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The dominant factor of Banadir life is that it is
clan-based. Each clan, in theory at least, traces
its' origins to a single male ancestor. Among
those Banadir being resettled in the U.S. there
are about dozen clans and three or four times
again as many sub-clans; the most prominent of the
clans are the Reer Manyo, Bandhabow, Dhabar-Weyne,
Faqi, Morshe, Asharaf,Iskashato, Shanshi, and
Amuudi. One's family name generally corresponds to
a specific clan, and interviewing by U.S.
officials in Kenya focused primarily on
establishing a refugee's Banadir identity by
identifying their clan.
Clan elders, both
formally and informally, serve as the cornerstone
of Banadir community. Under their leadership the
Banadir Historic identity as an organized,
educated and enterprising people is affirmed and
perpetuated. Family disputes, inheritances, and
other civil matters are addressed and resolved
under their authority. United Nations and U.S.
goverment officials working to assist as Banadir
refugees in Kenya dealt with the clan elders as
primary counterparts who facilitated their
mission. Resettlement communitities should be
prepared for the elders' expectation to contimue
in this role after their arrival in the U.S.
As merchants and traders, the Banadir are
energetic, enterprising, and perhaps a bit
assertive. These characteristics will be more
apparent among the men, who are responsible for
family activities outside the home, than the
women. Whereas most education -- many speak
English, Arabic, Italian, Russian, or another
foreign language -- women generally do not
complete high school, opting instead for marriage
a the young age of 15 or 16 and responsibilities
inside the home. The language the Banadir speak
among themselves is a dialect of Somali, but as
this was not established as a written language
until 1972, some of the older Banadir women can
not read or write . This, as in other aspects of
the position of women in Banadir society, is not
seen as a deficiency, but rather as a simple
difference in roles and responsibilities. The
young generation of Banadir females have had
opportunities for education, which some women
becoming professionals ina range of fields.
The attire and culinary customs of the Banadir
reflect their identity as a group that is both
ancient and modern. Men may wear Western attire
outside of the home and traditional clothing
within. Women are usually veiled and clothed in
Banadir Muslim dress that may indicate their clan
or sub-clan. Their formal cultural attire will
attract attention and perhaps derogaroty comments
by their-non-Somalian peers, especially for
school-age girls. As a coastal people the Banadir,
unlike most Somalis, eat a significant amount of
fish; as Muslims, they are forbidden to eat pork
or lard or drink alcohol. They may require that
the meat in their diet be 'xalaal; prepard in a
strict manner (for remnants of Italian colonialism
can be seen in their consumption of 'baasto'(pasta)-spaghetti!
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