Great book on Somali history... and it's in French

[James Dahl]

The Djibouti folks will enjoy this, me I'm struggling with my high school French.

It goes into detail on a lot of things that I found elsewhere but didn't understand, including tons of information I never even knew existed, like Hawiye's wives.

And the bibliography! Voltage, I know you'll enjoy the bibliography, what with your enthusiasm for sources.

This guy even has info on what Somali clans the Rendille subclans are from

http://books.google.ca/books?id=b3xUnKM81b0C&pg=PA1

[luis1]

I have read that book,it is very interesting.

[Voltage]

What history? 95% of the time he sources the discredited Hawiyist Mohammed Abdi Mohammed and if you read the link like you mention it says "wives" of Hawiye. What personality was Hawiye? Where is the father Hawiye and who knows of him? Never in the history of my attempts to listen in on and try to understand Somali genelogies have I ever come across anyone attempting to proof Hawiye was a real individual (in fact the opposite) and this Mohammed Abdi is sourced as writing about his wives.

Also, why is 90% of the book devoted to Hawiye sub-clans and why are Darood and Isaaq mentioned as being called "sab". It is like me going to China, landing in Gangzhou and writing about Chinese history/people from the first person I meet in Gangzhou.