Madhiban

Main article: Somali clan

Madhiban

Total population
9000 (1960's estimate)
Regions with significant populations
Somalia
Languages
Somali
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Somali clans

The Madhiban (Somali: Madhibaan), also known as the Midgaan (an appellation which is sometimes used pejoratively^[1]), is a Somali clan.

Its members are principally concentrated in northern Somalia, numbering only around 9,000 individuals (1960's estimate).

The Madhiban trace descent from a patriarch named Musa Deriyeh. They were traditionally hunters, but now engage in occupational activities such as leather work (shoemaking).

Because of their farmer-craftsmen history, which some Somalis consider to be lower caste occupations, they are sometimes viewed as being of a lower caste or class.

The Madhiban also face considerable sectarian violence within Somalia, particularly as a result of the Somali Civil War and associated hardships.

Notes

1. ^ The Middle East, Issue 4, (Northumberland Press: 2007), p.196

References

• Hassan Ali Jama, Who cares about Somalia, (Verlag Hans Schiler: 2005)
• I.M. Lewis, A pastoral democracy, (James Currey Publishers: 1999)