underhill PA, Cavalli-Sforza LL, Herrera RJ (2004). "The Levant versus the Horn of Africa: Evidence for Bidirectional Corridors of Human Migrations". American Journal of Human Genetics. 74 (3): 532–544. doi:10.1086/382286. PMC 1182266. PMID 14973781.
  27. Sanchez, Juan J.; Hallenberg, Charlotte; Børsting, Claus; Hernandez, Alexis; Morling, Niels (July 2005). "High frequencies of Y chromosome lineages characterized by E3b1, DYS19-11, DYS392-12 in Somali males". European Journal of Human Genetics. 13 (7): 856–866. doi:10.1038/sj.ejhg.5201390. ISSN 1018-4813. PMID 15756297.
  28. Cabrera, Vicente M.; Abu-Amero, Khaled K.; Larruga, José M.; González, Ana M. (2010). "The Arabian peninsula: Gate for Human Migrations Out of Africa or Cul-de-Sac? A Mitochondrial DNA Phylogeographic Perspective". The Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 79–87. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2719-1_6. ISBN 978-90-481-2718-4.
  29. Worldbank, Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics, January 2005, Appendix 2, Lineage Charts, p.55 Figure A-1
  30. Country Information and Policy Unit, Home Office, Great Britain, Somalia Assessment 2001, Annex B: Somali Clan Structure Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, p. 43
  31. Yasin, Yasin. Regional Dynamics of Inter-ethnic Conflicts in the Horn of Africa: An Analysis of the Afar-Somali Conflict in Ethiopia and Djibouti. University of Hamburg. p. 60.

References
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.