Somali poetry and Somali history have been closely linked as it not only reflects the contemporary events and processes of the era in which it is composed but also reflects the social and cultural setting of Somali society. This allows historians to gain wider insight and a better understanding of the cultural and political discourse in (northern) Somali society as their view is often limited due to nearly non-existent written records on the history of Somalia. Yet poetic historical discourse has been relatively under-researched and has not been systematically utilized as a source for specific periods and problems in Somali history, despite, the significance of the “Gubo series” – a chain of poems that sheds light on an important and neglected period of northern Somali history, the aftermath of the Dervish wars. This brings forth alternating Somali voices a chance to declare their own perspectives and experiences. However, although there may be issues of reliability and accuracy when dealing with oral sources, using Somali poetry as a historical source gives historians wider knowledge on the political, social and cultural discourse of Somali history that is often neglected.
Barnes argues that Somali poetry offer an important corrective to the idea that Somalis have been passive victims of arbitrary boundaries and imperialism, the omission of events like Wal Wal, the Italo-Ethiopian war, and the rise of Somali nationalism. This is highlighted by the series of linked ‘Classical poems’ known as Gubo, bringing attention to the aftermath of the Dervish war which was oversimplified and neglected by historians. In attempts to colonize the Ogaden region, Saayid Maxamad Cabdille Xasan fought against the British, Italians and Ethiopians as the Somalis regarded the Ogaden territory as integral to the future independent state of Somalia and therefore, became the symbol of nationalism. Saayid’s poem ‘The Death of Richard Corfield’, A British Colonial officer, highlights the war and the victory of the Dervish army as he claims “The Dervishes are like the advancing thunderbolts of a storm, rumbling and roaring”. The poem demonstrates the sheer dedication and passion that the Dervish forces had as they fought mercilessly in order to fight off the colonizers. The first poem of the Gubo series is called ‘The Ogaden [are] fools’ (Doqonkii Ogaadeen ahaa) by Ali Duuh who was a part of Saayid’s clan but turned against his leadership. The poem claimed that the Ogaadeen clans who, as a result of the final campaigns against the Sayyid’s forces, had lost wells, territory and camel wealth to the Isxaaq whose clans had acted as auxiliaries to the British forces. He goes on to further claim that Ogaden clans were forced to seek refuge in river valleys and were even forced to join Isxaaq clans because they could not defeat them. The Gubo series therefore, makes up a series of ‘definitive texts’ largely unaltered since the time of their composition, and given their social and political themes they are an invaluable and illuminating source of history, as it focuses on the aftermath of the Dervish war and intra-clan conflict which was neglected before the use of poetry as a historical source.
Poetry had a very important and significant role in Somali society as it was memorized word for word and recited for many reasons such as entertainment, in remembrance of key historical dates and for propaganda. Therefore, there was an unwritten copyright law among Somalis which protected the poem and the poet, which meant that if plagiarism was detected by the audience, the reciter would be punished by ridicule and a severe loss in reputation. Orwin distinguishes between two types of poems: maanso and hees. Maanso poetry is described as having a known composer whereas hees poetry is generally performed in association with work and dance; the composers of hees are not generally known and verbatim is not expected. These two categories revolve around status as hees poems are often performed by those who are politically and socially less powerful, namely women and younger men and are associated with work and dance activities, whereas maanso poems are generally composed and performed by older men who are less likely to partake in these activities. This shows the way in which the categorization is bound to status within society, giving insight to the social setting of Somali society as women and children are viewed as being lower than men on the hierarchy pyramid and therefore, unable to perform serious poems. This is highlighted by the fact that women had less freedom in social interaction than men and therefore, while the men had the opportunity to travel widely so that they could hear and compare poems from all parts of the country, women were required to manage the herds of sheep and goats, construct and set up the portable huts do the house chores and look after the children. This meant that women were often denied reciting maanso poems and had little time for leisure pursuits. By using Somali poetry, historians are able to gain an understanding of social order and status in Somali society.
Somali poetry can also be used as a historical source in gaining a better understanding of the influence of Islam in Somalia, giving a more rounded and a more true impression of Somali life and culture. The Northern pastoralists displayed a deep attachment to Islam, where most were Sunnis, adhering to the orthodox tradition of the Prophet and his ‘Community’ and following the jurist Shaafi’ii law. For Somalis, Islam is a vital force and the regular religious duties are taken seriously such as the daily prayers and many Somalis relied heavily on Muslim saints (Sufism) such as Muhammad Saalih, the creator of the Saalihiyah brotherhood as Mahammad Abdille Hasan composed a poem praising him as he says, “Oh miraculous man of God, Sheikh Muhammad Saalih”. The poem became a war song recited during the holy war against the British, the Ethiopians and the Italians. The ubiquity of poetry in Somalia has led many scholars to employ Somali poetry as a mirror and source of ‘national’ culture and history as shown above.
Islam also becomes interlinked with economic and political systems shown by primary sources of court cases as it always begins all “Praise is due to God, Alone” and ends with “God’s testimony is sufficient”. No interest is mentioned in all case dealings because it is against Islam and witnesses are present and even the Italian colonizers began using Islamic courts in order to buy land or deal with disputes, highlighting the significance of Islam within Somali society.
Despite oral sources, such as poetry, providing historians with rich information about Somali society there are issues of reliability and accuracy as the language used by the poet is not that of ordinary speech today. In addition, words are often used in several widely different senses, so that ambiguity and interpretations are common, making oral sources lack reliability. The position is further complicated by the freedom with which Somali poets invent new words and coin expressions to suit the alliteration and style of their verse. Therefore, we have to rely on our understanding of the cultural background and particular context of a poem, as well as upon what we know of the poet’s special style and vocabulary. However, the fact that variations may be found does not detract from the central concept of the goal of verbatim memorization as Somalis attach great importance to the memorization of their genealogies and family histories, which means that the poems are generally reliable due to the consequence of plagiarism and can be used as a historical source.
In conclusion, Somali poetry can be used by historians in order to better their understanding of the political, cultural and social discourse in Somali society, gaining an insight into traditional and key aspects of their lives. Somali po
etry has widened the once limited view of Somali history as it provides historians with more information on the aftermath of the Dervish wars, which were neglected by historians before the use of poetry as a historical source, the influence of Islam in economic and political systems and how it has interlinked with Somali traditions, and the hierarchy and social order within Somali society as women were regarded as less powerful in comparison to men. Despite issues concerning the reliability and accuracy of Somali poetry as a historical source, the unwritten copyright law and the concept of verbatim memorization as poetry reciters were expected to memorize and reproduce the oral text of a poem word for word; to delete, to substitute or to add any new material was discouraged, meant that the poems can be reliable and used by historians.