![]() | This article needs attention from an expert in Ethnic groups. See the talk page for details. (June 2020) |
Total population | |
---|---|
600 000 [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Southern Somalia and Kenya | |
![]() | 685 (2019)[1] |
![]() | 600 000[2] |
Languages | |
Mushunguli, Swahili, other Bantu languages, and Somali primarily the Maay dialect (through acculturation and ongoing language shift) | |
Religion | |
Primarily Islam[2] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Bantus, especially Zigua, Ngulu, Swahilis |
The Somali Bantus (also known as Jareerweyne or Wagoshathe river run people) are a Bantu ethnic minority group in Somalia who primarily reside in the southern part of the country, primarily near the Jubba and Shabelle rivers. The Somali Bantus are descendants of Bantu peoples ethnic groups from African Great Lakes|Southeast Africa]], particularly from Mozambique, Malawi, and Tanzania.[3][4] The East African slave trade
Somali Bantus are not ancestrally related to the indigenous ethnic Somalis of Cushitic background and have a culture distinct from the ethnic Somalis. The Somali Bantu have remained marginalized ever since the establishment of Somalia.[5] Some Somali Bantu people have been displaced into Kenya, and a small number have returned to Tanzania.[6] An overseas diaspora community of Somali Bantus can be found primarily in the United States.[7]
There are many different Somali Bantu clans such as the Majindo, Makua, Malima, Mayasa, Mayao, Kiziguas, Kabole, Shabelle, Shiidle, Makane, Hintire, Eeyle, Sedah Omar, Digil Afaaf and Mirifle Afaaf, Biimaal Afaaf, and Some Moobleen. which all contain clans and subclans.[6] Assimilation into mainstream Somali society tends to be stronger for Somali Bantus living in urban areas and the Shebelle region, while Bantu linguistic and cultural traditions tend to be stronger in Somali Bantus of the Juba region.[8] Politically, the Somali Bantu of different tribes form ethnic alliances in the parliament of Somalia.[9]
The Somali Bantu are not to be confused with the members of Swahili society of Somalia in coastal centers, such as the Bajuni or the Bravanese, who speak dialects of the Swahili language but have a culture, tradition, and history separate of the Somali Bantu.[10][11]
The number of Somali Bantu in Somalia is estimated to be around 900,000 to 5,000,000 persons and is mainly concentrated in the south, but they can be found in urban areas throughout the country.[12] Although ref world minority rights website cites a figure of 1 million to 5 millions Somali Bantus in Somalia who made up 15% of the population in an article published in 2011 and taken from the UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) in 2010.[13]
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