The Yibir (Somali Jews) Yibir clan members are popularly held to be descendants of Jewish Hebrew forbears. The etymology of the word Yibir is also believed by some to have come from the word for Hebrew.[18] However, spokespersons for the Yibir have generally not tried to make their presence known to Jewish/Israeli authorities. Muhammad Ali Hassan, a trader in the emirate of Dubai on the Persian Gulf who is himself a Yibir, asserts that that would only make more problems. Despite their putative Jewish origins, the overwhelming majority of the Yibir, like the Somali population in general, adhere to Islam and know practically nothing of Judaism. However, partly on account of their rumored Hebrew origins, the Yibir occupy a subordinate position in Somali society.[19][20] Contemporary situation[edit] Yibir still have a reputation for magic; one of their traditional functions is to bless the newborn and the newly married. In return for these blessings they receive gifts, a continual repayment for the killing of Mohammed Hanif.[2] They subsist in two different ways—by being attached to noble Somali families, or by (cyclically) visiting different households.[21] The payments they receive, called samanyo (described by an English scholar as a tax[22]), also function to forestall the fear of a possible cursing of the (Somali) host by the Yibir soothsayer or magician; though the Yibir are the smallest and most despised clan of the sab, they are thought to have the strongest magic.[23] Persistently refusing to give a gift on the occasion of a birth invites the curse of the Yibir, which is supposed to result in a violent death for the refusing party or a deformed new-born.[24] Another of the Yibirs supernatural characteristics is that when they die they vanish: no one, according to Somali tradition, has ever seen the grave of a Yibir,[25] a quality possibly derived from the disappearance of their ancestor, Hanif.[2] In 1961, the Yibir were estimated to number around 1300 individuals.[21] However, in 2000, Ahmad Jama Hersi, the modern leader of the Yibir, stated he believed 25,000 Yibir to live in Somalia and neighboring countries.[26] In 2000, the clan received legitimacy at the national level when they were to receive a seat in the 225-member parliament of the Transitional National Government.[27] Language[edit] The language of the Yibir (like that of the Madhiban) is described by early 20th century Western linguists as a dialect of the Somali language. Yibir and Madhiban are similar and share a number of words.[28] J.W.C. Kirk, a British infantry officer stationed in British Somaliland, published a grammar of Somali with an account of the Yibir and Midgan (i.e. Madhiban) dialects in 1905[22] and commented on the difference of the two dialects from the dominant Somali language. According to his sources, the difference is necessary to maintain a secrecy and keep the ruling class from total dominance of the subservient clans: Each tribe has its own dialect, which has hitherto been kept as a solemn secret from the rest of the world. They still insist upon secrecy from Somalis, and made me promise not to divulge to their hereditary enemies what they were quite willing to explain to the white man. I, therefore, rely upon any who may read this not to disclose to any Somali what I have been allowed to write down for the benefit of the Sirkal,[29] but if any other officer of an enquiring disposition wishes to pursue the subject, he should be acquainted with the Somali language, which all the Sab know, and discuss these things with one of them.[3] Kirk stresses this desire for secrecy repeatedly: Therefore I must ask any who may read this and who may sojourn in the country, not to repeat what I give here to any Somali, not of Yibir or Midgan birth;[30] a similar note was sounded by the German linguist Adolf Walter Schleicher in his 1892 grammar of the Somali language.[31] In more recent times, the linguist Roger Blench, referencing Kirk, has similarly indicated that the Yibir and Madhiban dialects both differ substantially in lexicon from standard Somali. However, he remarks that it remains unknown whether this linguistic divergence is due to some sort of difference in code or is instead indicative of distinct languages.[32] Notes[edit] Jump up
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 01:29:39 +0000
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