Biida Clan

Bida are a clan confederacy based in Barawa, there are seven main groups or clans in Barawa which are called “todobo Tol” (roughly translates to 7 clans), the collation of the seven groups consists of 7 Tunni clans, Biida and the Hatimi clan. Member clans of Biida umbrella can also be found in other confederacies further up the coast in Marka and Mogadishu.

Biida which translates to “settled” in the Chimini language, is a clan confederacy now made up of 10 clans, where each clan came in different historical periods and joined over the course of the last millennia. The original members of this confederacies belonged to the Wa’ili, Amwawi, Jabri, Qahtani and other tribes from mainly southern Arabia. These Arabic names can still be found on the Nisbas (ancestral lineage) of the local families. However, in the course of times these names have changed locally, hence Wa’ili are called Ra Waali, Amwawi are called Ra Ma’limu, Jabri are called Gabra/Gabro and the Qahtani are called Reer Faqi. Any new arrivals from Arabia could potentially be included under this confederacy/umbrella after they had settled in Baraawe for some time and they gave official allegiance to the confederation.

Geography

Members of the Biida confederacy can be found all over southern Somalia‘s major cities such as Mogadishu, Marka, Afgooye, Jilib, Buale, Baidoa, Bardheere and Diinsoor. Some of the member clans under the Biida umbrella can also be found in other confederacy of clans further up the coast in Marka and Mogadishu, such as the reer Faqi‘s and the Shanshiyo’s. Members of the Biidah umbrella clans can also be found in both Zanzibar and Kenya, especially in coastal settlements such as Lamu, Malindi and Mombasa (most had moved to these areas after the war).

Clan Tree

• Biido
  • Ra Waali
  • Ra Ma’limu
  • Gabro
  • Ra Mashaanga
  • Reer Faqi
  • Cabdi Shuqaale (Shanshiyo)
  • Ra Bakari (Ra Nurshe, Ra Raabe, Ra Banawari)
  • Ba Sadiq
  • Raa Mkaawu
  • Zimarka

Notable People

Traditional elders and religious leaders

• ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Al-Amawī Al-Barawi
• Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Qaḥṭānī Al-Wa’ili Al-Barawi
• Qasim Muḥyī al-Dīn Al-Wa’ili Al-Barawi

References

1. ^ “REFUGEE STATUS APPEALS AUTHORITY NEW ZEALAND”(PDF).
2. ^ Adam, Anita. Benadiri People of Somalia with Particular Reference to the Reer Hamar of Mogadishu. pp. 107–108.
3. ^ Declich, Francesca. Translocal Connections across the Indian Ocean. p. 56.
4. ^ Declich, Francesca. Translocal Connections across the Indian Ocean. p. 56.
5. ^ “Somalia: The Bravanese (Barawan) ethnic group, including the location of their traditional homeland, affiliated clans and risks they face from other clans”.
6. ^ “Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada”(PDF).