Jeffrey Dahmer(how repulsive that I am forced to address someone carrying the name of a Homosexual Cannibal)
QUOTE Cilmiile, it is ironic that you initially vehemently accused me of mis-reading the text and once I have demonstrated your lack of comprehension in examing a simple paragraph, you decided to offer an excuse that you didn't attentively read the text. This happens when one decides to throw insults and accusations at the opponent in order to evade away from the argument. UNQUOTE
I may not have read the entire text but my reply suitably rebuts your claims(Galgaduud and Webi are both far south of Nugaal). I unnderstood incorrectly that the Mareexaan land was in the Webi. Whereas Signor Robecchi merely crossed the Mareexaan on his way to the Webi. My original point, as illustrated by Durrill's passage from Cruttenden, is that Mareexaan lived further north than any of their present lands and were evicted by expansionary Cumar Maxamuud pressure.
In one response you justified Mareexaan vacation of the land as owing to the search for better climes. A move to the Webi would have accorded with that view. But the land Robecchi describes is Ximan aka Galgaduud and is the most desolate land in all of Somalia. The Marexaan evicted from Southern Nugaal eventually went to Bay and Gedo, in fact. Galgaduud was a source of emigrants not host to immigrants.
Let us not confuse the issue with extraneous matters like the Famine that took place in the Bari region to Warsangeli and Cismaan Maxamuud.
Let us set aside the Cumar Maxamuud expulsion of Mareexaan from Nugaal. That is a point of fact not in dispute.
Let us come to Galgaduud and Mareexaan. Were they ruled from Hobyo or not?
What do evidence do you have to refute this?
--That Hobyo was militarily weak with 50 soldiers
--That it was an Italian protectorate.
-That Signor Robecchi remarked that the Mareexaan hated infidels.
Let us deal with them one by one.
Hobyo was founded by Yuusuf Cali with 70, not 50, Cismaan Maxamuud and Hadramauti(Yemeni) soldiers. That doesnt mean that his army remained in that number. Or that his sultanate was confined to Hobyo. By the time the Italians came they expanded to Ceelhuur Ceelbuur and Gallaadi to the west. He had 7000 men under arms.
Even though he signed a treaty of Protection with the Italians, they had no real authority in Majeerteen lands. Although they habitually got their way in their negotiations with the Majeerteen sultans through distributive and coercive methods. That is by the payment of annual subsidies and if the Majeerteen monarchs proved recalcitrant, by gunboat diplomacy: the threat of bombardment from offshore vessels.
During this time the Italians were having great difficulty in pacifying the lower Shabeele where they lost men at Lafoole, killed by the Wacdaan. And later on during the Darwiish fighting they were engaged for 14 years by the Biyamaal guerrilla fighting.
In fact, the two Majeerteen sultans were their principal allies in Somalia from 1889 to 1924 and there was no Italian interference in their affairs which were highly autonomous. And for every favour they did the Europeans they exacted a high price. Witness Suldaan Yuusuf Cali's hard bargaining with the Italian and English when the latter wanted to use Hobyo to stage the landing for one of their expeditions against the Darwiishes led by General Manning.
If you read Robert Hess, Italian colonialism in Somalia, you will note that the two Majeerteen kings proposed that to raise and provision an army of 50,000 men if Italy was willing to provide their arms. They planned to use this army to Capture Ogaadeeniya from the Ethiopians and bring it under their dominion. They reasoned with the Italians that such a maneuver would ease their plan to colonize Ethiopia by opening two offensives against the Ethiopians, one from Eritrea and one from Somalia.
The Italians demurred and suffered a catastrophic defeat at Adua(birthplace of Zenawi).
Did Suldaan Yuusuf Cali control Mareexaan land? Did he have post offices and policemen and mucipal offices? No
Could another potentate infringe on these lands and the livestock it contained. No Way. It was war.
The Hobyo sultanate was about Trade and Money.
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"In his treatment of his people the Sheekh at Hobyo was no less emphatic, for it was his pleasure to address them or to receieve their petitions by means of a hole in the wall at his palace. This Hole fascinated me from the moment that I knew what it was, and that it formed the medium of communication between the Sheekh and his subjects. it was in reality a window in the Audience Chamber of the Council House, and no larger than the box-office window in the vestibule of a theatre. Upon the many occasions thta I had passed it appeared to be closed, although a crowd of patient applicants waited without the pleasure of His Majesty. The Sheikh seemed to gloat over the clamour of their importunities. Indeed, the old man claimed something of the sanctity of Allah, and as he ordered the luckless miserables to bide his convenience, he was wont to puff his cheeks with satisfaction at so conspicuous an illustration of THE POWER OF HIS POSITION. This curious assertion of his dignity was his chief consideration, much as the turning of one piece of cloth into 100 times its value was his sole business. He lived to barter, and he enforced compulsory sales upon the people in order that he might acquire a goodly flock of goats, camels and cattle with which to enrich himself when the Arab merchants came from Aden and Mombasa in the trading season.
As the ruler of his own territory, his words were law in the land, and he confiscated what he wanted if his people would not sell it to him, while he was wise enough to see that he obtained for what he traded the price he demanded. In this way he secured for himself a profit of 100% for everything he sold. In this way, also, he waxed fat and opulent in a land that was barren and unfruitful, the one who among his people might be considered in any degree prosperous."
All the lands of Galgaduud and Mudug were the domain were his Laws and rapacious demands for livestock were enforced. And the man enforcing his writ was his famous General, the much feared and hated Maxamed Maxamuud Shabeel "Godogodo".
Jeffrey,
Our Somali history comes to us in two ways. The writings of early explorers and those of later colonialists. The other way that we come to receive our history is through the oral narratives.
The way properly to reconstruct early Somali history is to consult many written sources and check them against the recorded Oral Narratives that have come down from Somali elders.
In my modest scribblings I have given you a large amount of information to support my arguments. And to top it all off, I produced a corraborative information from oral Somali history and its received wisdom. The information of the Europeans is in perfect accord with the wisdom of our Oral narrative.
You cannot easily disregard the pronouncement of Axmed Faarax Cali Idaajaa, a member of the Somali Academy of Culture, Arts and Sciences, literary historian, Author, Linguist, Poet and the foremost chronicler and Recorder of Somali Oral History. On top of everything else he is a Mareexaan, and cannot be accused of Majeerteen bias and the promotion of false Majeerteen mythologies.
If you continue with this debate, I can also assume it is because you are being deliberately obtuse.
Fraternally yours
Cilmiile
